From the archives: how Hong Kong ended the concubine system (very slowly)
First proposed by the Hongkong Council of Women in 1843, the taking of a second wife was finally outlawed 128 years later, in 1971
“Abolition of Concubinage Proposed: Resolution by Women’s Council”, was the headline in the South China Morning Post on March 23, 1954. “I’d like to vote with two hands instead of one,” one member of the Hongkong Council of Women said, as the resolution passed unanimously.
“In the interests of all Chinese women in the Colony this outdated custom must be abolished,” said Matilda Ng, chairwoman of the council, who added that the group had first called for abolition of concubinage in 1843.
On May 28, 1957, the Post ran the headline “Women to Petition” along with the story that the council had drafted a petition seeking to abolish concubinage. “Even if it takes six months to obtain signatures, we will do it. We cannot fail this time,” said the council’s chairwoman, R.T. Eng.
The petition read: “[These] antiquated laws and customs [of the Qing dynasty] have been the cause of so many broken homes and much unhappiness in Chinese families. Their plight is so pitiful that we humbly beseech you to deal with this matter urgently.”
