Mui tsai
Encyclopedia
Mui Tsai which means "little sister" in Cantonese, describes young Chinese
women who worked as domestic servants in China
, or in brothels or affluent Chinese households in San Francisco. The young women were typically from poor
families, and sold at a young age, under the condition that they be freed through marriage
when older. These arrangements were generally looked upon as charitable
, as the young women would be provided for better as Mui Tsai than they would if they remained with their family.
The traditional Chinese family needs a male offspring. Poor parents, who were not able to support many children, have sometimes killed newborn infants when they were female. In consideration of the grinding poverty it was an accepted alternative to sell unwanted girls.
The absence of contract
s in these arrangements meant though that Mui Tsai might be resold into prostitution
.
The practice was also prevalent before World War II in Hong Kong, Singapore and parts of South-East Asia.
, that poor families sold daughters as domestic servants for 40 years. As the Portuguese settled in Macau they began to establish brothels with Mui Tsais, but the Mandarins
intervened.
and the Slave Trade Act
were enacted. The Hong Kong government did not impose any restriction on the transfer of girls as Mui Tsais before 1923, because this was treated as a family matter or traditional custom.
In 1922 after press campaigns in Britain, Winston Churchill
, the Secretary of State for the Colonies
, pledged that the Mui Tsai system in Hong Kong would be abolished within one year. Under pressure from the British Parliament, the Hong Kong Legislative Council enacted the Female Domestic Service Bill the next year. Further importations and transfers of Mui Tsais were prohibited. The demand for registration of all Mui Tsais, however, was postponed. The new law was never seriously observed.
In 1926, Britain became one of the signatories to the International Slavery Convention
under the League of Nations
. The Mui Tsai issue soon came under international scrutiny. Facing strong political pressure, the Hong Kong government enacted the Female Domestic Service Ordinance in 1929. All Mui Tsais had to be registered prior to 31 May 1930. Afterwards no registration and thus no sale was allowed. Inspectors were appointed to pay visits to the Mui Tsais to ensure that they were not ill-treated and had had their wages paid.
The latest case was reported in 2005. Chinese parents received a financial relief for their daughter who was transferred to Hong Kong. She worked incessantly from dawn to dusk. After physical tortures she was admitted to the hospital.
. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prevented Chinese men of the working class from sending for wives from China nor did the law permit them to marry non-Chinese wives. Now many Chinese girls and young women immigrated with false papers showing them to be the wives or daughters of the privileged class. Most of them arrived at Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay
. The girls were sold for household servants. As they got older, they were frequently sold into prostitution. Mui Tsais became a target for Protestant reform
ers in San Francisco. The Presbyterian Mission House in San Franciscos Chinatown rescued Chinese girls and women from abusive circumstances.
Despite the work of reformers in the United States, the Mui Tsai system continued into the early 20th century
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
women who worked as domestic servants in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, or in brothels or affluent Chinese households in San Francisco. The young women were typically from poor
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
families, and sold at a young age, under the condition that they be freed through marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
when older. These arrangements were generally looked upon as charitable
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
, as the young women would be provided for better as Mui Tsai than they would if they remained with their family.
The traditional Chinese family needs a male offspring. Poor parents, who were not able to support many children, have sometimes killed newborn infants when they were female. In consideration of the grinding poverty it was an accepted alternative to sell unwanted girls.
The absence of contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
s in these arrangements meant though that Mui Tsai might be resold into prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
.
The practice was also prevalent before World War II in Hong Kong, Singapore and parts of South-East Asia.
Macau
In the 16th century it was a common practice in MacauMacau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, that poor families sold daughters as domestic servants for 40 years. As the Portuguese settled in Macau they began to establish brothels with Mui Tsais, but the Mandarins
Mandarin (bureaucrat)
A mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China, and also in the monarchist days of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence.-History and use of the term:...
intervened.
Hong Kong
During the middle of the 19th century the British Slavery Abolition ActSlavery Abolition Act
The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 was an 1833 Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire...
and the Slave Trade Act
Slave Trade Act
The Slave Trade Act was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on 25 March 1807, with the long title "An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade". The original act is in the Parliamentary Archives...
were enacted. The Hong Kong government did not impose any restriction on the transfer of girls as Mui Tsais before 1923, because this was treated as a family matter or traditional custom.
In 1922 after press campaigns in Britain, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, the Secretary of State for the Colonies
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
, pledged that the Mui Tsai system in Hong Kong would be abolished within one year. Under pressure from the British Parliament, the Hong Kong Legislative Council enacted the Female Domestic Service Bill the next year. Further importations and transfers of Mui Tsais were prohibited. The demand for registration of all Mui Tsais, however, was postponed. The new law was never seriously observed.
In 1926, Britain became one of the signatories to the International Slavery Convention
1926 Slavery Convention
The 1926 Slavery Convention or the Convention to Suppress the Slave Trade and Slavery was an international treaty created under the auspices of the League of Nations and first signed on September 25, 1926...
under the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. The Mui Tsai issue soon came under international scrutiny. Facing strong political pressure, the Hong Kong government enacted the Female Domestic Service Ordinance in 1929. All Mui Tsais had to be registered prior to 31 May 1930. Afterwards no registration and thus no sale was allowed. Inspectors were appointed to pay visits to the Mui Tsais to ensure that they were not ill-treated and had had their wages paid.
The latest case was reported in 2005. Chinese parents received a financial relief for their daughter who was transferred to Hong Kong. She worked incessantly from dawn to dusk. After physical tortures she was admitted to the hospital.
USA
In the 19th century a large number of Chinese workers immigrated to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prevented Chinese men of the working class from sending for wives from China nor did the law permit them to marry non-Chinese wives. Now many Chinese girls and young women immigrated with false papers showing them to be the wives or daughters of the privileged class. Most of them arrived at Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. The girls were sold for household servants. As they got older, they were frequently sold into prostitution. Mui Tsais became a target for Protestant reform
Reform
Reform means to put or change into an improved form or condition; to amend or improve by change of color or removal of faults or abuses, beneficial change, more specifically, reversion to a pure original state, to repair, restore or to correct....
ers in San Francisco. The Presbyterian Mission House in San Franciscos Chinatown rescued Chinese girls and women from abusive circumstances.
Despite the work of reformers in the United States, the Mui Tsai system continued into the early 20th century