Did the Chinese harems have Slavs? Interesting facts from the life of Chinese emperors

Assimilation of Chinese Models A new art form, of course, is not born out of nowhere simply because a social environment is suitable for its emergence. As in politics - or in religion, or in the intellectual sphere, for that matter - at the origins

22.02.2015 0 12742

Ruler of china Wu Zetian(624-705 AD) lived in an era when women were not put in anything. Despite this, she managed to subjugate a huge country. Today, some perceive Wu Zetian as one of the founders of feminism ...

The 7th century Chinese were familiar with the edifying poem:

When a son is born
Put him to sleep in his cradle
Dear diapers kutai,
Give him the jasper toys.

When the daughter is born
Let her sleep on the floor
And it will be swaddled in rags,
Give her a piece of tile to play with.

The inhabitants of the Celestial Empire perceived boys as continuers of the clan, breadwinners of the family and those on whom parents can rely in old age. The girls were second-class people. In the harem of the Chinese emperor and even just a wealthy Chinese, there were the first, second, third, fourth wives, concubines, slaves, maids. They did not have the opportunity to freely communicate with their master. And for treason, the inhabitants of the harem were punished with the death penalty.

Career in a harem

When a thirteen-year-old girl, Wu Zetian fell into the harem of Emperor Taizong as a concubine, she had nothing to hope for. And, of course, she understood that very well. But this did not in the least diminish her desire for power.

Emperor Tai Tsung greets Assyrian Christian missionaries

Having already become the ruler of the empire, Wu Zetian could not forget the days when she, like hundreds of other inhabitants of the harem, spent days and nights waiting for the ruler's mercy. And he idly fingered the jade tablets with the names of the concubines. Then he stopped at one. Beat the gong. The court eunuch appeared at the sound of the gong. I read the name engraved on the stone ...

The chosen one was brought to the chambers of the emperor, washed, dressed up, anointed her body with incense ... And the emperor forgot about the rest until the next night.

Wu Zetian languished in a harem, doing mindless handicrafts and hoping to attract the attention of the Emperor of the Celestial Empire. She cherished thoughts of exaltation. However, she was smart enough not to share them with anyone. One can imagine laughing at the dreams of the power of a pitiful concubine.

But that was not a problem yet. The real misfortune was the death of Tai Zong in 649. According to tradition, the ruler's son had no right to inherit his harem. After the death of their master, all wives and concubines were sent to live out their days in a Buddhist monastery. And the new emperor "founded" a new harem. Moreover, the relationship of a son with his wife or his father's concubine was equated with incest ...

But after the death of Tai Tsung, the court world began to understand what a quiet sheep Wu Zetian is. As it turned out, the little concubine did not spend many years "in the backyard" of the harem. All this time, she not only dreamed of the mercy of the sovereign. Wu Zetian managed to establish more than warm relations with his son Gao-tsong.

After the death of his father, Gao-tszong, the heir to the throne, realized that he could not do without the faithful Wu Zetian. And in the end he introduced her to his harem. The act was unheard of at that time. But, as they say, what is allowed to Jupiter ... No one dared to oppose the will of the emperor.

So, the cunning Wu Zetian, unlike her higher-ranking "colleagues", continued her days in a harem, and not in a monastery. However, she still had to spend some time in a Buddhist monastery, but soon she returned to the palace. Came back to reign.

Who is the master in the palace?

From the portraits of Wu Zetian, a rude, ugly face with drawn eyebrows and an unkind look looks at us. Yes, such was the ruler of the Celestial Empire. However, every time and every country has its own concepts of beauty.

Perhaps the future empress captivated Gao-tsong not at all with his beautiful appearance - after all, he could have the best women in the country - but with his mind and talents. She was well educated, wrote poetry and prose. Her works were included in what in China is attributed to the literary heritage of the Tang Dynasty.

Some time passed, and in 655 Gao-tszong officially recognized Wu Zetian as his wife. This meant that now she was the main wife. It is clear that the emperor was not going to give up the harem ... Such a "position" for a woman meant that it was her son who would inherit the throne. Well, in general, the fact that she is the main woman in the life of the sovereign.

How did the humble concubine come to this position? Not by pure methods. On account of Wu Zetian - intrigue, meanness and even death. By her order, for example, her husband's uncle was killed. All who dared to raise their voices against her were immediately deprived of their lives. Already during the life of the weak-willed Gao-tsong, his main wife actually headed the state. She gave birth to her husband four sons and a daughter.

Even in China itself, there are still different opinions about the policy pursued by Wu Zetian. The emperor's wife immediately turned her gaze on the tidbit - the Korean Peninsula, and the country began a war of conquest. True, it was not possible to capture it completely. But ideologically Korea has now become subordinate to the Celestial Empire.

In general, Wu Zetian paid great attention to ideology. Her main dream was the widespread adoption of Buddhism. To do this, she in every possible way forged relations with India, and also ordered the translation of classical Buddhist works from Sanskrit into Chinese. Why did the future empress attach such importance to the introduction of a new religion? As it turned out, she had far-reaching intentions.

In 683, Gao-tszong, the incompetent emperor and consort of Wu Zetian, died. After that, the widow's intentions became obvious: she decided to become the head of state. The first woman in this post. At first, compatriots did not believe that someone - even the main wife of the late ruler of the Celestial Empire - could think about such a thing.

But Wu Zetian arranged everything very cleverly. Power was first transferred to her eldest son Chzhong-tszong. He did not last even a month in the palace: his mother personally deprived him of the throne, exiling him to the provinces. Wu Zetian sadly complained about her son's mediocrity as a ruler.

Power was then transferred to her other son - Rui-tsong, whom the mother, clenching her teeth, endured for six whole years. It is clear that in fact the country is still ruled by it. But she did not allow herself to reign. Such an act could lead the people out of patience and provoke a major uprising.

Strong female hand

By 690 the people were properly prepared: people were taught that the emperor was mediocre. Finally, Wu Zetian officially appointed herself empress. More precisely, the emperor: she demanded to be called by the male title - "Huangdi". Until now, nothing like this has happened in China.

It soon became clear why the visionary Wu Zetian was so diligent in promoting Buddhism. It was announced to the people that the newly-minted ruler is the daughter of the Buddha himself, and somewhere there is a prophecy that says: the next incarnation of the enlightened one will come to earth precisely in a female form.

Despite a very thorny path to power, Wu Zetian managed to become not the worst ruler of the Celestial Empire. Yes, she did not tolerate any dissent and cruelly dealt with the opposition. But it was under her that agriculture flourished, a clear system of income for civil service, the northeast of China was liberated from the rule of the Turks. A relatively calm and well-fed life reigned in the country.

The courtiers trembled at the mere mention of Wu Zetian's name. According to legend, the empress, who had suffered from men in her time, loved to humiliate the stronger sex. She forced the officials who came with her with reports to satisfy her lust. Whether this was true is unknown. But we have come down to the image of an official who gives pleasure to the sovereign.

Wu Zetian was getting old. It was necessary to think about who to transfer power to. What to do? I had to return the eldest son from "emigration". And appoint him as heir. The decrepit ruler was not the same as before. She now easily trusted young swindlers who also became her lovers.

In the end, the conspirators overthrew the maddened ruler of the Celestial Empire from the throne. And the first son of the empress, Zhong-tszong, once exiled to the provinces, became the emperor.

The deposed ruler was treated better than she herself did with her enemies. Wu Zetian was allowed to live to a natural death. She was buried with honors. The empress herself commanded not to write anything on her grave: let the descendants themselves decide what kind of epitaph she deserves.

Maria Konyukova

I need very little to be happy: power over the world and something to eat ...

Concubine status in traditional China
Concubine status in traditional China

In traditional Chinese society, women not only raised children and took care of the household, but also lived in the palace, serving the emperor, sometimes playing an important role in the management of state affairs.

Concubines in the palace of the emperor

To begin with, it should be determined that one of the main signs of the power and power of the Son of Heaven in the Celestial Empire was a large harem. The status of each inhabitant of the harem was determined by the degree of activity of her yin energy (阴 - negative (feminine) beginning of the universe) energy. The empress was endowed with the highest degree of activity of this energy.

In the family hierarchy, each woman had a strictly defined place: servants obeyed concubines, concubines - wives, wives - chief wives, and without exception - the first mistress, the main wife of the father of the family, and in case of his death - the main wife of the eldest son. In the harem of the Son of Heaven, the empress was in charge of all secondary wives. Secondary wives, as well as concubines, did not have the right to sit with the first or main wife. This was even expressed in the writing of the hieroglyph 妾 （tse - concubine）, which consists of two parts: above the hieroglyph 立 （whether to stand), and below 女 （nu - woman, maiden).

The concubines had to remain in the harem until the age of twenty-five, and then, if they did not have children (especially sons), they were removed from the palace. The concubines-mothers of children who gave birth to the Son of Heaven remained in the palace and could claim the role of the wife of the emperor and empress.

The women and girls of the palace were of two categories: the wives and concubines of the emperor and the palace servants. All the women of the imperial palace were divided into several ranks. By the time of the reign of Emperor Yuandi (from 49 BC to 33 BC), according to the well-known Russian historian R. Vyatkin, there were 14 categories of concubines. In the late Han period, according to S.V. Volkov, only four ranks were established for concubines.

And here is the gradation of wives and concubines given by the historian Wang Yaping. The main among women in the palace was the empress, or the main wife of the Son of Heaven, then there were four (and not three, as V.V. Malyavin believes) "additional" wives, each of them had a special title: a precious concubine, virtuous, moral and talented concubines. This is stated in the treatise "Li-Tszi". There were also three ladies-favorites, who occupied the first highest step; nine senior concubines who occupied the second step; 27 junior concubines, who in turn were divided into: nine maids of honor, nine beauties and nine talents, occupying the third, fourth and fifth steps, and 81 "harem girls". They were also divided into three categories: 27 girls, 27 imperial women and 27 women pickers, making up the sixth, seventh and eighth steps. " According to the above data, we can conclude that there is no exact gradation of concubines in the imperial palace, but one thing is for sure - there were many concubines and they were all vested with different powers.

According to some materials from the Song time, the emperor was supposed to officially have twelve wives and concubines, according to the number of months in a year (three wives and nine concubines); princes were supposed to have nine women (one wife and eight concubines); a major dignitary - one wife and two concubines.

In addition to the concubines, in the palace of the Son of Heaven there were also palace girls who stood on the last step, and palace maids who were beyond all steps and were the lowest in status people in the palace. The use of palace girls and maids was strictly limited to a narrow circle of palace institutions. During the Ming era, they were organized into seven specialized agencies, to which 24 divisions were subordinate. In the 15th century, many female functions were taken over by eunuchs, and only one institution for women remained - a dress service with four auxiliary bureaus.

All these numbers, as we can see, had cosmological semantics. However, there could have been more women in the harem. According to the Chinese authors Dian Denguo and Wang Yaping, it was during the Tang (618-907) and Ming (1368-1643) dynasties that there were most of the concubines in the palaces of the emperor. It is known that Emperor Xuanzong (712-756), who was distinguished by extreme love and fell under the spell of his son's young concubine Yang Guifei at the age of sixty, kept about 40 thousand women in his palaces.

Based on historical materials, Wang Yaping gives such data on the number of women in the palaces of the Son of Heaven in different historical eras. In the palaces of Qin Shihuang (246-210 BC) there were 10 thousand of them, Wudi Khan (140-87 BC) - 20 thousand, Wudi Jin (265-290) - 15 thousand, in the palaces of Yandi Sui (605-617) - several tens of thousands and, as we have already said, at Xuanzong in Tang time - about 40 thousand women.

During the period of other dynasties in China, according to Dian Denguo, the number of concubines was much smaller. Emperor Guangxu of the last Qing dynasty had only two concubines.

The wives and concubines in the palace were served by eunuchs and female servants. The number of those and others varied in different dynasties. So, in the last half of the Qing dynasty, according to Dian Denguo, the empress dowager had 12 servants, the empress had 10, the first category concubines had 8, the second - 6, the third - 4, and ordinary concubines had 3 servants.

Concubines, as they entered the owner's house, received serial numbers: concubine number 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. The higher the serial number of the concubine, the lower the price it had in the eyes of society. JI. Vasiliev notes that women in the Chunqiu period, in contrast to later times, felt quite free and sometimes acted very actively.

In the Tang time, and even later, according to the famous Russian historian A.A.Boyutsanin, the number of concubines was not limited until the 16th century. A marriage with a concubine in those years was formalized. Concubines were either "taken as wives" or "bought". When they marry a concubine, then a contract should also be drawn up, - said in the Tang Code. If they buy a concubine and do not know her last name, the latter should be determined by fortune-telling. It was forbidden to take former concubines of relatives of older generations as concubines, as well as women of the same surname as the future husband.

I would like to clarify the situation that developed after the death of the emperor. Even in ancient times, there was a ritual according to which, at the death of the emperor, the burial of his wives and concubines was carried out. This followed from the ancient Chinese concept that the soul of the deceased lives in the next world and needs everything that it had on earth. Hence the custom of burying wives alive along with their deceased husbands began. Already with the first emperor of the centralized empire, Qin Shihuang, his wives were buried (but only those who did not have children from him!). The emperors of the Ming dynasty decided to restore this ancient terrible ritual - the burial of concubines along with the death of the emperor. In the imperial tombs buried the main wife of the Son of Heaven, sometimes the mother of the heir and individual, somehow glorified concubines. However, as a rule, many concubines were assigned a special burial place somewhere near the tomb of the emperor. For beloved concubines, the emperors built separate tombs. In this respect, the tomb of Emperor Sizong's concubine Tian Guifei is interesting. It is a large hall with nine rows of columns. In this grave were buried the emperor who committed suicide and the concubine Zhou who was killed by him. The cruel custom, reintroduced under Mines (1368-1644) - the murder of concubines was far from limited to the imperial court. Gradually, its scope expanded, the number of victims increased. The high dignitaries, who imitated the entire court, soon began to perform this bloody "ritual" too, and it often turned out that in cruelty they surpassed the Son of Heaven.

The murder of concubines was carried out in a rather peculiar way - as if by the will of the concubines themselves. The entire system of social education from early childhood developed in the future concubine the consciousness of the impossibility of existence without the emperor, convinced her that she must be both in this and in the next world. Of course, this belief of the young concubines was nurtured by old religious beliefs. On the other hand, it should be borne in mind that the Son of Heaven was "a god on earth", before whom everyone trembled, not excluding the concubines. All this served as the reasons for their mass suicides on the day of the burial of emperors and nobles or in the near future after their death. To this it should be added that the imperial palace, as we well know, was the arena of the struggle for power and the throne, not only among nobles and officials, but also among the imperial concubines. Many of them had to die ahead of time as a result of secret intrigues, the envy of their own palace friends.

The conviction of the concubines about the necessity of suicide at the death of emperors or nobles was reinforced not only by fear, not only by upbringing from childhood, not only by generally accepted customs that had become normal, from which no one dared to make exceptions. It was also reinforced by a system of exaltation of concubines who sacrificed their lives, a system that to a large extent aroused the vanity of concubines, by the knowledge that by killing herself, she was committing a noble, pious deed. Often palace dignitaries from the chamber of rituals incited young beauties to commit suicide.

After the suicide, the concubines were given majestic names with hieroglyphs, testifying to certain virtues of innocent victims. The names were given beautiful, euphonious and moralizing, speaking of the merits of the deceased.

But even more terrible was the fate of the palace servants, who were not exalted after a forced death, but burned in the common so-called "wells". One of the largest wells was located 5 li (2.5 km) outside the city's capital gate, Fuchengmen. This place, which turned into a "cemetery" of the palace maids, was called "Gongzhense".

Here is what the Chinese chronicles told about "Gongzhens": "There are two pits, the walls of which are lined with bricks; there is a pagoda on a small house ... The wells are covered with stone slabs from above, they have small holes through which air enters the well. All the unremarkable servants of the palace were not buried in separate graves ... Their corpses were burnt inside the well. "

Only at the end of Jiajing's reign were the senior maids of the Son of Heaven's palace allowed to buy land for their grave; if they did not want their corpse to be burnt, they were given the opportunity to be buried in the ground.
Concubines in wealthy homes and among commoners

As for the presence of concubines among ordinary people, it should be noted that during the Ming Dynasty there was a set of rules "The Laws of the Great Ming Dynasty", in which it was strictly prescribed - to whom, depending on the rank, how many concubines are entitled to. Concubines for the closest relatives of the emperor were allowed to choose once upon filing a report at most 10 people, their sons were allowed to have 4 concubines.

Gradually, not only relatives of the emperor and dignitaries began to take concubines. During the Han Dynasty, even middle-class men could afford to support concubines. They often bought the girls they liked from brothels, and this custom continued throughout subsequent dynasties.

The concubine called her husband’s wife “mistress” and wore mourning for her in the event of her death, while the wife, in a similar case, did not wear mourning for her husband’s concubines. Naturally, the concubine had to wear mourning for her husband, but the husband did not wear mourning for his concubine, who did not have a son from him, and for the concubines of his sons and grandchildren. The husband was not responsible for the beating of the concubine without visible wounds, fractures or injuries. But if the husband killed the concubine, then he was punished two degrees weaker than for the murder of a common man. According to the laws of the Tang Empire, a slave for the rape of the master's concubine received a punishment one degree less than for the rape of his wife. In general, the punishment for the rape of a concubine or adultery with her has always been one level less than for the rape of a wife or adultery with her. The wife, who cursed her husband, received a year of hard labor, the concubine - one and a half. In the Middle Ages, a concubine, in the event of a wound or mutilation, was subject to the death penalty.

The position of the concubine in the family changed dramatically if she gave birth to a son, and especially if her son, in the absence of direct heirs from the head of the family, himself became the head of this family. The preferential right in this respect belonged to the eldest son of the first concubine.

For the rape of a concubine of a father or grandfather, who had a son from a father or grandfather, the culprit was threatened with the death penalty by strangulation. If she did not have a son, the punishment was less severe. For the rape of a wife, a more severe form of punishment was imposed - cutting off the head. In Minsk times, a concubine who raised her hand to her wife was subject to flogging with 60 thick batogs and a year's expulsion; the wife, who did not inflict fractures and more serious injuries as a result of assault on the concubine, was not brought to justice at all. The concubine who swore at her wife received 80 blows with fat batogs, while the law did not provide for any punishment for verbal abuse of the concubine by the official wife. Thus, we see how different was the attitude in the family and society towards the main wife and concubine.

In addition to harems, princes and high-ranking officials had their own troupes, trained in dance and music of girls who showed their art to guests during official banquets, meals and private parties. As the Chinese chronicles testify, they often passed from hand to hand, they were sold and resold, or simply presented as a gift. Presenting beautiful dancers has become the norm of diplomatic etiquette at princely courts. It is known that in 515 BC. NS. one high-ranking official involved in the litigation offered a troupe of such girls as a bribe to the judge. The presence of dancers and singers was considered a definite indicator of the social status of their master. Over time, however, only ruling families could have private troupes, although brothels provided professional singers and dancers to anyone who could afford to pay.

Commoners from forty years of age and older, in the absence of sons, were allowed to acquire one concubine. All childless husbands had the right to marry a concubine. At the same time, the man took concubines for himself, guided not only by his desire, but also by his financial capabilities. In poor families, all the concubines lived in the same house, sat at the same table, they did all the housework, did the housework. As for the concubines living with the emperor, they are either in the palaces. In the Beijing Gugong complex to the east and west of Housangong - three "distant palaces" reserved for the emperor's residence, there were six palaces that belonged to empresses and concubines.

Thus, having analyzed the situation with the position of concubines, one can make next output: The situation of girls who received concubine status was unenviable, especially if they did not give birth to boys. Only the most beautiful and worthy girls became empresses and close concubines. Once in a palace or a rich house, a young girl endured all the hardships and insults from her older concubines and wives. If she could not give birth to a boy or give birth to a girl, she could be sold to a brothel. The status of a concubine in traditional China can be equated with the status of a slave - she had no right to anything except to fulfill the wishes of her master. But some were lucky, with the birth of a son and the coincidence of successful circumstances, they became the main concubines and even wives, subsequently came to power, and carried out their policies, as can be seen from the example of the Empress Cixi.

Flutists in the bedroom

You, lord, are surrounded.

Many in the harem

Lovely concubines and wives.

Wang Li (1032-1059)

May night 1688 covered the Purple Forbidden City. Life calmed down in the Yangxindian Palace - the personal chambers of Emperor Xuanye. The eunuchs dressed the Bogdohan for sleep, opened the wide bed, pushed the curtains apart, and dimmed the lights in a large floor hexagonal lantern. Bowing to the lord in the belt and backing away, they disappeared through the door. The monarch was left alone, but sleep did not come to him. Something was in the way. Something else had stuck in his brain earlier, but what, Xuanye could not remember. All day today he either dictated or ruled or discussed with the dignitaries the order to the ambassadors. They went to negotiate with the Russians on the Amur - the Black Dragon River. Since 1652, military operations took place here with interruptions. Remembered! In the afternoon, on the list of the embassy, ​​he came across the name of the Manchu official Ayusi! Familiar surname! But where did he meet her? Xuanye mechanically turned his head to a small table in the corner of the bedroom. There, in a large "dragon" box, divided into sections, rows of jade tokens-tablets with the names of his concubines stood. Surely! It is here, on one of the tablets, that Ayusi's surname is engraved! This is the daughter of that official from the House of Tributary Countries (Lifanyuan). Bogdokhan found her token. Here she is, Ayusi! Originally from the Blue Banner. "Precious person" (gui-ren), i.e. has the fifth, lowest rank of concubine. Xuanye did not "make her happy", he had never even seen her after the "palace reviews". I wonder what is she like on the bed of love? Bogdokhan struck the table gong and silently handed the tablet to the eunuch who entered. He disappeared with a bow through the door. So soon this concubine will be here! Xuanye chuckled: he knew to the smallest detail what would happen outside the walls of his bedroom. Here his "neighbor" eunuch hands over a "precious tag" to the chief manager of the Chamber of Important Affairs, and he hands it over to his subordinate - a strong man eunuch.

Then everything went according to a strictly routine order. The guarantor found the right woman and showed her a sign with the words: "Order to such and such a concubine!" She knelt down and with a bow accepted the sign of the royal favor. The maids took her to her bedroom, stripped her naked and anointed her with incense. She remained naked so that she would not be able to take a dagger or knife with her: they tried to kill one of the emperors with the hands of a concubine. Then they invited the eunuch-messenger to the bedroom. He wrapped the beauty in a special blanket of heron down - a bird that knew how to catch snakes and therefore symbolized protection from all deceit. After that, the hefty eunuch seated the concubine on his shoulders and carried her to the palace, where the Son of Heaven was already waiting for her in his bedchamber. The eunuch removed the cloak from the woman and left, and she immediately slipped under the blanket to the August master. While the couple indulged in pleasure, the general manager of the House of Important Affairs and the eunuch were in the next room.

According to the rules of the Qing court, the Son of Heaven could not leave his concubine for a long time, and even more so until the morning. When the due date expired, the general manager would loudly say: "The time has come!" If the bogdokhan did not respond, the reminder was repeated a second, and a little later, a third time. Then the monarch would certainly have to respond. The two waiting men entered the bedroom. The general manager, with a special registration book in his hands, knelt down and respectfully asked the Son of Heaven: "Should I leave it or not?" It was about the precious "dragon seed". Hearing the command "Leave", the official made an entry in the registration book: "On such and such a month, such and such a date, at such and such an hour, the emperor made such and such a concubine happy." This entry served as an excuse in the event of her pregnancy, as proof of the child's highest parentage. If the Son of Heaven was displeased or in a bad mood, the order followed: "Do not leave!" After that, the odalisques were pressed on the belly in a special way, and all the "dragon seed" came out. These rules were extremely strictly enforced in the winter palaces of the Forbidden City. As for the summer residences, there the bogdokhan could afford to violate the precepts established at the dawn of the Qing dynasty.

If the concubines were brought to the emperor's bedroom, then he came to his wife himself and for a time that was not limited by anything. nevertheless, each such visit was recorded in a special book of records. Upon the Bogdokhan's exit from the bedchamber, the kneeling eunuch-official respectfully awaited an answer as to whether intercourse had taken place or not. If not, then the August gentleman casually threw "Go away!", And the corresponding column in the book remained empty. In the case of an affirmative answer or a nod from the Son of Heaven, a record appeared here: "On such and such a date, such and such a month, such and such a year at such and such an hour, the sovereign made the empress happy." If the bogdokhan passed in silence, the chief manager, kneeling, humbly inquired what he should write down.

As we can see, the Sovereign of the Celestial Empire and the ruler of the Qing Empire, before whom everyone was in awe, himself found himself a prisoner of harsh etiquette. All sorts of conditions determined the sphere of the Son of Heaven's amorous entertainments. At the very beginning of the emergence of the Manchu dynasty, the khans Nurkhatsi and Abakhai established the rules of "limiting debauchery" for the future rulers. Moreover, the Chamber of Important Affairs was called to "regulate" the delights of the Son of Heaven, whose staff was recruited exclusively from eunuchs of the highest category. That is why they had free access both to the harem and to the battalion commanders adjacent to the bedroom of the Son of Heaven, and to the chambers next to the Empress's bedchamber.

If in Europe the monarch had only one wife (queen, queen, empress), then in China there could be two or three - one “main” and two “minor” ones. Apartments in the "middle" part of the Forbidden City were considered the most prestigious. Therefore, the main one "lived in the" center "of the palace complex and was called the" Empress of the Middle Palace "(Zhungong) and" Mother of the State "(Gomu). IN " east quarter"The second wife of the Bogdokhan lived -" the Empress of the Eastern Palace "(Dungun). And finally, the third wife, or "Empress of the Western Palace" (Sigun), underestimated the rooms in the western, least significant part of the Forbidden City. Along with the Dowager Empress, at times there were four sovereigns at once in the palace quarter of Beijing. Sometimes the mother of the bogdokhan lived outside the Forbidden City - in one of the summer country residences. For the bride of the Son of Heaven, special halls were erected, where she, together with her entire family, waited for the wedding ceremony.

According to the regulations of the Qing dynasty, the young empress was supposed to present an heir to the throne within five years. If she Affected childless, the Son of Heaven got himself a second wife. The new empress was chosen from the concubines of the first or second rank, which was often given to those who had already given birth to a son to the emperor. Nevertheless, the second wife had to be inferior in everything to the first, who remained the main wife of the bogdohan. After the death of the Ten Thousand Year Master, his wives had no right to remarry or return to their own family. Since in Qing China, yellow meant that a person or thing belonged to the family or palace of the bogdohan, the empresses wore light yellow, and the concubines wore dark yellow robes.

How was the bogdokhan harem created? The Young Son of Heaven could recruit concubines for himself only upon reaching the age of majority, i.e. at seventeen or eighteen years old, and only after the expiration of the prescribed period of mourning for the deceased emperor. Moreover, he had no right to use the harem of his late father.

But the formalities were followed, and the "palace bride shows" were announced, where all "beautiful girls from noble Manchu families" should have arrived. And here the difficulties began. Firstly, the Manchu girls were not distinguished by the charm of features, slenderness and education, losing in all these respects to Chinese women, especially to the "southern fairies" - beauties from Suzhou and Hangzhou. And secondly, the Manchus were reluctant to give their daughters to the imperial harem.

The conquerors of China were generally extremely careful about their women - the basis of the gene pool of a small nation. Unlike Chinese women, they were forbidden to injure themselves by bandaging their legs. The girls were allowed to sit in the presence of their elders and even take pride of place among them. In Manchu families, there was no Chinese rule prohibiting dating for boys and girls over seven years old. Fathers and grandfathers loved their daughters and granddaughters very much, and therefore they often pampered them. The life of the prisoners of the palace was hard. For many of them, brought up in happy and caring families, being in the imperial harem became a real torture. And since the concubines did not always share the sovereign's bed, they were often threatened with the fate of the old maidens. So why ruin their youth and future by imprisonment in a beautiful but joyless cage? This is why some parents tried to avoid registering their daughters in the "examination registers", while others - to make them unsightly. Such girls were brought to the palace unwashed, unkempt, in dirty clothes. They also used all sorts of other tricks - they feigned illness, stuttering and lameness. Just not to include your favorite child in the lists! If only left alone! However, the officials of the Palace Administration had experience in this regard, and it was difficult to carry them out. It happened that the girls were hidden from the eunuchs scouring the city or were hastily given in marriage.

The selection of concubines to the imperial harem took place in several stages and was a complex procedure. All the daughters of the Manchu officials of the first four became candidates, i.e. the highest, ranks out of nine. Only girls from fourteen to twenty years old were taken into account. The palace administration made up the maximum complete lists, and the Manchu princes and dignitaries made a strict selection for them. The new lists included only those girls whose eight hieroglyphs denoting the date of birth promised a favorable future. These "lucky women" came under the tutelage of the Palace Administration. Here they were taught the necessary ceremonies and manners, and six months later they appeared at the "palace bride": girls from wealthy families - in their own ceremonial clothes, in need - in expensive dresses given to them.

On the morning of the appointed day, the beauties gathered in the Forbidden City, at the gates of the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, where in one of the halls the "bride" took place. In some cases, the sovereign actively participated in this procedure, in others - he gave everything to the discretion of his mother, remaining only a silent witness of what was happening. It all looked like this: past the Bogdokhan and the Dowager Empress sitting on the thrones, the "contestants" were slowly moving in the established order. At the end of the procession, they lined up in a row, and the rulers, after consulting, passed their verdict. Through eunuchs, the winners were handed curved jade wands with a head resembling a tree mushroom or cloud. The first rod was brought to the one who had been designated to be the wife of the bogdohan. She was called the Empress. The rest of the owners of the wands became concubines of the Son of Heaven. They were divided into five categories, according to which they were awarded one of five harem ranks. The "lucky women" performed before the thrones "three knees, nine bows to the ground." Those who were unlucky were given silk clothes on behalf of the Dowager Empress.

After the ceremony, the selected beauties were sent home for two months. They had to say goodbye at last to their relatives, and at the same time acquire clothes worthy of the imperial concubines. At the end of the term, porters brought a yellow palanquin to the gate of the house, which was accompanied by officials of the Palace Administration, eunuchs, courtiers, maids and a platoon of mounted guardsmen of the "Yellow Banner". And then a difficult test came: parting with his family. Tears, hugs, pleas began here. The eunuchs seated the "darling of fortune" in the palanquin, and the cortege solemnly followed to the Forbidden City. Most often, the beauty got there forever.

This is how the first batch of odalisques entered the harem of the bogdokhan - sometimes up to thirty people. Three years later - one more, then another ... Time passed, and the seraglio grew to the maximum "permissible" size, ie. up to 280 female slaves. Girls from rich or wealthy families were at first cruelly tortured in the palace. Delicious food and expensive clothes were familiar to them from childhood, but after cheerful and joyful days spent in the circle of numerous brothers and sisters, the court life seemed incredibly dreary. Some cried from morning to evening. The one who is poorer, beautiful outfits, rich chambers, exquisite dishes, sweets, fruits, flowers, decorations and services of "own servants" at first drowned out the longing for their home.

The sovereign's odalisques were divided into five ranks. Above all were the "Imperial Precious Concubines" (Huang Guifei). Then came the "precious concubines" (guifei), simply concubines (fei) and kon-kubins (bin). The fifth - the lowest rank was called "precious man" (gui-ren). Below the concubines were the maids of honor (dain, changzai), and the base of the harem pyramid was made up of numerous servants - shinui. The Chinese woman could not rise above the level of a servant.

Knowing the habits of the inhabitants of the harem, the emperors have long settled their spouses and concubines separately from each other. Each empress, as already mentioned, had her own palace in the Forbidden City. It was a self-contained quarter with pavilions, living quarters, gardens, grottoes, gazebos, flower beds and ponds. They tried to provide the “palace in miniature” to all concubines. Each of these "little worlds" was surrounded by a wall with a gate, and he himself bore a special poetic name - "It is always spring here", "Shadow of the plane trees", "Park of joy and light", etc.

The lot of the concubine, of course, consisted of waiting for a call to the Son of Heaven. And before him, or in the intervals between "dates", the prisoners of the harem could enjoy idleness, dress, entertainment, food, reading, calligraphy and poetry. In short, they lived in an atmosphere of complete abundance. Nevertheless, the Palace Administration gave each of them a certain amount on a monthly basis, the amount of which depended on the rank of the beauty and the favor of the August lord to her. For example, a concubine of the second rank (guifei) was paid annually about 150 lians (about 400 US dollars) - a very significant amount at that time. It was believed that this silver was given to odalisques to satisfy their whims, eccentricities and whims. In fact, the money went mainly to pay for the most valuable product in the harem, namely secret information and secret services.

The fact is that not only the harem, but the entire palace complex was an arena of all kinds of intrigues, denunciations and rumors. It was a world of intrigues, slander, gossip, provocations and mutual hooking. Low passions seethed here. Envy, vanity, revenge, resentment and anger reigned here. Empresses and concubines saw in their companions, first of all, rivals, each of whom considered the other at least a "werewolf fox", but in our opinion, a witch. Corresponding information was required to combat them. But she was not enough! News and gossip were provided by those who could move freely between all these "Parks of joy and light", i.e. eunuchs, maids and maids of honor. It was they who were able to carry out the delicate, if not simply "criminally punishable" order of their mistress. But each concubine had a whole staff of maids and eunuchs, the number of which increased sharply if she found herself in a particularly privileged position. And for all the "special" services, the beauty paid not only with government silver and gifts, but also with patronage, indulgences and promotion of her minions. Under the Manchus, concubines were strictly forbidden to interfere in state affairs. They were not allowed to provide patronage to dignitaries and officials, bothering the emperor with requests of this kind. Everything was done to prevent the harem from becoming an arena for political intrigue.

So, bogdokhan was literally surrounded by a sea of ​​young and pretty girls. But if the Manchu-odalisks did not differ in special attractiveness, then it was difficult to look away from the beautiful, slender, graceful and charming Chinese women. As he wrote in the II century. BC. Sima Xiangzhu:

Oh incomparable beauty

exquisite maidens of the palace! ..

They have charm, sweetness in them!

I like powder and antimony -

black eyebrows devil ...

Slender, and stately, and thin stature, -

The features are so pretty

grace is so simple!

(Translated by A.Adalis)

It used to be like this. Summer. The emperor is carried in a palanquin or sedan chair on park. He sees a beautiful maid of honor or maid and wants to "make her happy." At this sign, the porters and eunuchs silently leave, so as not to interfere with the August lord. He temporarily retires with his chosen one and, having received her love, calls the retinue again and continues the walk. If the girl liked her, she could be taken to the sovereign's bedroom. It happened that such calls were repeated. Under these conditions, the bogdokhan simply did not have time to "make happy" all of his odalisques, but even in this case they were obliged to preserve their virginity.

Different fates awaited the imperial concubines. Some remained prisoners of the Forbidden City until their death. Others were kicked out of the palace - for childlessness, for an obstinate disposition, for the loss of youth and beauty. Another odalisque, never having received a call to the bedroom of the Son of Heaven, forgotten by everyone, quietly lived out her life in one of the remote corners of the Forbidden City. For some, being in the imperial harem became unbearable, and they laid hands on themselves. But if the empress or concubine decided to take poison, according to Qing laws, the death penalty awaited all her relatives. Knowing this, the unhappy woman could only starve herself to death. Sometimes the bogdokhan or his wives dealt with the unwanted in this way: rebels or quiet victims of intrigue were "granted" the right to throw themselves into a well or swallow the thinnest golden plate sent from above that blocked their breathing.

It was not easy at times the fate of the palace attendants, mostly young and lovely Chinese women, who were specially sent from Suzhou and Hangzhou, who have long been famous for their beauties - slender, bright and alluring. Nevertheless, a certain number of old maids remained in the palace - experienced, reliable and devoted to their mistresses. In total, with the emperor's harem, there were about two thousand servants, ready to fulfill any desire of the Ten Thousand Year Master. Some became maids, maids, messengers for the empress and concubines. Others did different jobs: they raised silkworms, dyed silk, sewed clothes, shoes and hats, made perfumes and various cosmetics, cleaned living quarters and beat off two-hour guards with gongs.

Those who did not fall into the number of confidants, favorites, confidants and confidants of their mistresses, found themselves, in fact, under the rule of eunuchs. Some eunuchs did not lose their attraction to women, which often took painful, perverted forms. Such castrates pursued girls, knocked them down, rubbed against them, bit and scratched. And sometimes, taking out the offense for their physical disability on defenseless victims, they beat them, wounded them with knives, and whipped them. The scars left after that on the body caused a special bitterness in the unfortunate - that was the stamp of shame. When such maids lost their youth and freshness, they were fired and allowed to go home. But here, "in the wild," they poked their fingers at the scars, and potential suitors turned away from the girls. Who will take a "plucked flower" as his wife, especially with a scar? The fate of these unfortunate creatures set off the reverse, unsightly side of court life, its seamy side. Behind the front facade were hidden tears and melancholy invisible to the world, insults and beatings, arbitrariness and violence, human tragedies and suicides. However, the subjects of the Qing Empire and the ambassadors of the "tributary" countries should have matured only the power and luxury, the greatness and high morality of the August Lord - the sovereign of the Celestial Empire and the supreme ruler of the whole world:

Hairstyles, and smart dresses,

And precious stones in a braid,

And patterns of gold on silks

And a competition in splendor and beauty.

Li Qingzhao (1081-1145)

(Translated by M. Basmanov)