改革开放以来, 人们逐渐享有“现代”婚姻, 从婚内的重情到重性再到婚外恋, 这似乎是一种进步。与此相反, 底层的部分人们却仍然进行着换亲、买卖婚姻之类的“封建”婚姻, 他们似乎是“落后”的和不“道德”的。但是, 从底层的生存状态来看, 他们常常只能领有“封建”婚姻, 他们道德的主要内容之一就是“生存”。

Since China's reform and opening up, people have gradually enjoyed a kind of “modern” marriage that involves various patterns from love to sex and to an extramarital affair. It seems to be a social advance. On the contrary, some of the subalterns still have their so-called feudal marriage such as marriage by exchange and marriage by purchase, which seems to be “backward” and “immoral.” In accordance with their states of existence, however, they tend to have no choice but the “feudal” marriage. One of their major moral aspects is “existence.”