Nuove e vecchie “jiating”: i cambiamenti intercorsi nell’istituzione familiare cinese a partire dal 1911

This job has the aim to answer at some interesting questions concerning the evolution of Chinese Family in the last century. In particular: which changes has the Chinese family gone through in the last century? After one hundred years of historical and legislative modification of the State, which peculiar elements of traditional Chinese family existing in the earlier XX century still exist? Modern historiography has widely treated the subject “Chinese family”, but only specific subjects considered in limited time or contents have always been examined; the scenario of studies and scientific publications were lacking of a complete and wider – meaning the temporal sense – analysis, totally focused on social and legislative changes that affected China from the end of the Imperial era to this days. Considering the double track in the level of analysis undertaken - legislative and socio-political – the narrative excursus takes two directions: Critical examination of legal texts concerning the family area from 1911 until today (IV Book – Nationalist Civil Code of 1931; Laws on Marriage of 1950 and 1980; Laws on Family Planning regarding the last thirty years of Chinese history); Interpretative study of the most important socio-political events that determined specific transitions in the attitude and the structure of the Chinese family (Movements for social renewal in 1915-1919; “New Life Movement” for restoring the Confucian traditions in 1934; Maoist-oriented Leadership of the new Communist China; Government Leadership of Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and the fight against over birth-rate). A long development process regarding the institution of Chinese family, across a century of history.