The customs of the Chinese emperors. Fun of the Chinese emperors

V ancient China there was a dress code for the upper strata of the population. A particularly strict rule applied to yellow clothing. By law, only members of the imperial family could wear it. The ruler himself could give his citizen a special yellow jacket for especially valuable services. The wearing of a tsarist shade by a commoner was seen as an attempt to usurp the throne, such high treason could cost life.

Evil spirits vs pandas and Pekingese

Although the Chinese emperor bore the title Son of Heaven, in traditional ideology he was still considered a man who earned the trust of higher powers, and not the deity himself. And like any ordinary mortal, the ruler needed protection from many demons. The life of the Chinese in general was full of superstitions, but the emperor had to follow them especially zealously. It was guarded by many defenders, including even giant pandas and Pekingese. And if the latter were the palace guard and did not leave the royal residences until the Opium Wars of the 19th century, then cute bamboo bears served as the personification of good and were periodically used as a gift to the allies.

Dragon bed as a career site

In the traditional society of old China, polygamy was the order of the day. Every rich man kept several concubines in addition to his wife. The most numerous harems were, of course, with imperial court, while even this side of life the Chinese approached with an innate bureaucracy.

There was a strict hierarchy among the women of the Son of Heaven. The highest status was enjoyed by the Empress, who bore the title of the main wife. She was followed by 3 concubines of the first rank, the closest to the emperor bore the title of Precious. A lower position was possessed by 9 senior concubines of the second rank and 27 junior ones, who were assigned to 3, 4 and 5 ranks. In addition to them, 81 lived at the court, the so-called harem girl.

With such an abundance, not all of the women ended up on the emperor's bed, but just in case, the ruler had a kind of catalog. He chose a concubine in him, she came to his chambers, and an entry was made about this event in a special journal. If a woman managed to get the favor of her master, he could promote her in office. Also, a sharp push along this career ladder was given by the birth of a son, who automatically became a potential heir.

The emperor could have several dozen sons from all the inhabitants of the harem, so the question of succession to the throne was usually decided as a result of fierce court intrigues - in the patriarchal system, behind each concubine was a whole clan that sought to gain influence at court.

The fate of the last emperor

Empress Cixi was the last person to die on the throne. She passed long way from a concubine of the fifth rank to the highest step in the country. She proclaimed successors, chosen from among her close relatives, and she herself poisoned them. After her death, the title of ruler was inherited by a two-year-old boy. Pu Yi also came from the Cixi clan, and his father, Prince Chun, became regent under the minor emperor.

After the Xinhai Revolution, his parents signed a renunciation on behalf of Pu Yi, but the curse of the era of change haunted this man for a long time. With every attempt to restore the monarchy, his name was raised from oblivion, like a banner. In 1917, the rebel general Zhang Xun did this, and in 1932 the Japanese appointed the last emperor as the figurehead of the occupied territories. Together with the Japanese troops, he completed the Second World war in Soviet captivity. When Mao Zedong came to power in China, Pu Yi was handed over to the new masters of the Celestial Empire.

After 9 years in labor camps, the last emperor peacefully worked as a gardener and archivist, published his memoirs with the permission of the party, and in 1967 he died of cancer. He had no children.

All Chinese women, be they empresses or servants, were essentially concubines. Since ancient times, one of the main signs of the power and might of the Son of Heaven in the Celestial Empire has been a large harem. It was intended to demonstrate and realize male potency, the possession of which was an obligatory quality of the ruler from the point of view of the cult of the “holy king”.

“The intimate life of the emperor also obeyed the strictest instructions stemming from natural-philosophical erotic theories and boiling down to maintaining balance in the partner's body yannoy(male. - V. U.) and different(female. - V. U.) energies, - writes M. Kravtsova. - It was believed that the prevalence yin above yang leads to depletion of male sexual potency, premature aging, disease and death. At the level of the sociocosmic universe, this caused various natural collisions associated with water: torrential rains, floods, premature frosts, and military conflicts. "

The status of each inhabitant of the harem was determined by the degree of activity of her energy. yin. The highest degree activity different the empress was endowed with energy. However, this energy of hers was not limitless. Therefore, the Son of Heaven could enter into intimate contact with her no more than once a month, thereby, as it was believed, providing an opportunity to become pregnant and give birth to smart and strong offspring from the emperor. Other women in the harem had the right to have more frequent intimate contacts with the Son of Heaven, and, according to Wang Yaping, the author of the book "Palace Women-Eunuchs", the lower the rank of the concubine, the more often she could do this, and earlier than the concubine of a higher rank ... As a result, the de facto rulers of the harem were, as a rule, concubines of lower ranks, who had constant access to the chambers of the emperor.

Eunuchs served as an indispensable attribute of the harem in the East. However, in China, the use of eunuchs was the exclusive right of the ruling dynasty, that is, the emperor and princes from the imperial family. The wealthy commoners of China, unlike Turkey and other countries of the East, were forbidden on pain of death to have eunuchs in their homes and estates. Therefore, the term "harem" is fully applicable here only to the imperial and princely courtyard chambers with wives and concubines.

We know that the direct duties of the eunuchs were to protect the women of the harem from contact with strangers. However, from the stories Zuozhuan("Comment of Mr. Zuo") it follows that in early period In Chinese history, eunuchs clearly did not cope with these direct duties. According to the Russian historian L. Vasiliev, “perhaps the reason was that the strict order of harem life had not yet been established, were not sufficiently institutionalized” in comparison with the future, and eunuchs were more often used to carry out assignments not related to the protection of the harem. That is why married women from among the nobility, and even more so widows, had considerable freedom in behavior in those years and often abused this.

L. Vasiliev notes that women of the harem (especially those involved in politics) during the Chunqiu period, in contrast to later times, felt rather free and acted very actively at times. Their activity was manifested not only in weaving intrigues and active struggle for real power in order to transfer the throne to their sons, but also in the possession of lovers. This “applied not only to widows, whose connections with high-ranking courtiers were recorded in sources and sometimes played a decisive role in politics, but also to married women. Moreover, it was adultery that served as a pretext for conflicts, especially between the lines of the same clan and in general among people close and well-known to each other. "

The Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City (Gugong)


It is known that later, attempts were made to restrict the activities of the wives and concubines of the Son of Heaven, especially interference in the affairs of the government of the Celestial Empire. So, the founder of the Ming dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang wrote in his "Testaments of the ancestor": "... Never allow the willful power of the inhabitant of the main court (that is, the empress. - V. U.), any of the secondary wives and concubines ... For each night they visit the chambers of the sovereign, a sequence is established. In the event that wives appear, leading unreasonable speeches, then when revealing the maliciousness of what was said, they should be suggested to them. There should be no jealous women in the imperial palace. "

How many women should a man have?

It is known that any wealthy man in the Near and Middle East could have several wives - this was a sign of his prosperity. In order to allow himself such a luxury, he only had to provide each wife with her own home, or at least a separate floor, or at least her own special hearth.

The Summer Imperial Palace - the summer residence of the Qing Dynasty emperors on the outskirts of Beijing


Homer called polygamy an oriental custom. The Greek kings and heroes had only one wife each, but Priam, the king of Asia Minor Troy, had many wives, although his main wife Hecuba did not feel slighted at the same time:


I had fifty sons during the invasion of the Achaean Rati,
Nineteen of them from their mother were one;
Others were given birth by other amiable wives in the palaces.
(Translated by N. Gnedich)

King Solomon (10th century BC) had, according to legend, from three hundred to a thousand wives from different countries, among them was the Egyptian princess, taken, however, only for political reasons. When this king entered into an alliance with any neighboring country, he married the daughter of the corresponding king. Each of the queens' wives had their own home. As follows from historical materials, such a house was significantly different from the "classic" oriental harem, the type of which developed only later in Persia.

Islam limited the number of wives: a man could have no more than four. “Your wives are a field for you, go to your field whenever you want, and prepare for yourself,” the Quran says. Although the prophet Mohammed himself did not observe these restrictions - he had nine wives. And what about this in the Celestial Empire?

According to legend, the son of the progenitor of the Chinese civilization, the Yellow Lord, had one official wife and three concubines. The presence of the ruler of ancient China four wives was (as in the Islamic world) the norm palace life... As the Russian Sinologist V. Malyavin notes, the four wives of the emperor symbolized, according to the court scribes, the four cardinal points and four seasons, and together with the Son of Heaven they made up the sacred number five: five elements, five colors, five taste sensations, etc. “From this point of view,” notes V. Malyavin, “the imperial harem was a prototype of the universe. According to a later and more extravagant explanation, the imperial family should resemble a tea service, where one teapot is accompanied by several cups. " However, according to the Chinese historian Wang Yaping, wise king Shun had only three wives, and three times three form a nine - the peak of male power yang.

Girl in the garden. Artist Xu Peng Lian


The number of imperial wives during the Xia dynasty was supposed to be 12 (three, taken four times). During the Shang-Yin dynasties, another 27 (that is, three times nine) concubines were given to the sovereign, so now the emperor had 39 wives and concubines. This number was also explained by the consideration that the female age ends at forty. During the Zhou dynasty, the number of inhabitants of the imperial harem had already increased to 120. Finally, the organization of the imperial harem acquired a more or less final form during the Tang dynasty.

The women and girls living in the palace of the Son of Heaven were of two categories: wives, concubines, and palace servants. All women in the imperial palace were divided into several categories. In different eras, their number changed. During the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) there were 7 ranks. By the time of the reign of Emperor Yuan-di (48–32 BC), according to the Russian historian R. Vyatkin, there were 14 categories of concubines. The poet Qu Yuan (340–278 BC) wrote in The Invocation of the Soul:


Sixteen young maids
They will come to please you
Get bored - replace with others, -
There are many innocent virgins
Similar to those of which Yin
Once upon a time Zhou Xin loved!
(Translated by N. T. Fedorenko)

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 the women in the palace was the empress, or the main wife of the Son of Heaven. (huan hou), followed by four additional "wives" (fu ren)- each of them had a special title: precious (guifei), virtuous (shufei), moral (defei) and talented (xianfei) concubines.


According to the treatise "Li Qi » or other authors, there were also three favorite ladies who occupied the first highest step, nine "senior concubines" or "show jumping" (tszyu bin), who occupied the second step; 27 "junior concubines" (shifu), which, in turn, were divided into: nine jie yu(maid of honor), nine mei ren(beauties) and nine Tsai Ren(talents), occupying the third, fourth and fifth steps, another 81 so-called "harem girl" (yu qi). They were also divided into three categories: 27 girls bao lin(precious wood), 27 - yu nyu(imperial women) and 27 - sai nyu(female gatherers), making up the sixth, seventh and eighth steps.

During the last Qing dynasty, according to the Russian historian O. Nepomnin, the emperor's concubines were divided as follows: huanguifei - first rank concubine, gui-fei - second rank, fay - third, bin - fourth, gui-jen - fifth, dain - senior maid of honor, Changzai - the youngest maid of honor, finally, the attendants - shinyuy.

According to numerical symbolism, odd numbers, multiples of 3, symbolizing the positive forces of nature, masculinity and male potency, were strictly regulated. Even numbers symbolized the feminine (negative) principle and feminine fertility. The number three is the first odd number after one: it means a powerful masculine potency. Nine is three times three, which means abundance. If you multiply these numbers, you get 27 and 81, respectively.

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), and high officials - one wife and two concubines.


In addition to the above concubines, there were also nyu gong(palace girls) who stood on the last step, and gong nu(palace maids), who were beyond all the steps and were the lowest beings in the palace. In the XV century. many female functions were taken over by eunuchs, and only one direct responsibility of the palace maids remained - the service of clothing ( shangfuzhu).

However, despite the strict obedience in the organization of palace life to certain numbers, there could be more women in the harem. According to the Chinese authors Dian Denguo and Wang Yaping, during the Tang (618–907) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties, there were the most concubines in the palaces of the emperor - their number reached 40 thousand or more. It is known that Emperor Xuanzong (712–756), who was distinguished by extreme love and fell under the spell of his young and charming concubine of his own son, 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, Wu-di Han (140-87 BC) - 20 thousand, Wu-di Jin (265-290) - 15 thousand, Yang-di Sui (605-617) - several tens of thousands, and, as we have already mentioned, Xuan-tsong in Tang time - about 40 thousand women.

During other dynasties in China, according to Dian Teng-kuo, the number of concubines was much smaller. For example, the Guangxu emperor 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 periods. So, in the last half of the Qing dynasty, according to Dian Denguo, the empress dowager had 12 maidservants, the empress - 10, the first category concubines - 8, the second - 6, the third - 4, ordinary concubines - 3 servants.

Chinese wedding. Artist F. Boucher


In ancient China, besides the Son of Heaven, the princes of imperial blood also had the right to have concubines. However, gradually, men with wealth, who had the opportunity to provide for the maintenance of concubines, began to take them into their home. 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.

In the Tang time, and even later, according to the famous Russian historian A. A. Bokshanin, up to the 16th century, the number of concubines was not limited. A marriage with a concubine in those years was formalized. Concubines or "took as wives" ( qu), or "bought" ( May). “When they marry a concubine, a contract should be drawn up,” the Tang Code said. “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 who bear the same surname as their future husband.

“All men are allowed to have concubines,” wrote the famous missionary Matteo Ricci after visiting China. - And here neither social status, nor wealth are taken into account, the only condition is exclusively female charms. A concubine can be purchased for one hundred gold. And sometimes even less. Among the lower classes, women are bought and sold for silver, and they do it as often as the man wishes. "

On the territory of the Imperial Palace Gugun


In the Tang time, according to V.M. Rybakov, there were 8 ranks of concubines. The ruler was entitled to four concubines of the 1st rank. They were called: precious venerable friend (guifei), good respectable friend (huyfei) lovely respectable friend (lifay) and a graceful respectable friend (huafei). Concubines of a rank below were called "models" (and), there were six of them: a sample of purity (shui) a pattern of virtue (dei), example of dignity ( xianyi), a pattern of meekness (shunyi), sample charm (vanya) and a fragrance sample (fanyi). These concubines were required to instruct concubines of lower ranks in four virtues: integrity, the art of maintaining a conversation, the ability to look beautiful and hard work. Concubines of the third rank were called "beauties", there were four of them. They were supposed to lead the ladies of the court who had official ranks. (nyuguan) when arranging sacrificial ceremonies, and also in charge of matters related to receiving guests.

There were seven concubines of the 4th rank, and they were called "talents" (cairen). They were responsible for keeping the Empress's private chambers in order.

There were 27 concubines of the 6th rank, they were called "the forest of jewels" (baolin), there were also 27 concubines of the 7th rank, they were called "sovereign maidens" (yunyu), Concubines of the 8th category were called "selected virgins" (cainuy).

In the "Laws of the Great Ming Dynasty" it was strictly prescribed - to whom, depending on the rank, and how many concubines are entitled to. "Concubines for those in various places qin wang(relatives of the royal family - V. U.) it is allowed, upon submitting a report, to the emperor to choose once, at most 10 people, - the document said. - The eldest sons ... upon reaching 25 years of age after marriage, if their wives have not given birth to sons, it is allowed to choose two concubines. Subsequently, if a son is born, regardless of his wife or concubine, limit himself to two concubines. If even after reaching the age of 30, a son is not born, then only then is it allowed to take all four concubines.

"Gold has a price, but jade is priceless." Chinese proverb


Elder sons tszyun-wang, and jiangjunam and zhongweiam, those who have reached 30 years of age after marriage, if their wives have not given birth to sons, are allowed to choose one concubine. Subsequently, if a son is born, regardless of his wife or concubine, limit himself to one concubine. If a son is not born even after reaching the age of 35, then only then to the eldest sons Jun-wang and jiangjunam it is allowed to take all three concubines, zhongweiam - two concubines.

Commoners forty years of age or older who have no sons are allowed to choose and take one concubine. "

The Chinese used to have such an expression: "A good wife will be able to find good concubines for her husband."

But sometimes the wives opposed the husband taking the concubine. An example is the eminent poet of Han China, Sima Xiangzhu (179–117 BC). He came from an aristocratic, but impoverished family in Chengdu (modern Sichuan province), from an early age "loved to learn and fence." His biography is perhaps the only one in ancient China, in which not only the official side has been preserved, but also the everyday, intimate - the story of his love and marriage. The romantic story took place between the next fall and the rise in his career. After the death of the Llyansk prince, the poet had to part with the circle of like-minded people close to him, which had been assembled by this ruler-patron who loved poetry, and went home. Here he found himself in an extremely distressful situation, but still found himself a patron - the head of the district, who invited Xiangzhu to his place and went with him to visit eminent people.


So, once Sima Xiangzhu got to a feast of a famous rich man, who had an early widowed daughter Zhuo Wenjun. The beauty of this young recluse in chance meeting inspired the poet, and he began to improvise, accompanying himself on cine, putting into the song your inner feeling for it. From this song came the genre taoqin similar to the Spanish serenade. Zhuo Wenjun's refined appearance, manner of the courtier, his incendiary song charmed Zhuo Wenjun, and she fled with the poet from her father's house. His father, in anger, promised to kill her and "not give her a penny." Living “within four bare walls” in Sima Xiangzhu's home made Zhuo Wenjun go for a trick. The couple returned to Linqiong, sold the poet's horse and chariot, and opened a tavern with this money. Zhuo began to manage the brazier, and Sima Xiangzhu, in one loincloth, was washing the dishes like a slave. Because of this shame, Zhuo's father did not dare to "show himself on the street" and in the end, in order not to "lose face", had to give his daughter "a hundred slaves and a million coins" as a dowry. And when Sima Xiangzhu became a dignitary, "he gave her a share equal to that of his sons as an inheritance."

However, this love of the poet was not the last. Already an old man, he wanted to take a concubine for himself and, as expected, informed his first wife about this. According to custom, Zhuo Wen-chun had no right to object to her husband's new marriage. However, she did it, disdaining all the foundations, as evidenced by the song “Lament for gray hair” she composed.


Like the moon in a cloud is bright
Like a snow cap - white ...
Since you are confused by a secret thought,
This means that we must part.
There is still wine in the wedding bowls,
But I am destined to leave you.
I'll go where the stream leads
Carrying the waters to the east.
The heart grows cold, it freezes like frost.
I went to get married without ritual tears
And dreamed that with one soul
We will live to the head with gray hair.
(Translated by S. Toroptsev)

Zhuo Wenjun reminded her husband that they chose each other themselves, not through matchmakers, and therefore must go through their whole lives together. She declared that Sima Xianzhu's desire to introduce another wife into the family was a betrayal. She did not want to make peace with her rival and said that their paths would diverge just as a river stream is divided into two branches. And such was the strength of her conviction that Sima Xiangzhu had abandoned his concubine.

Carving by Chinese craftsmen. Ivory


All childless husbands, even commoners, had the official right to take a concubine. Here is how this kind of marriage took place, according to the recollections of contemporaries: “On the very day of marriage with her, the husband and his lawful wife ask for blessings from their deceased ancestors, stating that the reason for this marriage is the continuation of a kind. Then the husband and wife take pride of place in one of the halls of their house and order the concubine to do their due kneeling. Then the husband, together with his concubine, drinks a combination cup and assigns her a name, which all other members of the house should call her. "

If a husband took a concubine into his house and his wife treated her well, then the husband treated such a concubine with great respect.

The man took concubines for himself, agreeing not only with his desire, but also with his pocket. In poor families, all the concubines lived in the same house, sat at the same table. They performed all homework, cooked food, washed dishes, in a word, kept house.

At the same time, a married woman, no matter how many wives her husband had, was prescribed the strictest loyalty to her husband. "An ideal woman should be benevolent to other women whom her master can take into his house, but she herself can marry only once," says the Confucian treatise "Nujie"("Ideal woman").

Pink lotuses. Chinese embroidery


Some people think that Chinese women are not very jealous. But this is not the case. Their jealousy intensified as the konkubinat developed. Jealousy has become one of the few ways they protect themselves. A jealous woman could only by the power of her sexuality force her husband to abandon the intention of having a concubine. Henpecked officials often appeared in public places with bruises on their faces, which forced one of the emperors to even issue a special decree on punishing jealous wives. One story is known. Someone named Liu Boyu often liked to read aloud the ancient "Ode of the Fairy of the Luo River" (the ode was written by the poet Cao Zhi (192-232), the poet sings of the divine beauty-fairy, in which the features of an earthly woman are clearly visible). Once, with a sigh, he said so that his wife could hear him: “What a beauty, that would be her wife!”. His wife retorted: “Why are you praising the fairy of the Luo River and neglect me? When I die, I will become a spirit of water. " On the same night, she drowned herself in the river. A week later, the wife appeared in front of Liu Boyu in a dream and said, "You wanted to marry a fairy, now I am a fairy." For the rest of his life, Liu did not dare to cross the river. Every time the women crossed the river on a ferry called the Jealous Wife's Ferry (in Shandong), they would hide or conceal their beautiful clothes and disfigured their faces with makeup to prevent a storm from erupting. If a woman was ugly, the river goddess was not jealous of her. Women who crossed the river without causing a storm must have considered themselves ugly.

We have all heard about harems, but Chinese harems and the life of concubines have their own amazing characteristics. Many concubines, a special way of life and several examples of the amazing ascent of mistresses to the Imperial throne.

The imperial family must match a set where several cups belong to the same teapot. Chinese harem distinguished by the clarity of the distribution of roles, the absolute influence of traditions and obedience to the strictest instructions arising from natural-philosophical erotic theories and reduced to maintaining the balance of the yang (male) and yin (female) energies in the partner's body.

It was believed that the predominance of yin over yang led to early aging of potency, and also influenced the weather, bringing with it torrential rains, earthquakes and other disasters. The Empress possessed the highest energy, but the Emperor could have sexual intercourse with her no more than once a month in order to produce the strongest offspring. The main woman in the palace was the empress, or the main wife of the Son of Heaven (huan hou), followed by four additional "wives" (fu ren) - each of them had a special title: precious (guifei), virtuous (shufei), moral (defei ) and a talented (xianfei) concubine.

The emperor could have three favorite ladies occupying the first higher level, nine “senior concubines” or “konkubinok” (tszyu bin) occupying the second level; 27 "junior concubines" (shifu), who, in turn, were divided into: nine jie yu (maid of honor), nine mei ren (beauties) and nine tsai ren (talents), occupying the third, fourth and fifth steps, another 81 so called "harem girl" (yu qi). They were also divided into three categories: 27 girls bao lin (precious wood), 27 - yu nu (imperial women) and 27 - sai nu (female gatherers), making up the sixth, seventh and eighth steps. During the last Qing dynasty, the emperor's concubines were divided as follows: huanguifei - concubine of the first rank, gui-fei - second rank, fei - third, bin - fourth, gui-jen - fifth, dain - senior maid of honor, chiangzai - junior maid of honor, finally, servants - shinuy.

The number of imperial wives during the Xia dynasty was supposed to be 12 (three, taken four times). During the Shang-Yin dynasties, another 27 (that is, three times nine) concubines were given to the sovereign, so now the emperor had 39 wives and concubines. This number was also explained by the consideration that the female age ends at forty. During the Zhou dynasty, the number of inhabitants of the imperial harem had already increased to 120. Each of them was obliged to have their own house on the territory of the Imperial Palace. To each were assigned servants and eunuchs. Their number varied from dynasty to dynasty - the maximum number of servants was given to the Empress - 12, then concubines of the first category - 8, second category 6, third category - 4, ordinary concubines - 2. They all lived together and therefore the number of women in harems reached 40 thousand human!

The ruler was entitled to four concubines of the 1st rank. They were called: precious respectable friend (guifei), good respectable friend (x * yfei), beautiful respectable friend (lifei) and graceful respectable friend (hufei). The concubines of a lower rank were called "samples" (i), there were six of them: a sample of purity (shui) a sample of virtue (dei), a sample of dignity (xianyi), a sample of meekness (shunya), a sample of charm (vanya) and a sample of fragrance (fanyi).

The concubine was chosen for the night like this - the Emperor had a huge vessel with jade tablets with the names and numbers of the concubines, as well as albums with drawings of the concubines. Numbers were assigned to all concubines and the higher the number, the more shameful the life of the concubine was. In China, there is a saying - she is the daughter of the fifteenth concubine, which roughly means our saying - the seventh water on jelly. By the way, intrigues in the harem were present in full force and some concubines could persuade the artist to paint the most beautiful concubines as ugly, so that the Emperor would never choose them. Being in a harem and being a virgin was considered a mortal shame. The Emperor took out the tablet, beat the gong and silently gave the tablet to the eunuch, who noted in a special journal who the Emperor had chosen, sent for the concubine, stripped her naked (in order to avoid the presence of any weapon), washed her, put on a cloak made of heron down and carried on their backs to the Emperor's chambers.

The concubine had the right to be in the chambers only for a certain time. If time was running out, then the eunuchs sitting outside the doors shouted that the time was up. Not a single concubine was allowed to stay until morning, this is a privilege only for the spouse.

All the visits of the Emperor to his wife, the only woman to whom he could go himself and stay with her overnight, were recorded in a special journal.

The large number of concubines required more and more effort to keep track of. So, the concubines who visited the Emperor's bed, put a special seal on the palm, rubbed it with cinnamon and it was preserved forever. Without this seal, it was considered a shame to stay in a harem for a long time. Pregnancy was the highest blessing and for this purpose any intrigues, bribery, even murders and secret abortions of already pregnant concubines were used.

Girls for harems were selected separately, specially trained people from among the daughters of governors and princes. At the age of 12-14, they passed the bride show, which was arranged by the Emperor's mother and, if successful, entered the harem. However, knowing the terrible customs of harems, many parents deliberately mutilated their daughters or gave their daughters as maids instead. In addition to intrigues and walks in the garden, the concubines were daily engaged in their dressing and decorations - the concubine must always be ready for a challenge by the Emperor. High hairstyles - hair to hair were inserted daily and pinned up with a huge number of hairpins. It is not for nothing that a hairpin is considered a symbol of a woman in China. Wu Zetian is the first and only woman in China to rule the Empire for 15 years. On the left - this is how she was in life, on the right - this is how modern Chinese cinematographs see her. As the concubine of Emperor Taizong, she showed too strong a nature and was exiled to a Buddhist monastery, but managed to become the mistress of the Emperor's son, who later became Emperor - Gaozong. She removed all competitors from her path, including the main wife of the Emperor and became his only woman. According to legend, Wu Tstzetian strangled her own newborn daughter with her own hands, but pointed to the Emperor's wife for which the latter, who could not give birth, was punished and expelled. She also got rid of all competitors among relatives, drowning them in wine and execution in other ways. She banished the Emperor's son and for many years ruled with a firm hand in a country for which a woman on the throne was an unprecedented occasion.

Also known is another concubine who reached the top of the government - Cixi. She was unusually pretty, and although the Emperor did not pay attention to her for a long time, she nevertheless dragged the aging ruler to her bed and charmed him so much with singing and dancing that he stayed with her for several days, thereby raising her status unthinkably. She gave birth to her only son, Tongzhi (and according to legend, this was the son of one of the concubines who was killed immediately after giving birth), and after the death of the Emperor, having eliminated all competitors, she ascended the throne.

Cixi was famous for her cruelty. One day she ordered the shelling of a Catholic cathedral, in which there were women and children, with cannons. She brutally cracked down on everyone who was against her rule. During the Boxing Rebellion, Cixi ordered the extermination of foreigners whom she considered a threat to ancient Chinese traditions. Foreign powers sent troops to rescue their citizens. The Empress fled. She lost money and power. Chaos began in the country. In her old age, Cixi became addicted to drugs. Topic views: 62, today: 62

22.02.2015 0 12741


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 Taizong 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 taken 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, there has been nothing like it 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

We have all heard about harems, but Chinese harems and the life of concubines have their own amazing characteristics. Many concubines, a special way of life and several examples of the amazing ascent of mistresses to the Imperial throne.

The imperial family must match a set where several cups belong to the same teapot. The Chinese harem was distinguished by a clear distribution of roles, the absolute influence of traditions and obedience to the strictest instructions arising from natural-philosophical erotic theories and reduced to maintaining the balance of yang (male) and yin (female) energies in the partner's body.

It was believed that the predominance of yin over yang led to early aging of potency, and also influenced the weather, bringing with it torrential rains, earthquakes and other disasters.
The Empress possessed the highest energy, but the Emperor could have sexual intercourse with her no more than once a month in order to produce the strongest offspring.
The main woman in the palace was the empress, or the main wife of the Son of Heaven (huan hou), followed by four additional "wives" (fu ren) - each of them had a special title: precious (guifei), virtuous (shufei), moral (defei ) and a talented (xianfei) concubine.

The emperor could have three favorite ladies occupying the first higher level, nine “senior concubines” or “konkubinok” (tszyu bin) occupying the second level; 27 "junior concubines" (shifu), who, in turn, were divided into: nine jie yu (maid of honor), nine mei ren (beauties) and nine tsai ren (talents), occupying the third, fourth and fifth steps, another 81 so called "harem girl" (yu qi). They were also divided into three categories: 27 girls bao lin (precious wood), 27 - yu nu (imperial women) and 27 - sai nu (female gatherers), making up the sixth, seventh and eighth steps.
During the last Qing dynasty, the emperor's concubines were divided as follows: huanguifei - concubine of the first rank, gui-fei - second rank, fei - third, bin - fourth, gui-jen - fifth, dain - senior maid of honor, chiangzai - junior maid of honor, finally, servants - shinuy.

The number of imperial wives during the Xia dynasty was supposed to be 12 (three, taken four times). During the Shang-Yin dynasties, another 27 (that is, three times nine) concubines were given to the sovereign, so now the emperor had 39 wives and concubines. This number was also explained by the consideration that the female age ends at forty. During the Zhou dynasty, the number of inhabitants of the imperial harem had already increased to 120. Each of them was obliged to have their own house on the territory of the Imperial Palace. To each were assigned servants and eunuchs.
Their number varied from dynasty to dynasty - the maximum number of servants was given to the Empress - 12, then the concubines of the first category - 8, the second category - 6, the third category - 4, ordinary concubines - 2.
They all lived together and therefore the number of women in harems reached 40 thousand people!

The ruler was entitled to four concubines of the 1st rank. They were called: precious respectable friend (guifei), good respectable friend (x * yfei), beautiful respectable friend (lifei) and graceful respectable friend (hufei). The concubines of a lower rank were called "samples" (i), there were six of them: a sample of purity (shui) a sample of virtue (dei), a sample of dignity (xianyi), a sample of meekness (shunya), a sample of charm (vanya) and a sample of fragrance (fanyi).

The concubine was chosen for the night like this - the Emperor had a huge vessel with jade tablets with the names and numbers of the concubines, as well as albums with drawings of the concubines. Numbers were assigned to all concubines and the higher the number, the more shameful the life of the concubine was. In China, there is a saying - she is the daughter of the fifteenth concubine, which roughly means our saying - the seventh water on jelly. By the way, intrigues in the harem were present in full force and some concubines could persuade the artist to paint the most beautiful concubines as ugly so that the Emperor would never choose them. Being in a harem and being a virgin was considered a mortal shame.
The Emperor took out the tablet, beat the gong and silently gave the tablet to the eunuch, who noted in a special journal who the Emperor had chosen, sent for the concubine, stripped her naked (in order to avoid the presence of any weapon), washed her, put on a cloak made of heron down and carried on their backs to the Emperor's chambers.

The concubine had the right to be in the chambers only for a certain time. If time was running out, then the eunuchs sitting outside the doors shouted that the time was up. Not a single concubine was allowed to stay until morning, this is a privilege only for the spouse. The concubine quietly slipped under the blanket to the Emperor, and at the end of the pleasures, the eunuch asked permission to leave the seed. If the Emperor allowed, then in a special journal the number of copulation took place was entered, and if not, then a specially trained person pressed the concubine's belly in a special way so that the sperm would drain out.

All the visits of the Emperor to his wife, the only woman to whom he could go himself and stay with her overnight, were still recorded in a special journal. After the Emperor left the bedroom, he was always asked whether intercourse took place or not. If not, then the column in the journal remained empty, if yes, then the column was filled in - on such and such a date, such and such a month, such and such a year, intercourse took place.
Even the number of sexual acts was regulated. Once every five days, the Emperor was obliged to summon a concubine. Only the death of the parents exempted him from this obligation for three months.
The most severe etiquette and conventions determined even this side of life.

The large number of concubines required more and more effort to keep track of. So, the concubines who visited the Emperor's bed, put a special seal on the palm, rubbed it with cinnamon and it was preserved forever. Without this seal, it was considered a shame to stay in a harem for a long time.
Pregnancy was the highest blessing and for this purpose any intrigues, bribery, even murders and the secrets of abortions of already pregnant concubines were used.

Girls for harems were selected separately, specially trained people from among the daughters of governors and princes. At the age of 12-14, they passed the bride show, which was arranged by the Emperor's mother and, if successful, entered the harem. However, knowing the terrible customs of harems, many parents deliberately mutilated their daughters or gave their daughters as maids instead.

In addition to intrigue, masturbation in the absence of the Emperor's caresses and walks in the garden, the concubines were daily engaged in their dressing and decorations - the concubine should always be ready to challenge the Emperor. High hairstyles - hair to hair were inserted daily and pinned up with a huge number of hairpins. It is not for nothing that a hairpin is considered a symbol of a woman in China.

Wu Zetian is the first and only woman in China to rule the Empire for 15 years. On the left - this is how she was in life, on the right - this is how modern Chinese cinematographs see her.
As the concubine of Emperor Taizong, she showed too strong a nature and was exiled to a Buddhist monastery, but managed to become the mistress of the Emperor's son, who later became Emperor - Gaozong. She removed all competitors from her path, including the main wife of the Emperor and became his only woman. According to legend, Wu Tstzetian strangled her own newborn daughter with her own hands, but pointed to the Emperor's wife for which the latter, who could not give birth, was punished and expelled. She also got rid of all competitors among relatives, drowning them in wine and execution in other ways. She banished the Emperor's son and for many years ruled with a firm hand in a country for which a woman on the throne was an unprecedented occasion.

Also known is another concubine who reached the top of the government - Cixi. She was unusually pretty, and although the Emperor did not pay attention to her for a long time, she nevertheless dragged the aging ruler to her bed and charmed him so much with singing and dancing that he stayed with her for several days, thereby raising her status unthinkably. She gave birth to her only son, Tongzhi (and according to legend, this was the son of one of the concubines who was killed immediately after giving birth), and after the death of the Emperor, having eliminated all competitors, she ascended the throne.

Cixi was famous for her cruelty. One day she ordered the shelling of a Catholic cathedral, in which there were women and children, with cannons. She brutally cracked down on everyone who was against her rule. During the Boxing Rebellion, Cixi ordered the extermination of foreigners whom she considered a threat to ancient Chinese traditions. Foreign powers sent troops to rescue their citizens. The Empress fled. She lost money and power. Chaos began in the country. In her old age, Cixi became addicted to drugs.

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