At the end of April, Shi Meilun took office as the chairman of the board of directors of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, becoming the first female chairperson in the history of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Among mainland Chinese investors, she has a well-known nickname - "Chat you to death." This is because her husband's surname is Cha, and she is also called "Cha Shimeilun", which is homophonic with "Cha to death".

Pushing the time forward one year, after Hong Kong’s first female Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor took office, the Administrative Department of the SAR Government issued a special general notice to regulate how to address the Chief Executive and the Chief Executive’s husband. For example, in formal occasions, you can address her as "Ms. Chief Executive Carrie Lam" and avoid using the word "Your Excellency"; when delivering a speech, you can address her as "Mrs. Lam." The notice specifically emphasized that the couple should not be called "husband and wife" because the identity of the chief executive is more noble than that of her husband.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s family portrait.

In addition, in our impression, many of the married ladies in Hong Kong’s political and business circles have four-character names, such as the first Legislative Council Chairman after the handover, Fan Xuli, and the first Chinese Director-General of the World Health Organization. Margaret Chan, New Democratic Party chairwoman Ip Lau Suk-yee, the first chief executive's wife Tung Chiu Hung-ping, the second chief executive's wife Tsang Hsiao-po Wei, the third chief executive's wife Leong Tang Ching-yee, as well as the wife of the richest man Li Ka-shing, Li Zhuang Yueming, former Sun Hung Kai Properties chairman Guo Kuang Xiaoqing, Shaw's second wife, Shao Fangyihua, etc. They all adopt the husband's surname, that is, after getting married, they add their husband's surname before their own name. In contrast, the Hong Kong female celebrities we are familiar with, as well as the general public, rarely have this situation after marriage.

Many ladies in politics and business take their husband’s surname, and the reasons are intriguing.

1. The surname Guanhu has existed in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, but Hong Kong is more special.

Academia generally believes that the surname Guanhu is the product of a marriage with marital power. This is a common phenomenon in many countries in the world, and can be roughly divided into the following categories:

The first category is the combination of "husband's surname + father's surname + surname". After the Song Dynasty in China until the early years of the Republic of China, in official records such as household registration documents, genealogy genealogies, and grain records, married women usually had double surnames. For example, if a man named Zhang marries a woman named Wang, she will become "Zhang and Wang's family" in official documents or in the genealogy.

German Chancellor Merkel's husband Sauer was once mistakenly called "Mr. Merkel".

The second type is the combination of "husband's surname + own first name", also known as taking the husband's surname, which is more common in Western societies. For example, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose real name was Hillary, took her husband’s surname as her own after marrying Bill Clinton. Jacqueline, the widow of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, later married again and simply added the surnames of her two husbands to her own name, becoming Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline. German Chancellor Angela Dorothea Merkel, "Merkel" is actually her ex-husband's surname, but she still retained her ex-husband's surname after remarrying. As a result, her current husband, Joakim Sauer, was occasionally mistakenly called "Mr. Merkel", which was quite embarrassing to think about.

The third category is to keep your own surname, the most typical one is mainland China. The first "Marriage Law" promulgated after the founding of New China clearly stated: "Husbands and wives have the right to use their own names." Since then, this principle has been passed down in successive legal revisions, and women in New China no longer have to use their own names. I changed my name because I got married and have a name that will always be independent.

In Hong Kong, Taiwan and some parts of Southeast Asia, the fourth combination method is implemented, that is, the combination of "husband's surname + own name". For example, Carrie Lam, whose name was Cheng Yuet-ngor before marriage, changed to Carrie Lam after marrying Dr. Lin Zhaobo. When her career was going smoothly, she took the initiative to apply for a demotion and transfer to London in order to take care of her adolescent children; when she ran for chief executive, she repeatedly emphasized that "her husband must agree before she can be chosen" - which is similar to her traditional name. , she also strives to play the role of a traditional mother and wife in her life.

The proportion of married women in Hong Kong’s political and business circles who take their husband’s surname is higher than that of women in other industries. This is mainly because Hong Kong is a blend of Chinese and Western, ancient and modern, and is affected by many factors:

First It is the influence of the laws of the Republic of China.

Before 1971, Hong Kong did not have special marriage regulations for Chinese people. Marriage contracts were regulated in accordance with the "Regulations of the Qing Dynasty", traditional Chinese customs, and the British legal system.

In 1929, the "Civil Law" promulgated by the Nanjing National Government regulated the "husband's surname" for the first time: "The wife shall bear her husband's surname with her own surname. The extra husband shall bear his wife's surname with his own surname. However, This does not apply if the parties have made other arrangements." In 1933 and 1944, the Ministry of the Interior successively revised and promulgated the "Rules for Name Changes and Surname Changes." This "new style of marriage" soon spread to Hong Kong and became popular among the Chinese. According to Hong Kong government statistics, this type of marriage was mainly concentrated between 1930 and 1960.

The second is the influence of British common law.

The right to name is an important part of the personal relationship between husband and wife. In this regard, Hong Kong law does not make explicit provisions, but follows British common law.

The surname in English is called "Family name", which is the family surname. For traditional British people, a family should be neat and tidy and use a unified surname. Of course, the husband's surname is usually used. Affected by this, Hong Kong women should change to their husband's surname after marriage, or use their husband's surname before their own surname. After the husband's death, his widow can continue to use her husband's surname. But for men, no matter how prominent the woman's family background is, she is generally not allowed to change her surname to his wife's.

Ye Liu Shuyi (left) and Liang Tang Qingyi*** participated in the event together.

The third is the pressure on the British government system.

During the colonial period, for traditional and conservative senior British officials, once a female civil servant did not take her husband's surname after marriage, it would be regarded as a sign of problems in the relationship between the couple, and it would also be easy for people to engage in sexual harassment. What should I call confused?

According to research by Hong Kong scholars, the permanent salary employment terms of female civil servants who do not adopt their husband’s surname or adopt their husband’s surname will be converted into temporary employment terms. Therefore, in order to win recognition, get promotion, and for their own pensions, women in politics have taken their husband's surname, which can be regarded as taking the initiative to "declare" their married status to the world. Their English title is "husband's surname + wife".

The fourth is the consolidation of male family authority. Especially for those from well-known families and wealthy businessmen, letting their spouses bear their own surname is like putting a label "exclusively for me" on them. It becomes a symbol of identity and status, and it is easy to gain psychological benefits. of satisfaction.

As for the general public, who are neither engaged in politics nor official, nor are they prominent, they bear relatively little external pressure. Naturally, few women change their surnames after marriage. In addition, there are also those actresses who have a large number of fans, who can say that "they belong to a wealthy family". Of course, they rarely change their surnames after marriage, for fear of losing fans due to changing their surnames.

This makes people feel that in Hong Kong, people with the husband's surname can generally be classified as "upper class". However, there are exceptions. For example, in some villages in the New Territories of Hong Kong, there is still a tradition that the entire village uses the same surname.

2. The husband's surname seems sweet, but he also has some troubles

Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung has a classic song "Your Name, My Surname". The story says, "When I need the most soul-stirring moments, I can use your The first name and my last name make the story.” The background of the creation of this song is that after actress Luo Meiwei married Jacky Cheung, she was willing to give up her career to stay at home to raise her husband and children, and used Jacky Cheung's English surname before her own English name. Jacky Cheung reciprocated the favor. When the World Asteroid Association gave him the opportunity to name an asteroid, he named it after his wife's English name "MAY" without hesitation.

Jacky Cheung sings "Your Name, My Last Name"

The love in the story is always so touching. However, for women who are truly named after their husbands, they inevitably encounter some troubles in their work and life.

The first step they have to do is to apply at the Personnel Registration Office of the Immigration Department and sign the Deed Poll under the witness of a lawyer. Then, take the name change deed and apply for a new ID card, go to the marriage registration office to register the marriage, and successively change bank accounts, passports, etc. However, the name on the birth certificate is a permanent record, and the graduation certificate and other documents also use the maiden name. Therefore, to prove "I am me", you have to bring the old certificate and the name change deed.

In life, sometimes we encounter situations where documents are not completely modified, some are changed and some are not, which inevitably leads to a dilemma.

Hong Kong's "Mirror Monthly" once published such an example. After Guo Ying got married, bank staff changed her credit card name by putting her husband's surname "Horton" before her real surname.

But the embarrassing thing is that her passport uses her real name, so every time she goes to the bank to withdraw cash with a credit card, the bank clerk always asks: "Aren't the passport and the credit card the same name?" She asked every time It took a long time to explain, but after hearing this, the bank clerk lowered his head again and re-examined his research, and finally seemed to grit his teeth and make up his mind to believe her.

For another example, marriage and divorce are common nowadays, and some people have to go through several marriages in their lives. If you have to bear your husband's surname every time you get married, you have to keep changing your name. , which adds a huge workload, and also makes colleagues and friends around you confused - how should people call you? If you are called by your old name, it will be embarrassing!

Especially for some women in academia, after they publish articles under their husband's surname and make an impact, if they change their name after divorce, they may also face the risk of losing the influence they have worked so hard to build. This can also make them hesitant to enter into marriage again.

3. In Hong Kong's political and business circles today, people with the surname Guanhu are gradually moving away

Even in Hong Kong's political and business circles, most people with the surname Guanhu are middle-aged and elderly women, and many of them are gradually bidding farewell to the political stage. Among relatively younger women in politics, many no longer use their husband's surname even after they get married.

Lee Wai-king, Chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong.

For example, Li Huiqiong, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, has never used her husband's surname. In an interview with Phoenix TV, she said: "One thing I always remember is that when I get home, I am just the wife of others and the mother of my children. Even on the street, I will play with my daughter devotedly and play the role of mommy. I remind myself all the time, never fail to do these roles just because you are in public."

Jiang Liyun and "Yuan Qiu".

Legislative Council member Chiang Li-yun was once criticized and vilified by the Hong Kong media as the political "Yuan Qiu" (the charter woman in Stephen Chow's movie "Kung Fu"), but she is also a ruthless character who protects her husband and has confessed to the media. Husband Liang Haiming: "It doesn't matter if you laugh or curse, but don't hurt my husband. He supports me so much and tells me to be myself."

In addition, Xu Xiaofai, who once served as the deputy director of the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, New generation politicians such as Chan Hoi-yan, who once served as political assistant at the Food and Health Bureau, did not take their husband's surname after marriage. This is the result of the simultaneous influence of many factors such as political and economic development, changes in social customs, and progress in the rule of law.

First, the new marriage law protects more rights for women.

Since 1971, Hong Kong has successively promulgated the Marriage Ordinance, the Marriage System Amendment Ordinance, the Matrimonial Causes Ordinance, the Matrimonial Causes and Property Ordinance, the Separation and Maintenance Orders Ordinance, the Adoption "Children Regulations", "Guardianship Regulations for Minors", "Protection of Women and Children Regulations", etc. have had a long-term impact on the marriage system.

These laws regulate the rights and obligations of husband and wife, and effectively protect women’s rights in marriage, education, inheritance of inheritance and land, childbirth, employment and taxation. This eliminates the need for women to bear their husband's surname and rely on their husbands in order to live, which effectively enhances women's status and improves women's rights.

The second is the affirmative action movement in the civil service system.

In the late 1970s, Hong Kong’s civil service system launched a campaign for equal pay for men and women for equal work. Its main demand was that women receive the same status and benefits as male civil servants of the same level. In 1979, Hong Kong established the Standing Committee on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service. After active struggle, equal pay for equal work between male and female civil servants was finally achieved. Since then, the status of female civil servants in the government system has continued to improve, and there is no longer the pressure to take their husband's surname to gain recognition.

Especially with the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, the British rulers and the British ruling culture distanced themselves. Hong Kong enjoyed a high degree of autonomy and gradually established its own government culture. At the same time, married women in mainland China do not change their names, which also has a positive role model for Hong Kong women.

Third, women’s independence has been significantly enhanced.

Most of the women with the surname Guanhu who are active in politics today were born in the middle of the last century. Compared with them, the new generation of politicians has greatly improved their education, can obtain better jobs and incomes, and has a stronger position in marriage and family. A survey shows that the higher the education level and the higher the income of a woman, the less willing she is to take her husband's surname.

I believe that in the near future, the custom of naming one’s husband’s surname in Hong Kong will disappear from the stage of Hong Kong’s history.

Source: NetEase News