Bare branches and social stability. A historical perspective from China

Quanbao Jiang, Xi'an Jiaotong University

China’s bare branches have been a great threat to social stability throughout China's history. Our findings reveal that, 1.Infanticide of girls, resulting from poverty, son preference, expensive dowry coupled with the practice of taking concubines, had led 20 percent of males to remain single. 2.Under-class bare branches turned to abnormal marriage such as childbrides. If no means could be taken, they turned to prostitutes, adultery or even sexual attack. 3.Humiliated by being bare branches, they drifted away from their hometown, banded together in the form brotherhood associations, secret societies, bandit and military groups. These groups posed grave threats to social stability. 4.In the extreme, they rose up and conquered the government office, confronted government arms, destroyed social infrastructuresa, and even toppled dynasties. This kind of extreme violence and disorder annihilated populations in thousands or even millions, and hindered social development.