The neonatal practice of Yuezi in Western Fujian Hakka villages

In the Chinese traditional family system, childbirth marks the passage of the young daughter-in-law into motherhood, and also raises her status within the fam- ily. When a child is born, mother and baby are confined in the childbirth room for a period variable from 30–40 to 100 days: the yuezi (月子) period. This medical related practice, recorded in classical texts, is widespread in contemporary China, and in urban areas a great number of yuezi centers are offering their services to new mothers who do not have the knowledge, or the material prerequisites, to observe it. The research highlights the social function of this isolation practice in Hakka culture rural villages, where in the past women were left to take care of the household while men emigrated to earn money. In this context, the relationship between the daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law was the basic requi- site for harmony in the family. The author demonstrates that this period of time had the function of creating and reinforcing the bond between the two women, whereas in contemporary urban society the practice appears to be confined to its mechanical performance, with diminished attention to its psycho-social implications.