Are ghost marriages fueling the demand for female corpses in rural China?

  • Thread starter Math Is Hard
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In summary, there is a growing market for female corpses in China because of the custom of "ghost marriages." These marriages are usually between couples who have never been buried together and are therefore forced to share a grave. This custom is Older than recorded history and may date back thousands of years.
  • #1
Math Is Hard
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Aether posted this link in another thread. A grisly, but very interesting story:

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9558423

Parts of rural China are seeing a burgeoning market for female corpses, the result of the reappearance of a strange custom called “ghost marriages”. Chinese tradition demands that husbands and wives always share a grave. Sometimes, when a man died unmarried, his parents would procure the body of a woman, hold a “wedding” and bury the couple together.
 
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  • #2
Awesome. I want a pet dog and cat, and maybe some orphan kids too.

On second thought, better throw in some mistresses as well.
 
  • #3
cyrusabdollahi said:
Awesome. I want a pet dog and cat, and maybe some orphan kids too.

On second thought, better throw in some mistresses as well.

:smile:
You forgot the servants, King Tut!
 
  • #4
At least they have a lot in common and probably have few bad habits. I imagine they have a very low divorce rate.
 
  • #5
Way to find that positive angle, Bob! :biggrin:
 
  • #6
Oh, ghost, not goat!
 
  • #7
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh, ghost, not goat!
:smile: :smile:
 
  • #8
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh, ghost, not goat!

This ant afganistan!
 
  • #9
Being a westerner that embraces change and new ideas, it's hard to understand how some cultures can have such unchangeable beliefs. The culture in various parts of China are very old and very isolated, and change is something that wasn't promoted.

I love the study of other cultures. But traditions like this are a bit bizarre now, but not uncommon a few thousand years ago.
 
  • #10
In the late 1800's people used to take photos of their dead loved ones at the funeral and hang it on their wall.

Your baby brother and sister are dead honey, now smile for the nice man.

http://www.deathonline.net/images/remembering/pm12.jpg
 
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  • #11
Remember that movie The Others with the photo album of the pics of dead people propped up and posed? My mom said she had actually seen photo albums like that when she was a little girl. I thought it was something they had just made up for the movie.
 
  • #12
I remember going through the things of my dad's mother and there were tons of photos of dead people.
 
  • #13
Marriage and burial customs aren't scientific at all. Just say, no.
 
  • #14
Evo said:
Being a westerner that embraces change and new ideas, it's hard to understand how some cultures can have such unchangeable beliefs. The culture in various parts of China are very old and very isolated, and change is something that wasn't promoted.

I love the study of other cultures. But traditions like this are a bit bizarre now, but not uncommon a few thousand years ago.

I think loyal female PF members should donate their corpses to be sold in China after they croak for a general pizza fund.
 
  • #15
zoobyshoe said:
I think loyal female PF members should donate their corpses to be sold in China after they croak for a general pizza fund.
And who would be the benificiary of said pizza fund?

I still want to be eaten by Tibetan vultures.
 
  • #16
Evo said:
And who would be the benificiary of said pizza fund?

I still want to be eaten by Tibetan vultures.

Tibetan Vultures, isn't that a soccer team??:biggrin:
 
  • #17
edward said:
Tibetan Vultures, isn't that a soccer team??:biggrin:
Oh dear, that would make things much more complicated. :bugeye:
 
  • #18
Evo said:
Oh dear, that would make things much more complicated. :bugeye:

Not really. The only difference is that they would use utensils.
 
  • #19
Evo said:
And who would be the benificiary of said pizza fund?
Surviving male PF members.

I still want to be eaten by Tibetan vultures.
You're so selfish! We want pizza!
 
  • #20
Ivan Seeking said:
Not really. The only difference is that they would use utensils.

Or their tongues.
 
  • #21
Evo said:
I remember going through the things of my dad's mother and there were tons of photos of dead people.

Truly neat. :-p
 

FAQ: Are ghost marriages fueling the demand for female corpses in rural China?

What is "The market for ghost brides"?

"The market for ghost brides" refers to a practice in some Asian cultures where living women are married off to deceased men in order to provide them with a spouse in the afterlife.

Why is there a market for ghost brides?

The belief in the afterlife and the importance of having a spouse in the afterlife is a driving factor in the market for ghost brides. Some also believe that it brings good luck and fortune to the living family.

How does the market for ghost brides work?

In some cases, families will hire professional matchmakers to find a suitable ghost bride for their deceased son. The ghost bride is typically a living woman who is paid to perform the wedding rituals and spend a certain amount of time as a "wife" to the deceased.

What are the controversies surrounding the market for ghost brides?

There are concerns about the exploitation of women and the objectification of the deceased in this practice. Some also argue that it perpetuates gender inequality and reinforces the societal expectation for women to be subservient to men.

Is the market for ghost brides still prevalent today?

While the market for ghost brides has decreased in some areas due to modernization and changing beliefs, it is still practiced in some rural areas and by certain cultural groups. It has also gained attention and scrutiny in recent years, leading to a decline in its popularity.

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