Daughters of the Canton Delta: Marriage Patterns and Economic Strategies in South China, 1860-1930

This is the most readable piece of research I have ever read. Dr. Stockard has a clear way of describing a situation and then inserting a quote from one of the people she interviewed that led her to her surprising conclusions.As the silk industry became more prevalent in the Pearl River Delta, more and more women were needed to work in it. Also, there were chances for girls to work as servants in Hong Kong. These situations resulted in women earning their own money and resulted in new definitions of marriage.Delayed transfer marriages were when the couple marry but the bride continues to live at home working for 3 or more years before living full time with her husband. Compensation marriages were when the bride after a few years realizes that she doesn't like the groom and pays him a certain sum. He gets another wife but the original wife still gets the title of First Wife. There were also sworn spinsters who formed households with like-minded women and never married.

Stockard's Daughters of the Canton Delta describes many Cantonese marriage customs a century ago in considerable details. I have been trying to understand the social and cultural backgrounds of my own black and white amah or majie. I have found this book far more detailed, absorbing and enjoyable than any other book I have read on the subject.

Daughters of the Canton Delta is not only one of my favorite anthropology texts, but it stands alone as a great read. Although the author went to a great deal of research and fieldwork, each chapter reads easily and quickly. It makes a great classroom text or bedside reading. This book provides the perfect opportunity for someone who doesn't have much experience with good anthropology (research and study), but wants to. I'd also highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in asian cultures in general, there are many practices or aspects of marriage revealed in this book that I imagine even many inhabitants of South China don't know.

This is background information for a book that I am writing. Her presentation and content was invaluable. I can't thank her enough.