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Definition of Comb Sister

Map of Shunde

Comb Sister, a kind of ancient Chinese women culture,is also known as the mother or aunt that refers to some women set up their hairs like married women, but they determine to stay single all their life and they are called the Net Female after they die. In the past, unmarried women with a long braids hanging behind Guangzhou City and the Pearl River delta, and when they got married,their mother or female elders would help them to scooped their braids and rolled into a ball that is closed to the brain (that is what Chinese people often call a bun). However, Comb female would braided their hair into a bun on their own to show their determination that they would never get married until they died. The actual reason that Comb sister existed is the rigid feudal rites in ancient China, at that time, many women did not want to be abused by their husbands, thus, some of them were determined not to marry or stay single with partners in order to support each other till death, and that was the original shape of Comb Sister.When it came to the mid and late Ming dynasty,the rise of the silk industry provided women with their own working opportunities, hence,this custom that lasts more than 300 years reaches its peak at the late Qing Dynasty and go down at the period of the Republic of China since 1930s. On 25th, December, 2012, Shunde Jun'an's government opened a comb female museum.

Origin of Comb Sister

The origin of the Comb Sister is the result of rigid feudal rites in ancient China. At that time, many women can not stand abuse, therefore, they determined not to get married or stay with partners to support each other till die. The custom of the Comb Sister has kept more than 300 years under the oppression of the feudal rites, and it was up to world in mid and late Ming dynasty since the rise of the silk industry provided women, with their own opportunities. In the 1930s, along with improvement of women’s social status and the impact of war, Comb Sister gradually fade away.

History of Comb Sister

Until the 1930s, with the decline of silk industry in the Pearl River Delta, young women from the area heard that they can get the higher income if they work in Southeast Asia,so they call their friends to go there for earning a living. Therefore,many women who work in South Seas area for many years have never talked about the marriage. Besides, in the old days, being a comb sister had its special ceremony, first of all, some villagers would represent the whole village to choose the greatest privilege, and as the lucky time comes, several elder women with high reputation would host the "Comb" ceremony, there the women who wanted to become comb sister will roll their braid done into a bun with a promise that they would never to marry. And in the same day, the whole village would set tables to announce the decision to their friends and the public. Ever since the revolution of 1911 and the establishment of the Republic of China, the feudal system and customs broke down, and the custom of comb sister had declined.In the early years of the Republic of China, the whole China's silk industry collapsed, which resulted in that the comb female cannot earn their livings, therefore, some of them chose to go to Hong Kong as "the comb house maid". A famous Hong Kong street - Tsat Tsz Mui (Seven Sisters) is also originated from those comb sister.

Customs of Comb Sister - The Custom of Grave Keeping

Once women determined to roll their braid in to a bun and to become comb sisters,they had no choice to turn back, what is more, they were not allowed to break their promise, if they did that, theu would be tortured by their villagers and even be loaded in to a pig cage and be drown in to the river. But even they died, it is unaccept for their parents to bury them. According to the old custom, comb sisters were not allowed to died in their home or other relatives' homes, they could only be carried out of their village. Worse still, only other comb sister could visit the grave and some of them would be their friends' grave keeper so that was called "The Custom of Grave Keeping ".

Museum of Comb Sister

The Shunde Icon

Bingyu Museum, located in a oversea Chinese's Elder House in Shunde Jun'an town. It is a two-story building, with left, middle and right three underground blocks, and people set a statue of Avalokitesvara in a middle block and tablets of some dead comb sister in the left and right blocks. Besides, the second floor is the room that comb sisters live.The whole building takes about five hundred square meters, covers an area of nearly two acres. On 25th,December,2012,Shunde Jun'an Bingyu Museum officially open for the public.

Categories

• Chinese culture

• Lingnan