many concubines were burried alive with the emperor when he died. Many young women were torned away from their families and lovers to be taken by force to live behind those giant walls and often, many didn't even get visited by the emporer even once. However, they must kept themselves looking pretty and presentable as if the emporer was going to visit them. Politics and back stabbing, ugh, you don't want to go there.
Ummm...? Many you left out a pretty big part!!! Upon the emperors death, concubines without a child would "accompany" the emperor to the next life. Aka they would be sacrificed.
@@aquicha8168 To accompany them into the next life, so they could be together again. You stay alive if you have a kid, but it's not that easy. The other palace ladies would sabotage you if they knew you were pregnant (e.g. accidentally pushing you down some stairs). Meh. I'd rather farm and have kids with a commoner husband than deal with all that.
They may have been really bored a lot of the time and also had to compete for the Emperor's attention to rise up the Concubine ranks. I've been reading up on Chinese history and the men in the palaces also schemed and plotted.
I read and watched the Chinese one hour shows about the concubines how they plotted, and allied just to rise to the top for the Emperors attention. It was all very interesting and made me want more.
in ancient China, the imperial picks his wifes rarely base on their looks and appearances but base on their social class and 'usefulness" to the countries development and interest. that's why accurate painting or literature of the ancient China depicted the concubines to be umm... not so impressive in the looks aspect
Quite corrected , marriages in ancient China is like marriages everywhere else around the world at the time . They are for political and social reasons , not for love , nor like these guys put it "for beauty of the women " . Most concubines either are daughters or related to powerful men in the imperial court , or a princess of a neighbouring powerful or allied states . A lot of Ming dynasty emperors choosed northern concubines like Koreans or Manchurians , not because they were beautiful , but for political reasons . Qing dynasty concubines looked so fucking ugly , because they were not the most beautiful women in China at the time , but they were Manchurian noble women . Most of these emperors got married ways before they hit puberty , and have no ideas what attractive woman is . I means as child princes they already have a systems of concubines.
***** 1. Yes. Again, from all the drawing of Xiao Xian, she could have been very beautiful back in Qian Long's time, but now? I don't know. Again, what is beautiful has changed. 2. Just remember, using brush for painting occurred earlier. Also, there are other methods of painting like using sticks and even fingers. So pictures of Xi Shi could have existed during her time.
***** Ohh...Ok. I misunderstood. But yes, there is quite a legend surrounding Qian Long and that Muslim concubine. 2. Actually, they did write as ink (sort of) did exist in Spring and Autumn period. Words are wither carved onto turtle backs, or written on silk or bamboo strips. That's why even into Han Dynasty, before paper was mass produced, you see figures with rolls of bamboo strips. Text were written on them. Same with paintings, they were drawn onto silks.
***** But of course, that Qin Dynasty is very different one ruled by the Manchus. Paper was in use by the Western Han, just too expensive and not prevalent. So most of the paintings at that time were drawn on Silk. Although some very rich merchants or imperial courts will use paper, just not often since they are so expensive at the time.
no jams ...yes true...i think period movies have done alot to infuse the notion that all Harems within the forbidden city were strictly the most beautiful looking ....im watching...Empresses in the Palace on Netflix...its a good program...
We're modern women. When you can make your own money, being reliant on someone is not for you. I'd love to know about STDs. Im thinking not everyone in the harem was faithful.
@@smartypants6198 The rest of the men in the palace were Eunuchs. So usually on the emperor, his sons and close male relatives would be the only other sexually active men in the palace
@@Smkay_ Good point. But the ladies foubd a way to get a lover when wanted. The first emporer of Chinas mom had two lovers. King Gongmin was bi or gay. One of his concubines got a lover, who ended up killing the king.
One thing that is important to remember is that the women of the Imperial Chinese harem were enclosed without any sexually available men (only fully castrated Eunuchs). There would be up to 3000 very bored women with access to only one man. It would be like a lifetime of the Bachelor, but the women have access to poison and can get each other executed instead of kicked off.
@Isabella Yu I'm including the many maids each wife and concubine had, who would be sexually available to the Emperor. If they were attractive enough, anyone of them could catch his eye, and would not dare to refuse. It might even be a chance for a better life.
@Isabella Yu No I didn't! I don't know many of the specifics, though I'd like to. I know more the general makeup. Can you recommend any books or videos? Aso have you ever read Dream of the Red Chamber/Story of the Stone?
@Isabella Yu i would actually agree with 3000 and even more, during some reigns there wasnt as selective of a process (simply to make up numbers and show off i guess). there were hundreds and thousands of concubines that would had never even seen the emperor. and those that were unfortunate wouldve just been sacrificed when he died (didnt happen in all dynasties luckily). the number 3000 is actually quite interesting bc i think(????) im not too sure but i recall maybe that an emperor from the ming(?) dynasty with that many and some even had more!! 9000 is rumoured to be the most,,,,, 40,000 too but that seems ridiculous but yea :)
@Isabella Yu of course. many emperors spent years fighting for the throne, finally becoming emperor and as soon as warring "warring country X" gifts a beautiful women as a form of battle strategy, they forgot to rule and spend all day with them leading to the fall of their throne and being overthrown by country X lol
Damn..I don't know about y'all but I think we need to bring back some of these ancient chinese beauty traditions. Shiny black hair till you're 70 years old? Living till 90? Whatever they're doing, I want some of that!
Literally was looking for this comment everywhere, I'm surprised no one's raving about it in the comments and that's it's not all over billboards by now ... seriously, is the whole world except us blind to how amazing it is?!
The classes among concubines existed because of their family background (a big role) and achievements such as bearing sons, writing good work, winning quizzes etc and impressing the emperor in any way. You left out a very important aspect of their life. What happens to them after the emperor's death? The empress stays and becomes empress dowager. Concubines with children stay as dowagers. Others are either buried with the emperor or sent to a nunnery within the Forbidden City. Yup, killed and buried or put away. If you want none of that, you better bear a son. If your rank and family background is low, your child will be adopted by a higher ranking concubine, or even the childless empress and you will be forbidden from participating in his life so that your low class ways don't influence him. These things are crucial to how these women led their lives. I wish you would show the differences between the Qing and the Tang instead of grouping them all under one as well. The main function of concubines is to bear so many children that even after jealousy, rivalry, war and disease kill 20 to 30 of the emperors sons, at least 4 would survive as contenders to the throne. It was a big deal to have 24 sons survive, like a miracle.
thanks for the extra info. Yup, being buried alive or to being sent to the Forbidden city sounds pretty much the same... Do you know if any concubines ever managed to flee and start a new life? I am sure that would not be a sort of thing documented officially, but were there ever any rumors of that happening?
+NarnianLady Yes that has happened in history but VERY, VERY rarely. You have to be very very lucky to have succeeded that. Remember you are living in a deep deep part of the palace that is completely cut off from the outside world. Just to get from where you are living to the outside part of the palace is like crossing an entire city and the entire court is filled with thousands and thousands of attendants, footmen, maids, ladies-in-waiting, eunuchs, guards, other concubines and members of the royal family. You have to get past ALL of these people with your lover to reach the outside world? Good luck! Just think how many people you have to bribe along the way. IF ONE of the people decides to snitch on you, you and your lover will be caught and it`s instant death to both of you!
Indeed. Not to mention that during most dynasties, women's feet were bound - ladies from the upper class didn't have their natural running ability left. Although there may have been other means of escape.
Veritas, I have read the opposite - the Manchu didn't condone foot-binding but tried to outlaw it, often unsuccesfully, as it was so deeply engrained in the Han Chinese culture.
Better to have been the Emperor's daughter than his concubine.. lol... But honestly being a concubine was the best way for an ambitious woman to actually rule China, there were a long list of ruthless ladies who would form powerful alliances within the palace, bear some sons, dispose of rivals, become the emperor's favourite, if he already had an Empress then set her up & dispose of her, then become Empress, poison the Emperor, then put the most obedient son on the throne & marry him to an obedient girl both of who will never challenge you, then rule the Middle Kingdom as Emperor Dowager!! Better then also as Empress to give all that food that would go to concubines to distribute to the starving people to get their loyalty & then make bigger armies & expand/protect the borders. I think I would've been ruthless as a concubine, it seemed like a daily game of chess, kill or be killed so best to become an Empress who is both king & queen & have a little son for figurehead. & then if you die at least you died trying & did your best so that you could create a better country for your people, which is the whole point to being the Ruler anyway. Every Dowager Empress had to start somewhere... lol! ;)
It may worse...Most princesses in Qing dynasty just died before their 17. Because their fathers used to marry them to kings or princesses of the other kingdoms around. They just too young to get married (12 to 14 years old), some died at the long way to other countries, most died of giving birth to children. Only the daughters be favored by the emperor can be allowed to marry emperor’s close ministers therefore the princesses can live in her hometown with her husband and royal families. The princesses married to foreign countries can not return home and see her family ....depressed to death :(
How great would it be to have a tv series about the lives of ancient chinese concubines? Like they said there's got to be a lot of drama there. And it would be ACTUAL drama. Not false and forced reality tv drama. I think it would be really cool.
do you know of any?? I'm interested i saw one and watched it on Hulu a while ago but can't remember the name it was about 10 episodes long and very good.
Jixie Dye There is a Chinese series called 'the empress of china' It follows the story of Wu Zetian. (It might not be comepletely historical acurate however. Just like English series about historical events.) But it's a good series if you want to have a closer look at the empirial concubines and what (might have) happened within the harem.
Compared to what life was like for peasants (i.e. most people at the time) outside the palace, yes, I would've preferred to be in the royal harem. It was a cut-throat, gilded prison kind of life, but you had at least a chance of good food and shelter, protection from famine, invaders and natural disasters, access to the best doctors, and your family benefited from your role, even if you weren't allowed to see them. When you and/or your loved ones are facing starvation, poverty and disease, things like personal choice and freedom take a back seat. No matter how ignoble a concept, history has proven it to be true many times over. Many concubines were treated horribly and met sticky ends, but many were treated well and lived long lives. In the ancient world, life was a gamble.
Why compare them to peasants? Why compare them to wealthy commoners and nobles? Unlike Muslim harems, whose concubines were mostly slaves, most Chinese consorts were chosen from the aristocracy. While they weren't as wealthy as the Imperial family, their families had enough wealth to provide a life of leisure for their daughters. I'd rather be the wife of a wealthy noble or merchant than the consort of an emperor, because there are far less drama and conspiracy involved.
Can you make a video about the education of an Emperor's son and/or daughter? Like what do they teach these kids and how are they groomed to become the next ruler of China and how is the heir chosen and what happens to daughters, are they married off? Just these kinds of thing that I'm curious about
Great video guys! I'd personally love for you to make a video about ancient chinese philosophy and spirituality, and talk about Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
But I-Ching speciality is that it's not to be understood. How problematic would a fortunetelling book be if every one could understand it and point out the mistakes of the divinations.
I would love a video that goes over the history of period fashion. How did it evolve from plain, rough robes in the BCE to the elaborate silk costumes of the Qing Dynasty. This is assuming the Chinese series and movies I am watching stayed true to history.
I loved your presentation on the Imperial Concubines. I have always been fascinated with other cultures. So I found this topic extremely fascinating. Your presentation helped considerably, good work, keep it up and I look forward to more of your presentations..
Yeah, you forgot to mention that probably (being one among hundreds of concubines) their sex life (let alone their romantic love life) was practically null (and of course, having a lover would've meant instant death). So basically they were living flower-vases, existing just to be pretty as long as they followed a pre-designated pathway, whose object in life was to love to a revered stranger (one who may have slept with them a couple of times if lucky) and whose life was over once the old man was dead (as it is easy to imagine that most of them weren't chosen all at once when the emperor was young, but along his life).
Anton Fuchs I believe the larger amount of food given to the higher ranking concubines reflected two things: higher status, and, the larger number of staff in the higher ranking concubines’ household.
Actually, being plump was considered sort of attractive. And, they didn't eat all that food. The remainders were either thrown out or given to their servants.
If I can remember correctly being plump is considered a good sign because it'd mean you can bear more children…or maybe food was a luxury back then and being fat equals to wealth and status
@@amypagekaviani5661 Actually ancient China has a lot of records on homosexuality. There were all types of relationships back in those days and lesbian relationships were mentioned in the royal court although relationships between men was most prominently documented. Homophobia was imported to China. Old documentation of homosexuality in China is written about as being natural. There was even a documented poly-amorous relationship with two men and a woman! The poly relationship happened between normal middle class people though and all three people lived together in one house.
@@jasmonaye6933 2 men and 1 woman? Not in the Confucius era lol as you know Confucianism was moral standard in China. If people did something against the Confucius moral code, they were punished by the villagers.
@@sgcl10658 China has a long running LGBT history just like any other place around the world. Laws don't irradiate queer folk nor our stories. That particular story took place a long time ago when men could have marriages with each other. Those marriages were accepted by the families but after a certain age they were expected to marry women and have children. The old days were quite different!
I would want to be a consort. I mean, yeah, it's nice to have your freedom, but I think I'd like always knowing my schedule and my place in the world. Plus, knowing myself, I probably wouldn't care too much about moving up in rank (Im lazy af.)
well, in ancient china even if u wouldnt want to fight for ranks and move up, others will be putting you down so that they can climb up the rank, which includes killing one another's allies in secret, trying to kill your son (so that he doesnt become the next emperor) etc.
lower ranking concubines live in quarters of higher ranking concubines, who has the right to make you do daily chores, and flog u if u disobey. In china, lazy ones will never survive XP
+KellseyAlexHipo hahaha! then you'll become of those whose son is targeted so he doesnt become the next emperor (oh no!) you'll spend your entire life making sure your son doesnt get out of your view XD
the conflict between concubines in china were filled with jealousies and maneuvers for position, especially during lean times when silk, sugar and other luxuries were only given to the favorites. You also had contempt over what province in China you came from. Was she from Shanghai or Hangchow. A City girl or a Country monkey as the custom was. The bickering among the children also grew to be too much since everything went back to the mothers and escalated the tension further. But you would never see it openly has they ALL had to maintain demure and pleasant faces amid all the hate and distrust.
I hope Yi becomes a permanent host on the Double Chen show. It's nice to have a female perspective on things and Yi is such a good speaker. I can listen to her talk all day 😬 i love all your ancient China videos because I've always been fascinated about Chinese history being half Chinese myself. Maybe you can do videos about the different emperors and what their dynasty contributed in terms of history. I also love the 3 kingdoms era and I'm particularly fascinated how the ancient Chinese lived and survived during that bloody violent era. Thankyou 😊
Sorry Yi, but since Concubines are older, doesn't that mean airlines copied concubine's title rankings? lol When you put the misogyny and sexism aside, it doesn't seem like a bad way to live. It's beat working in the hot sun as a potato farmer. This summer I think I drank my weight in water every day just by playing pokemon GO, i can't imagine working on a farm
Not if you suddenly gain popularity in the emperor's eye -_- Then others would be jealous of you and may torment you in all sorts of ways, for example cause a miscarriage or even death >_> But if you rank too low, then you get less money to spend, you'd be allocated with less good clothing, and less coal for winter, and it can be freezing you know, they lived in wooden houses with paper windows >_> Then some are forced to be buried alive when the emperor dies as escorts, or if their son became a pain in the a** for the future emperor or may pose as a threat to the crown, they will probably be killed also, or be trapped in a deserted section in the palace until death. BTW the rankings of the concubines are usually related to the ranking and influence of their family, if their family becomes a threat to the emperor, he would usually slaughter the whole family, sometimes with the excuse of "misconduct" of his concubine. Then there are those who never slept with the emperor, not even once, sad story.
I love learning about ancient China. I have the book, “The Last Empress”, the one you mentioned in this video. But when she and other newly entered girls were given a tour of the palace, they were taken to a woman whose arms and legs had been cut off and she was put in a jar. Every day she was fed. It was so gruesome I could not read any further in the book. I would love to see anything you care to show connected to Chinese art. I can’t seem to get enough of it and now, during Coronadays, I cannot get to the library. I just stumbled on this channel; I think I will love it.
I'm surprised you guys didn't wrap up this great video by mentioning the most popular Chinese TV serial on the subject. The Legend of Zhen Huan (i.e., 后宫·甄嬛传)
Thank you so much for that in-depth look into the life of a concubine in ancient China. I lived in China for two years, and I didn’t get the education of the imperial court at all like I am getting from you guys, so a very big thank you
This is so interesting :) pre-imperial and Imperial history of China should be separate series on your channel. With my country participating in Silk Road 2.0 I must know all about your great civilization :) keep up the great work
diplomacy and heirs, it really isn't about the emperor having his fun, cause the courtiers decide for him which has its own set of politics, this led to loads of problems.
It's a sign of wealth and privilege to be able to have so many wives. It would be like building a gigantic house. It's expensive to maintain so many women, and even a poor man would want to have more than one wife to show he could. It also satisfied many noble families to have a daughter in the harem, with the hopes that she would gain access to him and bring them up in the world. Another factor was that he would be given women by vassal states as gifts, so he'd just end up with a lot.
ThereGoesKJ yes the emperor would engage in Congress with each consort because the more children he had the more chances of having a son and the more sons the more heavenly the emperor would be considered .
This is a really cool video! It made me think of a book I read, Nefertiti by Michelle Moran. It's historical fiction, but gives a great picture of the daily life and stresses of the women that surrounded kings, etc. (In this case, in Egypt) Such a stressful life, despite the luxurious living! I loved this book and the sequel as well and am always on the lookout for stuff like this!
The hosts bluff the audience by saying that almost them most beatific women are living together in the imperial palace. In ancient China, emperors had no right to choose their wife and concubines. There was a special panel of officials selected by the imperial court to choose based on a set of standards, which varied from dynasty to dynasty, but definitely not based on looks. The most strikingly good-looking women were excluded in the first place.
They don't eat all of it. The rest that the consort doesn't eat goes to her workers (and as always, the higher ranking your ranking, the better food you get).
I have heard something similar. Basically the lower ranking courtiers eat the leftovers from the higher ups until only scraps are left for those in the lowest ranks.
LOVE this episode!! just like I love the one about the Emperor. I personally would like to see a day in the life of a middle class or merchant in China I think it would be interesting thank you! been a long time subscriber ever since you guys move from OTGW.
This is wonderful. I love your humorous take on this. I went to university where I earned a degree in Anthropology with a focus on Chinese history. It is nice to see more focus on Han instead of Manchurian. Yes yes yes. I realize it often matters who is asking questions and who is answering on these sort of things. The Ching Dynasty is a favourite of mine. Thank you for this video. I am happy to see so many views. I enjoy how your explanations humanized the history as well. Too often I am "lectured" on martial artist enthusiasts on the "history" of "ancient China," which was almost akin to Bruce Lee meets Wizard of Oz to hear them explain, haha.
u forgot some rank-this ranks can always change, sometimes a 妃(consort) can be demoted to a 答应(second rank female attendant) and be sent to the 冷宫(léng gōng), translates to Cold Palace, where many consorts and concubines have been sent to when they commit serious crimes, many have gone crazy or either commited suicide after being there. some were sent there and ordered suicide by the king(when they commit serious offences for example, cheating the Son of Heaven or 天子(tian zi)) 1. 皇后 (huăng hòu) Empress-A commonly known empress is empress Xiaoxianchun, consort of Qianlong Emperor of the Fuca Clan. 2. 皇贵妃 (huăng guì féi) Imperial Noble Consort-if there is no empress in the palace(the previous empress has passed on), the Imperial Noble Consort may be passed on the duties of Empress, making her de facto ruler of the six "palaces" of the Forbidden city(she will be in charge of the imperial affairs within the palace, however she cannot intefere with politics) one example of this royal consort is post humously known Empress Xiaoxianchun, birth mother of the Jiaqing Emperor. she was de facto Empress after Empress Hoifa Nara was stripped of her title of Empress. Another De Facto ruler was Empress Dowager Cixi, she was the de facto ruler of the Qing Dynasty for 40 years,making her one of the longest de facto ruler in the world 3. 贵妃 -(guì féi) Noble Consort 4. 妃 -(féi) Consort 5. 嫔 (pín) Concubine 6. 贵人 (guì rěn)- Noble ladies 7. 常在 (chăng zài) - it means always here in chinese first rank female attendant 8. 答应 (dá yìng) - it means promise, second rank female attendant 9. 管女子 (guán nü zi) -has no difference between a servant, their rank is just a little higher, however they are the girls whom the emperor can spend their nights with ----- there are many ways the mother of the ruling emperor is honoured, and they can also be post humously honoured by the current/next emperor. - If the birth mother of a ruling emperor is a 妃(Consort) she will be honoured as 太妃 Consort Dowager/皇太妃 Imperial Consort Dowager/皇贵太妃 Imperial Noble Consort Dowager. She can also be post humously honoured as Empress. also the empress of the previous emperor(if shes alive when the next emperor rules) she will be honoured, regardless of the biological mother or not she will be known as 母仪皇太后 (Divine Mother Empress Dowager)
Wow!! I have to say I was GLUED to the screen during ur video! Ancient Chinese culture has always been fascinating to me, it's really cool to see how similar/different they were to people today. Thanks for explaining everything so well, I learned so much from u guys! 😄💖
5:46 When I see footage of people in Asian cultures, I get the feeling that even in modern times, they live at a slower pace than Westerners, and, in particular, Americans.
Really Marvellous Dan and Yi,,, - thank you so much for sharing this very interesting and glorious history on Chinese Imperial life. Really interesting. Cheers Always : )
Oooh, I've been to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and in the gardens way close to the back gate/door of the palace complex, there's this house where nubile teenage girls would be collected and presented to the Emperor every year (if my mind serves correctly). It was a small building, but that is where lives would be changed forever. Becoming a concubine was a great privilege, and would catapult said teenage girl to a life of wealth and social power. And if they survived the cutthroat politics of the palace, then they could sometimes make it to Empress or Dowager Empress. And if they were really ruthless and power-hungry, these former concubines would become the de facto rulers of all China--by putting boys and easily-controlled/stupid male relatives on the throne as Emperor and then being the real power behind the throne. Happened a bunch of times in Chinese history. Fascinating stuff.
Wonderfully informative! I’ve always been fascinated by Arabic harems and Indian zenanas. Now adding ancient Chinese imperial concubine systems. Thanks for the research subject!
I wish the idea of politicians being the fathers and mothers of their countries was still a thing. If that notion was in the collective consciousness, people would think twice before going into politics or choosing politicians to represent them. I think a lot of modern politicians care now only to serve the elite and their own interests instead of being leaders, reflections, and metaphorical parental figures for their entire nations.
@@TheaterRaven Having a good king /father of a nation is a noble idea, but it never worked in reality. It goes against the very nature of human which is ultimately unique, priceless and valuable in EACH and every member of a society, no matter rank or hierarchy. Pining for a good king savior is abdicating one's autonomy and authority and we have witnessed plenty the dire consequences of that. Democracy comes with personal responsibility, not only elites but everyone.
@@nka480 The only one connecting the notion of good political leaders with the people giving up their freedom, senses of self, and personal responsibility is you. I never said that. I simply meant, "Hey, wouldn't it be great if politicians who claim to serve the best interests of the people actually did their damn jobs for once?" The elites are so corrupt these days it's clear they've completely abandoned what politicians are ideally supposed to do, choosing instead only to serve themselves and their circle of rich friends.
I turned on auto-generated captions and when they said "welcome back to the double chen channel!" the caption went: "wElcOme baCk tO tHE doUBle chiN chanNel" and my brain was like 👁👄👁
I love Chinese Ancient Dramas, this video will help explain alot. I sometimes catch myself wondering How different it would be if they had a simple TV lol and no access to poison...They wanted that throne above all else. Its murder but its so dope to me lol ( the story line that is) I hope you continue with this series....as there are so many of us who want to understand Ancient China...
I'm glad they didn't cover up the concubine system, even though it was placed in a benevolent light. I'm sure that it was an honor to be an imperial concubine, as well as helped your family and/or village. This reminds me of the conservative media response to our first ladies comment about living in a home built by slaves. He said that they ate well and lodged for free. Even if that was true, it certainly doesn't make up for being a slave. The way women are treated today was founded upon their treatment in the past. It's interesting to know this went on all around the world. Kudos to Double Chen for not shying away from the truth.
I know you're appealing to the youth with your presentation which is less enjoyable to watch by an older audience, but I love the subject matter. Would you consider making videos less childlike and more in the form of a documentary for a more mature audience? Hope to see more of this in the future. A fan.
You speak at the speed of light and so we viewers are raced thru some of the exquisite art work when it would be wonderful to be allowed to gaze for a few more moment ( without the pause arrow blocking the view). If slowing the tour down I suppose that means you'd need to make more videos.?......GREAT! Maybe you could include more details. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed your offering. Looking forward to much more from you.
Great video but I think the food calculations on the good was for the lady & her maids. Because the higher ranking the Concubine the more maids she had. Start at the lowest ranking gets 2 maids up each step until you get to the two at the top get 8-10 maids. The food you mentioned would then fit .
foot binding is not done by the Manchu women, in fact they wanted to walk like woman with bounded feet that they came up with their platform shoes. Not to mention, that there are some Han Chinese women that don't bind their feet such as the Hakka.
@Isabella Yu: I don't think the point was to make sure women didn't go out of the house; I think it was a cultural fetish for really, really small feet on women. It started when a girl was of pre-school age; they'd wet long strips of linen and bind her little feet from front to heels. As the linen dried it would shrink. The linen strips would be wet down occasionally, and changed every so often. Yes, it would have been torture. And from time to time, surgery would be done on the feet to make sure the process was done "correctly." By the time she was of marriageable age, all the young woman had at the ends of her legs where little deformed stumps. Special soft slippers made of nothing but silk covered what were left of her feet. These were called "lotus feet" - flower feet, and were for the upper classes, and to walk a woman needed to lean on a servant with normal feet to balance her. Or ride in a sedan chair.
yes,but not officially,some emperors have done gay,like in the han dynasty,most emperors had some male concubines.and some female concubines,empress and princesses also had their own male "concubines"
kinda. in the Han dynasty I can't remember which emperor off the top of my head, he kept male favourites but he was giving male titles not female titles
Loved this videos, as always :D Thank you guys for always making such amazing videos, and just being yourselves :) Also, I always love when Yi joins you guys :3
Thank you so much for all of the great info! Doing some research on the Tang Dynasty women, so this is helpful to get a glimpse into what life might have been, even though it was over a thousand years earlier. Going to have to take some writer's liberty in putting some of this together. You made it really enjoyable!
Hi guys great video could you do a video with a detail specifically about the food that kept them young I know you talked about but I would like to know more details thanks:)
I am an ESL teacher. I teach children in China via the Internet how to speak English. I am also getting ready to move to China to teach English in a school. I am enjoying the videos so much. I am a history teacher by education and this is amazing information. Thank you so much.
Wife and concubines were expected to be polite, well mannered, go on snowball fights with the emperor, and take care of pets. Damn better than the manhwa concubines. But would I want to be one? Nah, The beautiful clothes, good food and snow ball fights would be okay but everything else would make me go mad.
1) Your perfect chinese pronunciations yet accent-free english is very impressive 2) were not the widows at one time forced to commit suicide when the emperor died? i'm sure i saw a docu about that 3) "only" 5 lbs of meat per day for the lower concubines has to be misinterpretation, i can't eat that much meat in a week much less a day
Good job! These elaborate costumes were simply continuation of the traditional Manchu and Mongolian clothes. The long, winterly robes, hats with fur, enormous headdress with jewels. The diet is also from the North. Lots of meat and milk. And that love for snow.
