CONCUBINES
andFOOTBINDING
Female Subordination in China
Life as an Elite Concubine
In ancient China, the ranks of the concubines were determined by how much the Emperor favored them. According to Ancient Origins, "In ancient China, concubinage was a complex practice in which concubines were ranked according to their level of favour with the Emperor," (Gillan). Furthermore, concubines could rise in status and lifestyle if they bore sons that could be an heir to the Emperor. However, those who weren’t able to bear children were treated less fairly and their lives became more miserable.
The concubines were forced to live with the Emperor in the Forbidden City, guarded by eunuchs (castrated men) to prevent any other men from impregnating the concubines. At times, concubines were taken and sold to other elite men. To ensure a better lifestyle for their daughters, poorer families brought their daughters to rulers for them to be chosen as concubines. However, once they became concubines, life was not any easier because the rigid internal hierarchy between concubines created competition among them. They competed not only to rise in status, but also to spend the night with the emperor in order to conceive a son.
Concubines in China were banned from having any communication with the outside world. This ban prevented any contact, in person or by mail. Doctors weren’t even allowed to see the concubines and were only able to prescribe medications from afar. However, there were instances when concubines could leave the palace. Concubines could be sent from one palace to another as Emperors often used concubines as gifts to foreign emperors (which was the case with Wang Zhao Jun). If a concubine served for a long enough time, then they could return to their families. Afterwards, they could live normally, get married, and start a family. Older concubines often stayed in the palace and became either maids or nuns.
Because concubines were considered the Emperor’s property, it was a common practice to have the ruler’s concubines buried with him. Additionally, concubines were either executed by palace eunuchs or committed suicide by taking poison or hanging themselves with a silk scarf. Sometimes, concubines even had to be buried alive while standing upright, waiting for the emperor in the afterlife.
Fig. 1: Illustration inspired by Cao Xueqin's acclaimed novel "Dream of the Red Chamber"