ABSTRACT
Marriage had been regarded as a family affair and had been customarily defined as an alliance of two families. The "equality of gates and doors principle applied to the influence of intermarriage on the individual's social mobility. Marriage between two families of different strata provided an important means of social circulation. Through marriage big families were often confederated into powerful groups. The life history of Chief Ting furnishes a typical example of upward mobility through the avenue of marriage. Chief Ting came from a leading gentry family. Following his marriage into another leading gentry family, the influence and wealth of his father-in-law helped him to achieve a brilliant career in business and the bureaucracy. Ting's wife was virtuous and capable. She would console him when he worried about his economic condition and encourage him when he was disappointed.
