1. Poultry and livestock
The relatively large-scale dowry should be counted from the Warring States period, limited by the productivity and living standards at that time, and geese, dogs and pigs are more beautiful among the people. Among them, the wild goose is a gift that the groom must bring when he visits the bride's house, which is called "holding the wild goose as a gift" or "drinking the wild goose".
2. necessities of life
In ancient China, there were a wide range of dowry choices. Besides real estate such as houses and land, daily necessities were the most practical. In Heilongjiang province in Qing dynasty, besides shoes, clothes and gold jewelry, washbasins, towels and pancreases were also used as dowry.
3. Maid sister
Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, famous families have married their daughters, and they will also let her take away some maids, so that their daughters can take care of their in-laws and adapt to the new environment as soon as possible. Later, it was common for these maids to be concubined by their masters.
4. Lifelong supplies
Mourning clothes and coffin boards can be included in the dowry, which sounds alarmist. In the past, in Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, fierce clothes were essential in dowry. These fierce clothes are not for brides, but for in-laws after their daughter died. In this regard, my in-laws not only don't feel unlucky, but also feel that my in-laws have ideas.
5. Sexual intercourse model
In ancient times, the dowry at the bottom of the closet was often related to sexual intercourse between husband and wife, and most of them were sex models. It's not so much a dowry as a textbook about sex.
In ancient times, the amount of dowry directly determined the daughter's future family status. Therefore, when marrying a daughter, even poor families will do their best to prepare a decent dowry for their daughter. The wind of "thick marriage" was more prevalent in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. When rich people in Beijing marry women, most of them choose 24, 36 and 48. Most ordinary people are around 16 or 20.