They may have been really bored a lot of the time and also had to compete for the Emperor's attention to rise up the Concubine ranks. I've been reading up on Chinese history and the men in the palaces also schemed and plotted.
I read and watched the Chinese one hour shows about the concubines how they plotted, and allied just to rise to the top for the Emperors attention. It was all very interesting and made me want more.
many concubines were burried alive with the emperor when he died. Many young women were torned away from their families and lovers to be taken by force to live behind those giant walls and often, many didn't even get visited by the emporer even once. However, they must kept themselves looking pretty and presentable as if the emporer was going to visit them. Politics and back stabbing, ugh, you don't want to go there.
Ummm...? Many you left out a pretty big part!!! Upon the emperors death, concubines without a child would "accompany" the emperor to the next life. Aka they would be sacrificed.
@@aquicha8168 To accompany them into the next life, so they could be together again. You stay alive if you have a kid, but it's not that easy. The other palace ladies would sabotage you if they knew you were pregnant (e.g. accidentally pushing you down some stairs). Meh. I'd rather farm and have kids with a commoner husband than deal with all that.
in ancient China, the imperial picks his wifes rarely base on their looks and appearances but base on their social class and 'usefulness" to the countries development and interest. that's why accurate painting or literature of the ancient China depicted the concubines to be umm... not so impressive in the looks aspect
Quite corrected , marriages in ancient China is like marriages everywhere else around the world at the time . They are for political and social reasons , not for love , nor like these guys put it "for beauty of the women " . Most concubines either are daughters or related to powerful men in the imperial court , or a princess of a neighbouring powerful or allied states . A lot of Ming dynasty emperors choosed northern concubines like Koreans or Manchurians , not because they were beautiful , but for political reasons . Qing dynasty concubines looked so fucking ugly , because they were not the most beautiful women in China at the time , but they were Manchurian noble women . Most of these emperors got married ways before they hit puberty , and have no ideas what attractive woman is . I means as child princes they already have a systems of concubines.
***** 1. Yes. Again, from all the drawing of Xiao Xian, she could have been very beautiful back in Qian Long's time, but now? I don't know. Again, what is beautiful has changed. 2. Just remember, using brush for painting occurred earlier. Also, there are other methods of painting like using sticks and even fingers. So pictures of Xi Shi could have existed during her time.
***** Ohh...Ok. I misunderstood. But yes, there is quite a legend surrounding Qian Long and that Muslim concubine. 2. Actually, they did write as ink (sort of) did exist in Spring and Autumn period. Words are wither carved onto turtle backs, or written on silk or bamboo strips. That's why even into Han Dynasty, before paper was mass produced, you see figures with rolls of bamboo strips. Text were written on them. Same with paintings, they were drawn onto silks.
***** But of course, that Qin Dynasty is very different one ruled by the Manchus. Paper was in use by the Western Han, just too expensive and not prevalent. So most of the paintings at that time were drawn on Silk. Although some very rich merchants or imperial courts will use paper, just not often since they are so expensive at the time.
no jams ...yes true...i think period movies have done alot to infuse the notion that all Harems within the forbidden city were strictly the most beautiful looking ....im watching...Empresses in the Palace on Netflix...its a good program...
Damn..I don't know about y'all but I think we need to bring back some of these ancient chinese beauty traditions. Shiny black hair till you're 70 years old? Living till 90? Whatever they're doing, I want some of that!
Literally was looking for this comment everywhere, I'm surprised no one's raving about it in the comments and that's it's not all over billboards by now ... seriously, is the whole world except us blind to how amazing it is?!
We're modern women. When you can make your own money, being reliant on someone is not for you. I'd love to know about STDs. Im thinking not everyone in the harem was faithful.
@@smartypants6198 The rest of the men in the palace were Eunuchs. So usually on the emperor, his sons and close male relatives would be the only other sexually active men in the palace
@@Smkay_ Good point. But the ladies foubd a way to get a lover when wanted. The first emporer of Chinas mom had two lovers. King Gongmin was bi or gay. One of his concubines got a lover, who ended up killing the king.
The classes among concubines existed because of their family background (a big role) and achievements such as bearing sons, writing good work, winning quizzes etc and impressing the emperor in any way. You left out a very important aspect of their life. What happens to them after the emperor's death? The empress stays and becomes empress dowager. Concubines with children stay as dowagers. Others are either buried with the emperor or sent to a nunnery within the Forbidden City. Yup, killed and buried or put away. If you want none of that, you better bear a son. If your rank and family background is low, your child will be adopted by a higher ranking concubine, or even the childless empress and you will be forbidden from participating in his life so that your low class ways don't influence him. These things are crucial to how these women led their lives. I wish you would show the differences between the Qing and the Tang instead of grouping them all under one as well. The main function of concubines is to bear so many children that even after jealousy, rivalry, war and disease kill 20 to 30 of the emperors sons, at least 4 would survive as contenders to the throne. It was a big deal to have 24 sons survive, like a miracle.
thanks for the extra info. Yup, being buried alive or to being sent to the Forbidden city sounds pretty much the same... Do you know if any concubines ever managed to flee and start a new life? I am sure that would not be a sort of thing documented officially, but were there ever any rumors of that happening?
+NarnianLady Yes that has happened in history but VERY, VERY rarely. You have to be very very lucky to have succeeded that. Remember you are living in a deep deep part of the palace that is completely cut off from the outside world. Just to get from where you are living to the outside part of the palace is like crossing an entire city and the entire court is filled with thousands and thousands of attendants, footmen, maids, ladies-in-waiting, eunuchs, guards, other concubines and members of the royal family. You have to get past ALL of these people with your lover to reach the outside world? Good luck! Just think how many people you have to bribe along the way. IF ONE of the people decides to snitch on you, you and your lover will be caught and it`s instant death to both of you!
Indeed. Not to mention that during most dynasties, women's feet were bound - ladies from the upper class didn't have their natural running ability left. Although there may have been other means of escape.
Veritas, I have read the opposite - the Manchu didn't condone foot-binding but tried to outlaw it, often unsuccesfully, as it was so deeply engrained in the Han Chinese culture.
One thing that is important to remember is that the women of the Imperial Chinese harem were enclosed without any sexually available men (only fully castrated Eunuchs). There would be up to 3000 very bored women with access to only one man. It would be like a lifetime of the Bachelor, but the women have access to poison and can get each other executed instead of kicked off.
@Isabella Yu I'm including the many maids each wife and concubine had, who would be sexually available to the Emperor. If they were attractive enough, anyone of them could catch his eye, and would not dare to refuse. It might even be a chance for a better life.
@Isabella Yu No I didn't! I don't know many of the specifics, though I'd like to. I know more the general makeup. Can you recommend any books or videos? Aso have you ever read Dream of the Red Chamber/Story of the Stone?
@Isabella Yu i would actually agree with 3000 and even more, during some reigns there wasnt as selective of a process (simply to make up numbers and show off i guess). there were hundreds and thousands of concubines that would had never even seen the emperor. and those that were unfortunate wouldve just been sacrificed when he died (didnt happen in all dynasties luckily). the number 3000 is actually quite interesting bc i think(????) im not too sure but i recall maybe that an emperor from the ming(?) dynasty with that many and some even had more!! 9000 is rumoured to be the most,,,,, 40,000 too but that seems ridiculous but yea :)
@Isabella Yu of course. many emperors spent years fighting for the throne, finally becoming emperor and as soon as warring "warring country X" gifts a beautiful women as a form of battle strategy, they forgot to rule and spend all day with them leading to the fall of their throne and being overthrown by country X lol
Compared to what life was like for peasants (i.e. most people at the time) outside the palace, yes, I would've preferred to be in the royal harem. It was a cut-throat, gilded prison kind of life, but you had at least a chance of good food and shelter, protection from famine, invaders and natural disasters, access to the best doctors, and your family benefited from your role, even if you weren't allowed to see them. When you and/or your loved ones are facing starvation, poverty and disease, things like personal choice and freedom take a back seat. No matter how ignoble a concept, history has proven it to be true many times over. Many concubines were treated horribly and met sticky ends, but many were treated well and lived long lives. In the ancient world, life was a gamble.
Why compare them to peasants? Why compare them to wealthy commoners and nobles? Unlike Muslim harems, whose concubines were mostly slaves, most Chinese consorts were chosen from the aristocracy. While they weren't as wealthy as the Imperial family, their families had enough wealth to provide a life of leisure for their daughters. I'd rather be the wife of a wealthy noble or merchant than the consort of an emperor, because there are far less drama and conspiracy involved.
I loved your presentation on the Imperial Concubines. I have always been fascinated with other cultures. So I found this topic extremely fascinating. Your presentation helped considerably, good work, keep it up and I look forward to more of your presentations..
How great would it be to have a tv series about the lives of ancient chinese concubines? Like they said there's got to be a lot of drama there. And it would be ACTUAL drama. Not false and forced reality tv drama. I think it would be really cool.
do you know of any?? I'm interested i saw one and watched it on Hulu a while ago but can't remember the name it was about 10 episodes long and very good.
Jixie Dye There is a Chinese series called 'the empress of china' It follows the story of Wu Zetian. (It might not be comepletely historical acurate however. Just like English series about historical events.) But it's a good series if you want to have a closer look at the empirial concubines and what (might have) happened within the harem.
Better to have been the Emperor's daughter than his concubine.. lol... But honestly being a concubine was the best way for an ambitious woman to actually rule China, there were a long list of ruthless ladies who would form powerful alliances within the palace, bear some sons, dispose of rivals, become the emperor's favourite, if he already had an Empress then set her up & dispose of her, then become Empress, poison the Emperor, then put the most obedient son on the throne & marry him to an obedient girl both of who will never challenge you, then rule the Middle Kingdom as Emperor Dowager!! Better then also as Empress to give all that food that would go to concubines to distribute to the starving people to get their loyalty & then make bigger armies & expand/protect the borders. I think I would've been ruthless as a concubine, it seemed like a daily game of chess, kill or be killed so best to become an Empress who is both king & queen & have a little son for figurehead. & then if you die at least you died trying & did your best so that you could create a better country for your people, which is the whole point to being the Ruler anyway. Every Dowager Empress had to start somewhere... lol! ;)
It may worse...Most princesses in Qing dynasty just died before their 17. Because their fathers used to marry them to kings or princesses of the other kingdoms around. They just too young to get married (12 to 14 years old), some died at the long way to other countries, most died of giving birth to children. Only the daughters be favored by the emperor can be allowed to marry emperor’s close ministers therefore the princesses can live in her hometown with her husband and royal families. The princesses married to foreign countries can not return home and see her family ....depressed to death :(
Can you make a video about the education of an Emperor's son and/or daughter? Like what do they teach these kids and how are they groomed to become the next ruler of China and how is the heir chosen and what happens to daughters, are they married off? Just these kinds of thing that I'm curious about
I hope Yi becomes a permanent host on the Double Chen show. It's nice to have a female perspective on things and Yi is such a good speaker. I can listen to her talk all day 😬 i love all your ancient China videos because I've always been fascinated about Chinese history being half Chinese myself. Maybe you can do videos about the different emperors and what their dynasty contributed in terms of history. I also love the 3 kingdoms era and I'm particularly fascinated how the ancient Chinese lived and survived during that bloody violent era. Thankyou 😊
I would love a video that goes over the history of period fashion. How did it evolve from plain, rough robes in the BCE to the elaborate silk costumes of the Qing Dynasty. This is assuming the Chinese series and movies I am watching stayed true to history.
I love learning about ancient China. I have the book, “The Last Empress”, the one you mentioned in this video. But when she and other newly entered girls were given a tour of the palace, they were taken to a woman whose arms and legs had been cut off and she was put in a jar. Every day she was fed. It was so gruesome I could not read any further in the book. I would love to see anything you care to show connected to Chinese art. I can’t seem to get enough of it and now, during Coronadays, I cannot get to the library. I just stumbled on this channel; I think I will love it.
Great video guys! I'd personally love for you to make a video about ancient chinese philosophy and spirituality, and talk about Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
But I-Ching speciality is that it's not to be understood. How problematic would a fortunetelling book be if every one could understand it and point out the mistakes of the divinations.
Yeah, you forgot to mention that probably (being one among hundreds of concubines) their sex life (let alone their romantic love life) was practically null (and of course, having a lover would've meant instant death). So basically they were living flower-vases, existing just to be pretty as long as they followed a pre-designated pathway, whose object in life was to love to a revered stranger (one who may have slept with them a couple of times if lucky) and whose life was over once the old man was dead (as it is easy to imagine that most of them weren't chosen all at once when the emperor was young, but along his life).
This is a really cool video! It made me think of a book I read, Nefertiti by Michelle Moran. It's historical fiction, but gives a great picture of the daily life and stresses of the women that surrounded kings, etc. (In this case, in Egypt) Such a stressful life, despite the luxurious living! I loved this book and the sequel as well and am always on the lookout for stuff like this!
Anton Fuchs I believe the larger amount of food given to the higher ranking concubines reflected two things: higher status, and, the larger number of staff in the higher ranking concubines’ household.
Actually, being plump was considered sort of attractive. And, they didn't eat all that food. The remainders were either thrown out or given to their servants.
If I can remember correctly being plump is considered a good sign because it'd mean you can bear more children…or maybe food was a luxury back then and being fat equals to wealth and status
Thank you so much for that in-depth look into the life of a concubine in ancient China. I lived in China for two years, and I didn’t get the education of the imperial court at all like I am getting from you guys, so a very big thank you
I'm surprised you guys didn't wrap up this great video by mentioning the most popular Chinese TV serial on the subject. The Legend of Zhen Huan (i.e., 后宫·甄嬛传)
This is so interesting :) pre-imperial and Imperial history of China should be separate series on your channel. With my country participating in Silk Road 2.0 I must know all about your great civilization :) keep up the great work
the conflict between concubines in china were filled with jealousies and maneuvers for position, especially during lean times when silk, sugar and other luxuries were only given to the favorites. You also had contempt over what province in China you came from. Was she from Shanghai or Hangchow. A City girl or a Country monkey as the custom was. The bickering among the children also grew to be too much since everything went back to the mothers and escalated the tension further. But you would never see it openly has they ALL had to maintain demure and pleasant faces amid all the hate and distrust.
I would want to be a consort. I mean, yeah, it's nice to have your freedom, but I think I'd like always knowing my schedule and my place in the world. Plus, knowing myself, I probably wouldn't care too much about moving up in rank (Im lazy af.)
well, in ancient china even if u wouldnt want to fight for ranks and move up, others will be putting you down so that they can climb up the rank, which includes killing one another's allies in secret, trying to kill your son (so that he doesnt become the next emperor) etc.
lower ranking concubines live in quarters of higher ranking concubines, who has the right to make you do daily chores, and flog u if u disobey. In china, lazy ones will never survive XP
+KellseyAlexHipo hahaha! then you'll become of those whose son is targeted so he doesnt become the next emperor (oh no!) you'll spend your entire life making sure your son doesnt get out of your view XD
Wow!! I have to say I was GLUED to the screen during ur video! Ancient Chinese culture has always been fascinating to me, it's really cool to see how similar/different they were to people today. Thanks for explaining everything so well, I learned so much from u guys! 😄💖
@@amypagekaviani5661 Actually ancient China has a lot of records on homosexuality. There were all types of relationships back in those days and lesbian relationships were mentioned in the royal court although relationships between men was most prominently documented. Homophobia was imported to China. Old documentation of homosexuality in China is written about as being natural. There was even a documented poly-amorous relationship with two men and a woman! The poly relationship happened between normal middle class people though and all three people lived together in one house.
@@jasmonaye6933 2 men and 1 woman? Not in the Confucius era lol as you know Confucianism was moral standard in China. If people did something against the Confucius moral code, they were punished by the villagers.
@@sgcl10658 China has a long running LGBT history just like any other place around the world. Laws don't irradiate queer folk nor our stories. That particular story took place a long time ago when men could have marriages with each other. Those marriages were accepted by the families but after a certain age they were expected to marry women and have children. The old days were quite different!
diplomacy and heirs, it really isn't about the emperor having his fun, cause the courtiers decide for him which has its own set of politics, this led to loads of problems.
It's a sign of wealth and privilege to be able to have so many wives. It would be like building a gigantic house. It's expensive to maintain so many women, and even a poor man would want to have more than one wife to show he could. It also satisfied many noble families to have a daughter in the harem, with the hopes that she would gain access to him and bring them up in the world. Another factor was that he would be given women by vassal states as gifts, so he'd just end up with a lot.
ThereGoesKJ yes the emperor would engage in Congress with each consort because the more children he had the more chances of having a son and the more sons the more heavenly the emperor would be considered .
This is wonderful. I love your humorous take on this. I went to university where I earned a degree in Anthropology with a focus on Chinese history. It is nice to see more focus on Han instead of Manchurian. Yes yes yes. I realize it often matters who is asking questions and who is answering on these sort of things. The Ching Dynasty is a favourite of mine. Thank you for this video. I am happy to see so many views. I enjoy how your explanations humanized the history as well. Too often I am "lectured" on martial artist enthusiasts on the "history" of "ancient China," which was almost akin to Bruce Lee meets Wizard of Oz to hear them explain, haha.
Really Marvellous Dan and Yi,,, - thank you so much for sharing this very interesting and glorious history on Chinese Imperial life. Really interesting. Cheers Always : )
LOVE this episode!! just like I love the one about the Emperor. I personally would like to see a day in the life of a middle class or merchant in China I think it would be interesting thank you! been a long time subscriber ever since you guys move from OTGW.
u forgot some rank-this ranks can always change, sometimes a 妃(consort) can be demoted to a 答应(second rank female attendant) and be sent to the 冷宫(léng gōng), translates to Cold Palace, where many consorts and concubines have been sent to when they commit serious crimes, many have gone crazy or either commited suicide after being there. some were sent there and ordered suicide by the king(when they commit serious offences for example, cheating the Son of Heaven or 天子(tian zi)) 1. 皇后 (huăng hòu) Empress-A commonly known empress is empress Xiaoxianchun, consort of Qianlong Emperor of the Fuca Clan. 2. 皇贵妃 (huăng guì féi) Imperial Noble Consort-if there is no empress in the palace(the previous empress has passed on), the Imperial Noble Consort may be passed on the duties of Empress, making her de facto ruler of the six "palaces" of the Forbidden city(she will be in charge of the imperial affairs within the palace, however she cannot intefere with politics) one example of this royal consort is post humously known Empress Xiaoxianchun, birth mother of the Jiaqing Emperor. she was de facto Empress after Empress Hoifa Nara was stripped of her title of Empress. Another De Facto ruler was Empress Dowager Cixi, she was the de facto ruler of the Qing Dynasty for 40 years,making her one of the longest de facto ruler in the world 3. 贵妃 -(guì féi) Noble Consort 4. 妃 -(féi) Consort 5. 嫔 (pín) Concubine 6. 贵人 (guì rěn)- Noble ladies 7. 常在 (chăng zài) - it means always here in chinese first rank female attendant 8. 答应 (dá yìng) - it means promise, second rank female attendant 9. 管女子 (guán nü zi) -has no difference between a servant, their rank is just a little higher, however they are the girls whom the emperor can spend their nights with ----- there are many ways the mother of the ruling emperor is honoured, and they can also be post humously honoured by the current/next emperor. - If the birth mother of a ruling emperor is a 妃(Consort) she will be honoured as 太妃 Consort Dowager/皇太妃 Imperial Consort Dowager/皇贵太妃 Imperial Noble Consort Dowager. She can also be post humously honoured as Empress. also the empress of the previous emperor(if shes alive when the next emperor rules) she will be honoured, regardless of the biological mother or not she will be known as 母仪皇太后 (Divine Mother Empress Dowager)
You speak at the speed of light and so we viewers are raced thru some of the exquisite art work when it would be wonderful to be allowed to gaze for a few more moment ( without the pause arrow blocking the view). If slowing the tour down I suppose that means you'd need to make more videos.?......GREAT! Maybe you could include more details. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed your offering. Looking forward to much more from you.
They don't eat all of it. The rest that the consort doesn't eat goes to her workers (and as always, the higher ranking your ranking, the better food you get).
I have heard something similar. Basically the lower ranking courtiers eat the leftovers from the higher ups until only scraps are left for those in the lowest ranks.
The hosts bluff the audience by saying that almost them most beatific women are living together in the imperial palace. In ancient China, emperors had no right to choose their wife and concubines. There was a special panel of officials selected by the imperial court to choose based on a set of standards, which varied from dynasty to dynasty, but definitely not based on looks. The most strikingly good-looking women were excluded in the first place.
Wonderfully informative! I’ve always been fascinated by Arabic harems and Indian zenanas. Now adding ancient Chinese imperial concubine systems. Thanks for the research subject!
Sorry Yi, but since Concubines are older, doesn't that mean airlines copied concubine's title rankings? lol When you put the misogyny and sexism aside, it doesn't seem like a bad way to live. It's beat working in the hot sun as a potato farmer. This summer I think I drank my weight in water every day just by playing pokemon GO, i can't imagine working on a farm
Not if you suddenly gain popularity in the emperor's eye -_- Then others would be jealous of you and may torment you in all sorts of ways, for example cause a miscarriage or even death >_> But if you rank too low, then you get less money to spend, you'd be allocated with less good clothing, and less coal for winter, and it can be freezing you know, they lived in wooden houses with paper windows >_> Then some are forced to be buried alive when the emperor dies as escorts, or if their son became a pain in the a** for the future emperor or may pose as a threat to the crown, they will probably be killed also, or be trapped in a deserted section in the palace until death. BTW the rankings of the concubines are usually related to the ranking and influence of their family, if their family becomes a threat to the emperor, he would usually slaughter the whole family, sometimes with the excuse of "misconduct" of his concubine. Then there are those who never slept with the emperor, not even once, sad story.
Thank you so much for all of the great info! Doing some research on the Tang Dynasty women, so this is helpful to get a glimpse into what life might have been, even though it was over a thousand years earlier. Going to have to take some writer's liberty in putting some of this together. You made it really enjoyable!
I'm glad they didn't cover up the concubine system, even though it was placed in a benevolent light. I'm sure that it was an honor to be an imperial concubine, as well as helped your family and/or village. This reminds me of the conservative media response to our first ladies comment about living in a home built by slaves. He said that they ate well and lodged for free. Even if that was true, it certainly doesn't make up for being a slave. The way women are treated today was founded upon their treatment in the past. It's interesting to know this went on all around the world. Kudos to Double Chen for not shying away from the truth.
Great video. Loved seeing ancient drawings and artefacts, really helps to understand the culture at the time. Looking forward to watch more of your videos
Loved this videos, as always :D Thank you guys for always making such amazing videos, and just being yourselves :) Also, I always love when Yi joins you guys :3
5:46 When I see footage of people in Asian cultures, I get the feeling that even in modern times, they live at a slower pace than Westerners, and, in particular, Americans.
I know you're appealing to the youth with your presentation which is less enjoyable to watch by an older audience, but I love the subject matter. Would you consider making videos less childlike and more in the form of a documentary for a more mature audience? Hope to see more of this in the future. A fan.
Great video but I think the food calculations on the good was for the lady & her maids. Because the higher ranking the Concubine the more maids she had. Start at the lowest ranking gets 2 maids up each step until you get to the two at the top get 8-10 maids. The food you mentioned would then fit .
Oooh, I've been to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and in the gardens way close to the back gate/door of the palace complex, there's this house where nubile teenage girls would be collected and presented to the Emperor every year (if my mind serves correctly). It was a small building, but that is where lives would be changed forever. Becoming a concubine was a great privilege, and would catapult said teenage girl to a life of wealth and social power. And if they survived the cutthroat politics of the palace, then they could sometimes make it to Empress or Dowager Empress. And if they were really ruthless and power-hungry, these former concubines would become the de facto rulers of all China--by putting boys and easily-controlled/stupid male relatives on the throne as Emperor and then being the real power behind the throne. Happened a bunch of times in Chinese history. Fascinating stuff.
I wish the idea of politicians being the fathers and mothers of their countries was still a thing. If that notion was in the collective consciousness, people would think twice before going into politics or choosing politicians to represent them. I think a lot of modern politicians care now only to serve the elite and their own interests instead of being leaders, reflections, and metaphorical parental figures for their entire nations.
@@TheaterRaven Having a good king /father of a nation is a noble idea, but it never worked in reality. It goes against the very nature of human which is ultimately unique, priceless and valuable in EACH and every member of a society, no matter rank or hierarchy. Pining for a good king savior is abdicating one's autonomy and authority and we have witnessed plenty the dire consequences of that. Democracy comes with personal responsibility, not only elites but everyone.
@@nka480 The only one connecting the notion of good political leaders with the people giving up their freedom, senses of self, and personal responsibility is you. I never said that. I simply meant, "Hey, wouldn't it be great if politicians who claim to serve the best interests of the people actually did their damn jobs for once?" The elites are so corrupt these days it's clear they've completely abandoned what politicians are ideally supposed to do, choosing instead only to serve themselves and their circle of rich friends.
1) Your perfect chinese pronunciations yet accent-free english is very impressive 2) were not the widows at one time forced to commit suicide when the emperor died? i'm sure i saw a docu about that 3) "only" 5 lbs of meat per day for the lower concubines has to be misinterpretation, i can't eat that much meat in a week much less a day
I love Chinese Ancient Dramas, this video will help explain alot. I sometimes catch myself wondering How different it would be if they had a simple TV lol and no access to poison...They wanted that throne above all else. Its murder but its so dope to me lol ( the story line that is) I hope you continue with this series....as there are so many of us who want to understand Ancient China...
I'd like to see a video focusing on the evolution of food in China, as well as its role within society! I really enjoy food. Additionally, great video! I like all of the information you two get to make your videos, it's lovely to learn so much.
foot binding is not done by the Manchu women, in fact they wanted to walk like woman with bounded feet that they came up with their platform shoes. Not to mention, that there are some Han Chinese women that don't bind their feet such as the Hakka.
@Isabella Yu: I don't think the point was to make sure women didn't go out of the house; I think it was a cultural fetish for really, really small feet on women. It started when a girl was of pre-school age; they'd wet long strips of linen and bind her little feet from front to heels. As the linen dried it would shrink. The linen strips would be wet down occasionally, and changed every so often. Yes, it would have been torture. And from time to time, surgery would be done on the feet to make sure the process was done "correctly." By the time she was of marriageable age, all the young woman had at the ends of her legs where little deformed stumps. Special soft slippers made of nothing but silk covered what were left of her feet. These were called "lotus feet" - flower feet, and were for the upper classes, and to walk a woman needed to lean on a servant with normal feet to balance her. Or ride in a sedan chair.
yes,but not officially,some emperors have done gay,like in the han dynasty,most emperors had some male concubines.and some female concubines,empress and princesses also had their own male "concubines"
kinda. in the Han dynasty I can't remember which emperor off the top of my head, he kept male favourites but he was giving male titles not female titles
It all sounds very comfortable and luxurious but also pretty useless. It seems the vast majority of these women couldn't do anything substantial to contribute to the wellbeing of China.
They produced the next emperor and raised him. Probably one of the most important jobs in China at the time. Although, you said majority, so. They produced poetry at least.
they came from aristocrat families whom did a lot for society example priminister daughter would be a concubine or a noble calligraphy writers daughter or imperial guard sister etc women weren't really allowed to be politically verse neither did they have much rights then so this was the most important job back then
fantastic! thank you for such a comprehensive vid. always been interested, fascinated by the artistry of the life (clothes, jewelry, china, food, lifestyles)
They forgot to mention how scheming the empress, consorts, and concubines were in the harem.
They may have been really bored a lot of the time and also had to compete for the Emperor's attention to rise up the Concubine ranks. I've been reading up on Chinese history and the men in the palaces also schemed and plotted.
They had to be
I read and watched the Chinese one hour shows about the concubines how they plotted, and allied just to rise to the top for the Emperors attention. It was all very interesting and made me want more.
A good TV series is the Legend of HAOLAN its a awesome show its about how Haolan became the queen of the Qin Dynasty it's a good show
@Ophirian Princess yes me to
many concubines were burried alive with the emperor when he died. Many young women were torned away from their families and lovers to be taken by force to live behind those giant walls and often, many didn't even get visited by the emporer even once. However, they must kept themselves looking pretty and presentable as if the emporer was going to visit them. Politics and back stabbing, ugh, you don't want to go there.
TRAN BABY Not true. Lol
how in it not true what do YOU know about concubines
Dude you watch too much Chinese drama. Also, it’s torn not TORNED
You watch wayyy to many drama
The idea of "Would you want to...." doesn't apply. They had no choice.
Ummm...? Many you left out a pretty big part!!! Upon the emperors death, concubines without a child would "accompany" the emperor to the next life. Aka they would be sacrificed.
David What, why?
@@aquicha8168 To accompany them into the next life, so they could be together again. You stay alive if you have a kid, but it's not that easy. The other palace ladies would sabotage you if they knew you were pregnant (e.g. accidentally pushing you down some stairs).
Meh. I'd rather farm and have kids with a commoner husband than deal with all that.
Wtf
April Chan I suppose that the large appeal of being a concubine is the honour that you’d give to your family as well as serving your emperor.
I'd take the chance. Except I'm not a woman.
People: Concubines cant marry the next emperor!
Wu Zetian: Hold my tea.
Yes she married her husband's son
Women can't be emperor! Wu Zeitan: 😈
Yas
Lol
Thus, power. Power is all that matter. With enough power, old age tradition could be discarded.
Women has gone through hell in human history.
Kiki yes but *this* was definitely *not* hell
Well, that's subjective.
Kiki and men have had it even worse
Men get tortured and slaughtered for protecting women
Now all they gotta do is make me a sandwich and yall stiilllll complain soo
in ancient China, the imperial picks his wifes rarely base on their looks and appearances but base on their social class and 'usefulness" to the countries development and interest. that's why accurate painting or literature of the ancient China depicted the concubines to be umm... not so impressive in the looks aspect
Quite corrected , marriages in ancient China is like marriages everywhere else around the world at the time . They are for political and social reasons , not for love , nor like these guys put it "for beauty of the women " . Most concubines either are daughters or related to powerful men in the imperial court , or a princess of a neighbouring powerful or allied states . A lot of Ming dynasty emperors choosed northern concubines like Koreans or Manchurians , not because they were beautiful , but for political reasons . Qing dynasty concubines looked so fucking ugly , because they were not the most beautiful women in China at the time , but they were Manchurian noble women . Most of these emperors got married ways before they hit puberty , and have no ideas what attractive woman is . I means as child princes they already have a systems of concubines.
***** 1. Yes. Again, from all the drawing of Xiao Xian, she could have been very beautiful back in Qian Long's time, but now? I don't know. Again, what is beautiful has changed. 2. Just remember, using brush for painting occurred earlier. Also, there are other methods of painting like using sticks and even fingers. So pictures of Xi Shi could have existed during her time.
***** Ohh...Ok. I misunderstood. But yes, there is quite a legend surrounding Qian Long and that Muslim concubine. 2. Actually, they did write as ink (sort of) did exist in Spring and Autumn period. Words are wither carved onto turtle backs, or written on silk or bamboo strips. That's why even into Han Dynasty, before paper was mass produced, you see figures with rolls of bamboo strips. Text were written on them. Same with paintings, they were drawn onto silks.
***** But of course, that Qin Dynasty is very different one ruled by the Manchus. Paper was in use by the Western Han, just too expensive and not prevalent. So most of the paintings at that time were drawn on Silk. Although some very rich merchants or imperial courts will use paper, just not often since they are so expensive at the time.
no jams ...yes true...i think period movies have done alot to infuse the notion that all Harems within the forbidden city were strictly the most beautiful looking ....im watching...Empresses in the Palace on Netflix...its a good program...
Damn..I don't know about y'all but I think we need to bring back some of these ancient chinese beauty traditions. Shiny black hair till you're 70 years old? Living till 90? Whatever they're doing, I want some of that!
East Asian people do tend to age more slowly though.
Drink lots of herbal tea and soup infusions. No lie, hot drinks are probably the reason East Asians from developed countries live so long.
Literally was looking for this comment everywhere, I'm surprised no one's raving about it in the comments and that's it's not all over billboards by now ... seriously, is the whole world except us blind to how amazing it is?!
Kya Lucero
Ladolcevita Eating endangered animals and poaching them?
I don't envy those women one bit.
We're modern women. When you can make your own money, being reliant on someone is not for you. I'd love to know about STDs. Im thinking not everyone in the harem was faithful.
@@smartypants6198 The rest of the men in the palace were Eunuchs. So usually on the emperor, his sons and close male relatives would be the only other sexually active men in the palace
@@Smkay_ Good point. But the ladies foubd a way to get a lover when wanted. The first emporer of Chinas mom had two lovers. King Gongmin was bi or gay. One of his concubines got a lover, who ended up killing the king.
Right.
They make it sound so pretty. Those girl's lives were living hell.
"Keeping Up With The Kokubines"!! XD
HereIAm247 I’d watch it!
Id totally watch that, imagine the amount of beef and sass🤷♀️
That would be fun
Omg lol-
Story of yanxi palace
The classes among concubines existed because of their family background (a big role) and achievements such as bearing sons, writing good work, winning quizzes etc and impressing the emperor in any way. You left out a very important aspect of their life.
What happens to them after the emperor's death? The empress stays and becomes empress dowager. Concubines with children stay as dowagers. Others are either buried with the emperor or sent to a nunnery within the Forbidden City. Yup, killed and buried or put away. If you want none of that, you better bear a son. If your rank and family background is low, your child will be adopted by a higher ranking concubine, or even the childless empress and you will be forbidden from participating in his life so that your low class ways don't influence him.
These things are crucial to how these women led their lives. I wish you would show the differences between the Qing and the Tang instead of grouping them all under one as well. The main function of concubines is to bear so many children that even after jealousy, rivalry, war and disease kill 20 to 30 of the emperors sons, at least 4 would survive as contenders to the throne. It was a big deal to have 24 sons survive, like a miracle.
thanks for the extra info. Yup, being buried alive or to being sent to the Forbidden city sounds pretty much the same... Do you know if any concubines ever managed to flee and start a new life?
I am sure that would not be a sort of thing documented officially, but were there ever any rumors of that happening?
+NarnianLady Yes that has happened in history but VERY, VERY rarely. You have to be very very lucky to have succeeded that. Remember you are living in a deep deep part of the palace that is completely cut off from the outside world. Just to get from where you are living to the outside part of the palace is like crossing an entire city and the entire court is filled with thousands and thousands of attendants, footmen, maids, ladies-in-waiting, eunuchs, guards, other concubines and members of the royal family. You have to get past ALL of these people with your lover to reach the outside world? Good luck! Just think how many people you have to bribe along the way. IF ONE of the people decides to snitch on you, you and your lover will be caught and it`s instant death to both of you!
Indeed. Not to mention that during most dynasties, women's feet were bound - ladies from the upper class didn't have their natural running ability left. Although there may have been other means of escape.
NarnianLady Nope that wasn't a thing in the tang. It was a manchurian thing .
Veritas, I have read the opposite - the Manchu didn't condone foot-binding but tried to outlaw it, often unsuccesfully, as it was so deeply engrained in the Han Chinese culture.
One thing that is important to remember is that the women of the Imperial Chinese harem were enclosed without any sexually available men (only fully castrated Eunuchs). There would be up to 3000 very bored women with access to only one man. It would be like a lifetime of the Bachelor, but the women have access to poison and can get each other executed instead of kicked off.
@Isabella Yu I'm including the many maids each wife and concubine had, who would be sexually available to the Emperor. If they were attractive enough, anyone of them could catch his eye, and would not dare to refuse. It might even be a chance for a better life.
@Isabella Yu No I didn't! I don't know many of the specifics, though I'd like to. I know more the general makeup. Can you recommend any books or videos? Aso have you ever read Dream of the Red Chamber/Story of the Stone?
@Isabella Yu i would actually agree with 3000 and even more, during some reigns there wasnt as selective of a process (simply to make up numbers and show off i guess). there were hundreds and thousands of concubines that would had never even seen the emperor. and those that were unfortunate wouldve just been sacrificed when he died (didnt happen in all dynasties luckily). the number 3000 is actually quite interesting bc i think(????) im not too sure but i recall maybe that an emperor from the ming(?) dynasty with that many and some even had more!! 9000 is rumoured to be the most,,,,, 40,000 too but that seems ridiculous but yea :)
@Isabella Yu yes! but im talking about the highest number in total that one emperor may have had ahaa
@Isabella Yu of course. many emperors spent years fighting for the throne, finally becoming emperor and as soon as warring "warring country X" gifts a beautiful women as a form of battle strategy, they forgot to rule and spend all day with them leading to the fall of their throne and being overthrown by country X lol
his eyebrows move so much it's almost more entertaining than the video😂😂
and her eyebrows don't move at all 🤔
+April R eyebrow energy should be shared
Autumn~Dreams79 yaaaaas
ll66p6l
HAHA true!
Compared to what life was like for peasants (i.e. most people at the time) outside the palace, yes, I would've preferred to be in the royal harem. It was a cut-throat, gilded prison kind of life, but you had at least a chance of good food and shelter, protection from famine, invaders and natural disasters, access to the best doctors, and your family benefited from your role, even if you weren't allowed to see them. When you and/or your loved ones are facing starvation, poverty and disease, things like personal choice and freedom take a back seat. No matter how ignoble a concept, history has proven it to be true many times over. Many concubines were treated horribly and met sticky ends, but many were treated well and lived long lives. In the ancient world, life was a gamble.
So we'll said
Had I lived in those days I might've pushed my child to imperial service
Large families could sacrifice
Huts my heart to say it, but...
most insightful and not stupid comment, nice to see someone not complaining about how hard life was back then
Why compare them to peasants? Why compare them to wealthy commoners and nobles? Unlike Muslim harems, whose concubines were mostly slaves, most Chinese consorts were chosen from the aristocracy. While they weren't as wealthy as the Imperial family, their families had enough wealth to provide a life of leisure for their daughters. I'd rather be the wife of a wealthy noble or merchant than the consort of an emperor, because there are far less drama and conspiracy involved.
I loved your presentation on the Imperial Concubines. I have always been fascinated with other cultures. So I found this topic extremely fascinating. Your presentation helped considerably, good work, keep it up and I look forward to more of your presentations..
I'd like to see videos about the lives of common folk under the different Emperors.
Also the evolution of religion through the ages of China.
that would be really interesting
a really cool request
read books on it
yeah I'm curious my self
Ya that would be awesome 🙃
How great would it be to have a tv series about the lives of ancient chinese concubines? Like they said there's got to be a lot of drama there. And it would be ACTUAL drama. Not false and forced reality tv drama. I think it would be really cool.
you call that, a documentary...
do you know of any?? I'm interested i saw one and watched it on Hulu a while ago but can't remember the name it was about 10 episodes long and very good.
Jixie Dye There is a Chinese series called 'the empress of china' It follows the story of Wu Zetian. (It might not be comepletely historical acurate however. Just like English series about historical events.) But it's a good series if you want to have a closer look at the empirial concubines and what (might have) happened within the harem.
Theres one on netflix atm called 'empresses in the palace' About 5 eps all an hour long. Its chinese with english subs. Its very good.
empresses in the palace is actually 76 episodes that they made into 5 so they missed a lot of details. the full is on viki.com with english subtitles.
Better to have been the Emperor's daughter than his concubine.. lol...
But honestly being a concubine was the best way for an ambitious woman to actually rule China, there were a long list of ruthless ladies who would form powerful alliances within the palace, bear some sons, dispose of rivals, become the emperor's favourite, if he already had an Empress then set her up & dispose of her, then become Empress, poison the Emperor, then put the most obedient son on the throne & marry him to an obedient girl both of who will never challenge you, then rule the Middle Kingdom as Emperor Dowager!!
Better then also as Empress to give all that food that would go to concubines to distribute to the starving people to get their loyalty & then make bigger armies & expand/protect the borders.
I think I would've been ruthless as a concubine, it seemed like a daily game of chess, kill or be killed so best to become an Empress who is both king & queen & have a little son for figurehead. & then if you die at least you died trying & did your best so that you could create a better country for your people, which is the whole point to being the Ruler anyway.
Every Dowager Empress had to start somewhere... lol! ;)
Tritia DeViSha and then u would be betrayed and skinned alivd lol
Well-said, many princes eventually killed their own brothers so that they can become King. Well, their brother from another mother
Who is in the long list? I've only heard of Wu Zetian and Empress Dowager Cixi
Princesses were often sent away from their homes and married off to distant kingdoms and etc
It may worse...Most princesses in Qing dynasty just died before their 17. Because their fathers used to marry them to kings or princesses of the other kingdoms around. They just too young to get married (12 to 14 years old), some died at the long way to other countries, most died of giving birth to children. Only the daughters be favored by the emperor can be allowed to marry emperor’s close ministers therefore the princesses can live in her hometown with her husband and royal families. The princesses married to foreign countries can not return home and see her family ....depressed to death :(
I find the Chinese history really interesting, it fascinates me how they lived there lives. Thank you for educating us more.
4:12 so basically you’re a lonely government regulated sugar baby
Very informative. You don't see many videos that are this good about ancient Chinese culture.
weekendmom I agree. it was really interesting
weekendmom thank the Chinese government for that.
Check out the china history podcast by laszlo Montgomerie, hours upon hours of chinese history.
Can you make a video about the education of an Emperor's son and/or daughter? Like what do they teach these kids and how are they groomed to become the next ruler of China and how is the heir chosen and what happens to daughters, are they married off? Just these kinds of thing that I'm curious about
I wanna see a video like that too!
Me 2!
I do not think that they are educated they just make women sexual slaves do not envy the concubine they live a very pathetic lives
@@joychinsweeting1973 not so. They were highly educated
I hope Yi becomes a permanent host on the Double Chen show. It's nice to have a female perspective on things and Yi is such a good speaker. I can listen to her talk all day 😬 i love all your ancient China videos because I've always been fascinated about Chinese history being half Chinese myself. Maybe you can do videos about the different emperors and what their dynasty contributed in terms of history. I also love the 3 kingdoms era and I'm particularly fascinated how the ancient Chinese lived and survived during that bloody violent era. Thankyou 😊
I would love a video that goes over the history of period fashion. How did it evolve from plain, rough robes in the BCE to the elaborate silk costumes of the Qing Dynasty. This is assuming the Chinese series and movies I am watching stayed true to history.
material, the loom, patterns/prints and knots, done.
Mary Cate O'Malley They did do a video over the history of fashion. It's under the channel Off the Great Wall.
I love learning about ancient China. I have the book, “The Last Empress”, the one you mentioned in this video. But when she and other newly entered girls were given a tour of the palace, they were taken to a woman whose arms and legs had been cut off and she was put in a jar. Every day she was fed. It was so gruesome I could not read any further in the book. I would love to see anything you care to show connected to Chinese art. I can’t seem to get enough of it and now, during Coronadays, I cannot get to the library. I just stumbled on this channel; I think I will love it.
Great video guys! I'd personally love for you to make a video about ancient chinese philosophy and spirituality, and talk about Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.
Me too!
yes
You know, those subjects aren't that easy to discuss and they'd have to do a lot of studying for that.
But I-Ching speciality is that it's not to be understood. How problematic would a fortunetelling book be if every one could understand it and point out the mistakes of the divinations.
good idea I'm very interested in Taoist Saint such as ryjundong. tell us more about shenxian-living god
So the widowed concubines and consort gets to go to dosh khaleen? lol
LOL this made me laugh 😂
GRR Martin sure does his homework!
its hilarious. on another note some of those imperial jump offs , the fleekness of their eyebrows is impressive.
I think it's more like going into poverty and being forgotten.
agreed lol
Dan and Yi nailed it on this video. I was perfect! Great job Yi!
Yi did a great job,just a little less gesticulating/hand movements.
I like to hear this girl speak Chinese. She sounds so ‘cultured and refined’.
I've been watching Empress Ki, great series!
Thank goodness those times are over.
Yeah, you forgot to mention that probably (being one among hundreds of concubines) their sex life (let alone their romantic love life) was practically null (and of course, having a lover would've meant instant death). So basically they were living flower-vases, existing just to be pretty as long as they followed a pre-designated pathway, whose object in life was to love to a revered stranger (one who may have slept with them a couple of times if lucky) and whose life was over once the old man was dead (as it is easy to imagine that most of them weren't chosen all at once when the emperor was young, but along his life).
I would die in a instant if I go to be an consort.
Birds in gilded cages.
@Anon Girl I'm an atheist tho.. .-.
damn they had some flawless skin
One Emperor alone wasted 3000 women, only a few children born from these 3000 women
Side Chicks with a purpose!
This is a really cool video! It made me think of a book I read, Nefertiti by Michelle Moran. It's historical fiction, but gives a great picture of the daily life and stresses of the women that surrounded kings, etc. (In this case, in Egypt) Such a stressful life, despite the luxurious living! I loved this book and the sequel as well and am always on the lookout for stuff like this!
jeez they ate a lot of food I'm surprised obesity wasn't a issue in the imperial court
Anton Fuchs I believe the larger amount of food given to the higher ranking concubines reflected two things: higher status, and, the larger number of staff in the higher ranking concubines’ household.
The food allocated to each concubine is shared with her staff
Actually, being plump was considered sort of attractive. And, they didn't eat all that food. The remainders were either thrown out or given to their servants.
If I can remember correctly being plump is considered a good sign because it'd mean you can bear more children…or maybe food was a luxury back then and being fat equals to wealth and status
@@UwU-fj3kb Specifically, if you were fat you were wealthy. Everyone else was dirt poor and suffering.
Thank you so much for that in-depth look into the life of a concubine in ancient China. I lived in China for two years, and I didn’t get the education of the imperial court at all like I am getting from you guys, so a very big thank you
I'm surprised you guys didn't wrap up this great video by mentioning the most popular Chinese TV serial on the subject. The Legend of Zhen Huan (i.e., 后宫·甄嬛传)
Haha, I was just shocked when seeing the long translation of the rankings in Qing Dynasty! And then I worried about translation in English 甄嬛传~haha~
This isn't double chen this is single chen!
They're false advertising!
:O
lol
Plus friend
It is if they get married.
This is so interesting :) pre-imperial and Imperial history of China should be separate series on your channel.
With my country participating in Silk Road 2.0 I must know all about your great civilization :)
keep up the great work
when he listed foods which was served for emperor, i was like: holy cow stop! 😂😂
the conflict between concubines in china were filled with jealousies and maneuvers for position, especially during lean times when silk, sugar and other luxuries were only given to the favorites. You also had contempt over what province in China you came from. Was she from Shanghai or Hangchow. A City girl or a Country monkey as the custom was. The bickering among the children also grew to be too much since everything went back to the mothers and escalated the tension further. But you would never see it openly has they ALL had to maintain demure and pleasant faces amid all the hate and distrust.
I love Dan and Yi creating this video! Thank you so much! X
I would want to be a consort. I mean, yeah, it's nice to have your freedom, but I think I'd like always knowing my schedule and my place in the world. Plus, knowing myself, I probably wouldn't care too much about moving up in rank (Im lazy af.)
well, in ancient china even if u wouldnt want to fight for ranks and move up, others will be putting you down so that they can climb up the rank, which includes killing one another's allies in secret, trying to kill your son (so that he doesnt become the next emperor) etc.
lower ranking concubines live in quarters of higher ranking concubines, who has the right to make you do daily chores, and flog u if u disobey. In china, lazy ones will never survive XP
+vallwl agreed! they can even behead you :/
+vallwl And now I think I'd be a little more motivated to be a productive concubine.
+KellseyAlexHipo hahaha! then you'll become of those whose son is targeted so he doesnt become the next emperor (oh no!) you'll spend your entire life making sure your son doesnt get out of your view XD
No idea why this vid showed up in my recommended list, but I'm glad it did!
Wow!! I have to say I was GLUED to the screen during ur video! Ancient Chinese culture has always been fascinating to me, it's really cool to see how similar/different they were to people today. Thanks for explaining everything so well, I learned so much from u guys! 😄💖
Having JUST finished a book on the Dowager Empress Cixi I found this fascinating. Thanks!
It sounds like an ancient Chinese royal version of The Bachelor.
sick
Sounds like lesbian heaven tbh. "Yeah, we both really want to get it on with the Emperor... just, can't seem to get his attention, whoops."
That was against rules and death was the punishment.
Amy Page Kaviani Really? The Emperor was selfish.
@@amypagekaviani5661 Actually ancient China has a lot of records on homosexuality. There were all types of relationships back in those days and lesbian relationships were mentioned in the royal court although relationships between men was most prominently documented. Homophobia was imported to China. Old documentation of homosexuality in China is written about as being natural. There was even a documented poly-amorous relationship with two men and a woman! The poly relationship happened between normal middle class people though and all three people lived together in one house.
@@jasmonaye6933 2 men and 1 woman? Not in the Confucius era lol as you know Confucianism was moral standard in China. If people did something against the Confucius moral code, they were punished by the villagers.
@@sgcl10658 China has a long running LGBT history just like any other place around the world. Laws don't irradiate queer folk nor our stories. That particular story took place a long time ago when men could have marriages with each other. Those marriages were accepted by the families but after a certain age they were expected to marry women and have children. The old days were quite different!
so... did the emperor sleep with all these women???? like what the heck what's the point of this
diplomacy and heirs, it really isn't about the emperor having his fun, cause the courtiers decide for him which has its own set of politics, this led to loads of problems.
It's a sign of wealth and privilege to be able to have so many wives. It would be like building a gigantic house. It's expensive to maintain so many women, and even a poor man would want to have more than one wife to show he could. It also satisfied many noble families to have a daughter in the harem, with the hopes that she would gain access to him and bring them up in the world. Another factor was that he would be given women by vassal states as gifts, so he'd just end up with a lot.
ThereGoesKJ probablyfor the sake of reproduction, lots of kids.
ThereGoesKJ yes the emperor would engage in Congress with each consort because the more children he had the more chances of having a son and the more sons the more heavenly the emperor would be considered .
Could for political reasons like having good relationships with powerful families and form allies for war so the emperor marries from them
This is wonderful. I love your humorous take on this. I went to university where I earned a degree in Anthropology with a focus on Chinese history. It is nice to see more focus on Han instead of Manchurian. Yes yes yes. I realize it often matters who is asking questions and who is answering on these sort of things. The Ching Dynasty is a favourite of mine. Thank you for this video. I am happy to see so many views. I enjoy how your explanations humanized the history as well. Too often I am "lectured" on martial artist enthusiasts on the "history" of "ancient China," which was almost akin to Bruce Lee meets Wizard of Oz to hear them explain, haha.
Really Marvellous Dan and Yi,,,
- thank you so much for sharing this very interesting and glorious history on Chinese Imperial life.
Really interesting.
Cheers Always : )
No...too rigid....all that wealth wont replace loving someone...
LOVE this episode!! just like I love the one about the Emperor. I personally would like to see a day in the life of a middle class or merchant in China I think it would be interesting thank you! been a long time subscriber ever since you guys move from OTGW.
u forgot some rank-this ranks can always change, sometimes a 妃(consort) can be demoted to a 答应(second rank female attendant) and be sent to the 冷宫(léng gōng), translates to Cold Palace, where many consorts and concubines have been sent to when they commit serious crimes, many have gone crazy or either commited suicide after being there. some were sent there and ordered suicide by the king(when they commit serious offences for example, cheating the Son of Heaven or 天子(tian zi))
1. 皇后 (huăng hòu) Empress-A commonly known empress is empress Xiaoxianchun, consort of Qianlong Emperor of the Fuca Clan.
2. 皇贵妃 (huăng guì féi) Imperial Noble Consort-if there is no empress in the palace(the previous empress has passed on), the Imperial Noble Consort may be passed on the duties of Empress, making her de facto ruler of the six "palaces" of the Forbidden city(she will be in charge of the imperial affairs within the palace, however she cannot intefere with politics) one example of this royal consort is post humously known Empress Xiaoxianchun, birth mother of the Jiaqing Emperor. she was de facto Empress after Empress Hoifa Nara was stripped of her title of Empress. Another De Facto ruler was Empress Dowager Cixi, she was the de facto ruler of the Qing Dynasty for 40 years,making her one of the longest de facto ruler in the world
3. 贵妃 -(guì féi) Noble Consort
4. 妃 -(féi) Consort
5. 嫔 (pín) Concubine
6. 贵人 (guì rěn)- Noble ladies
7. 常在 (chăng zài) - it means always here in chinese first rank female attendant
8. 答应 (dá yìng) - it means promise, second rank female attendant
9. 管女子 (guán nü zi) -has no difference between a servant, their rank is just a little higher, however they are the girls whom the emperor can spend their nights with
-----
there are many ways the mother of the ruling emperor is honoured, and they can also be post humously honoured by the current/next emperor.
-
If the birth mother of a ruling emperor is a 妃(Consort) she will be honoured as 太妃 Consort Dowager/皇太妃 Imperial Consort Dowager/皇贵太妃 Imperial Noble Consort Dowager. She can also be post humously honoured as Empress. also the empress of the previous emperor(if shes alive when the next emperor rules) she will be honoured, regardless of the biological mother or not she will be known as 母仪皇太后 (Divine Mother Empress Dowager)
You speak at the speed of light and so we viewers are raced thru some of the exquisite art work when it would be wonderful to be allowed to gaze for a few more moment ( without the pause arrow blocking the view). If slowing the tour down I suppose that means you'd need to make more videos.?......GREAT! Maybe you could include more details.
Well, I thoroughly enjoyed your offering. Looking forward to much more from you.
You two are absolutely delightful--& what blissful diction! 'Understand every word. 'Except Mandarin. I don't speak Mandarin.
About the food part: How the Firetruck do they eat that much
They don't eat all of it. The rest that the consort doesn't eat goes to her workers (and as always, the higher ranking your ranking, the better food you get).
It's currency for their entourage.
Okay, that answered my question too.
I have heard something similar. Basically the lower ranking courtiers eat the leftovers from the higher ups until only scraps are left for those in the lowest ranks.
oh okay that makes sense because I was like how would they eat all that just in general but also how would they eat all that and stay skinny as well
people: no attendant could be an empress!!
wei ying luo/xiaoyichun: hold my tea!
The hosts bluff the audience by saying that almost them most beatific women are living together in the imperial palace. In ancient China, emperors had no right to choose their wife and concubines. There was a special panel of officials selected by the imperial court to choose based on a set of standards, which varied from dynasty to dynasty, but definitely not based on looks. The most strikingly good-looking women were excluded in the first place.
Wonderfully informative! I’ve always been fascinated by Arabic harems and Indian zenanas. Now adding ancient Chinese imperial concubine systems. Thanks for the research subject!
Thank you for your research & personal takes in your videos. Looking forward to more of your videos.
Older African cultures looked at the woman as representing the heavens/universe.
That sounds interesting.
How is that relevant
Africans invented writing, paper , gunpowder and Robert Mugabe.
Laurence von Winkenburger pretty sure the chinese invented gunpowder
@@cooliipie did u watched the video?
Sorry Yi, but since Concubines are older, doesn't that mean airlines copied concubine's title rankings? lol
When you put the misogyny and sexism aside, it doesn't seem like a bad way to live. It's beat working in the hot sun as a potato farmer. This summer I think I drank my weight in water every day just by playing pokemon GO, i can't imagine working on a farm
EEYY VIET LEE!
Not if you suddenly gain popularity in the emperor's eye -_- Then others would be jealous of you and may torment you in all sorts of ways, for example cause a miscarriage or even death >_> But if you rank too low, then you get less money to spend, you'd be allocated with less good clothing, and less coal for winter, and it can be freezing you know, they lived in wooden houses with paper windows >_> Then some are forced to be buried alive when the emperor dies as escorts, or if their son became a pain in the a** for the future emperor or may pose as a threat to the crown, they will probably be killed also, or be trapped in a deserted section in the palace until death. BTW the rankings of the concubines are usually related to the ranking and influence of their family, if their family becomes a threat to the emperor, he would usually slaughter the whole family, sometimes with the excuse of "misconduct" of his concubine. Then there are those who never slept with the emperor, not even once, sad story.
+debb0r That's one way to flirt 😉 ^^
April R yeah, no sex ever :/ or maybe with other guys, like eunuchs -_-
***** it's still counted as adultery
y’all should watch The Legend of Zhen Huan, or The Story of Yanxi Palace.
I found the longer Chinese version but only 23 episodes have English subtitles. So much is lost in the Netflix version
Thank you so much for all of the great info! Doing some research on the Tang Dynasty women, so this is helpful to get a glimpse into what life might have been, even though it was over a thousand years earlier. Going to have to take some writer's liberty in putting some of this together. You made it really enjoyable!
I'm impressed with how moderately you are taking this subject. Well done!
it's hard out there for a concubine
the imperial clothes fabric is awesome
I'm glad they didn't cover up the concubine system, even though it was placed in a benevolent light. I'm sure that it was an honor to be an imperial concubine, as well as helped your family and/or village. This reminds me of the conservative media response to our first ladies comment about living in a home built by slaves. He said that they ate well and lodged for free. Even if that was true, it certainly doesn't make up for being a slave. The way women are treated today was founded upon their treatment in the past. It's interesting to know this went on all around the world. Kudos to Double Chen for not shying away from the truth.
Michelle Pechie
It wasn't built by slaves, dumbass.
Great video. Loved seeing ancient drawings and artefacts, really helps to understand the culture at the time. Looking forward to watch more of your videos
I love your video! I am only 2 minutes in and I love how the two of you share history.
Loved this videos, as always :D Thank you guys for always making such amazing videos, and just being yourselves :) Also, I always love when Yi joins you guys :3
5:46 When I see footage of people in Asian cultures, I get the feeling that even in modern times, they live at a slower pace than Westerners, and, in particular, Americans.
Which isn't really particularly a good thing, as we Americans seemed to be in constant conflict, particularly with ourselves.
I know you're appealing to the youth with your presentation which is less enjoyable to watch by an older audience, but I love the subject matter. Would you consider making videos less childlike and more in the form of a documentary for a more mature audience? Hope to see more of this in the future. A fan.
Lind, that' what historians are there for. sensibilities are different , ma
I really enjoy these clips! Educational, yet fun & they seem to enjoy what they do.
Great video but I think the food calculations on the good was for the lady & her maids. Because the higher ranking the Concubine the more maids she had. Start at the lowest ranking gets 2 maids up each step until you get to the two at the top get 8-10 maids. The food you mentioned would then fit .
I'll PASS
I was not born to live that life...Smh
My stomach hurts just listening to all that food he ate in a day....LOL
I'll take the TEAS...😁
Oooh, I've been to the Forbidden City in Beijing, and in the gardens way close to the back gate/door of the palace complex, there's this house where nubile teenage girls would be collected and presented to the Emperor every year (if my mind serves correctly). It was a small building, but that is where lives would be changed forever. Becoming a concubine was a great privilege, and would catapult said teenage girl to a life of wealth and social power. And if they survived the cutthroat politics of the palace, then they could sometimes make it to Empress or Dowager Empress. And if they were really ruthless and power-hungry, these former concubines would become the de facto rulers of all China--by putting boys and easily-controlled/stupid male relatives on the throne as Emperor and then being the real power behind the throne. Happened a bunch of times in Chinese history. Fascinating stuff.
Don't forget the hundreds of eunuch besties!
This is absolutely fascinating. You two have done great in your presentation. I hope you can find more.
Very informative video. Thank you for all the time it took you to find this info & then turn it into a video. You did an awesome job!
The plural of Pokemon is Pokemon :(
Pokemans
it's pokemen
@@shy2114 ;)
I wish the idea of politicians being the fathers and mothers of their countries was still a thing. If that notion was in the collective consciousness, people would think twice before going into politics or choosing politicians to represent them. I think a lot of modern politicians care now only to serve the elite and their own interests instead of being leaders, reflections, and metaphorical parental figures for their entire nations.
Ha? What a backwards paternalistic idea that is!
@@nka480 Oh, sure, because using metaphors to remind politicians who they should really serve, the people, is SO backwards.
@@TheaterRaven Having a good king /father of a nation is a noble idea, but it never worked in reality. It goes against the very nature of human which is ultimately unique, priceless and valuable in EACH and every member of a society, no matter rank or hierarchy. Pining for a good king savior is abdicating one's autonomy and authority and we have witnessed plenty the dire consequences of that. Democracy comes with personal responsibility, not only elites but everyone.
@@nka480 The only one connecting the notion of good political leaders with the people giving up their freedom, senses of self, and personal responsibility is you. I never said that. I simply meant, "Hey, wouldn't it be great if politicians who claim to serve the best interests of the people actually did their damn jobs for once?" The elites are so corrupt these days it's clear they've completely abandoned what politicians are ideally supposed to do, choosing instead only to serve themselves and their circle of rich friends.
1) Your perfect chinese pronunciations yet accent-free english is very impressive 2) were not the widows at one time forced to commit suicide when the emperor died? i'm sure i saw a docu about that 3) "only" 5 lbs of meat per day for the lower concubines has to be misinterpretation, i can't eat that much meat in a week much less a day
They shared with their attendants
I love Chinese Ancient Dramas, this video will help explain alot. I sometimes catch myself wondering How different it would be if they had a simple TV lol and no access to poison...They wanted that throne above all else. Its murder but its so dope to me lol ( the story line that is) I hope you continue with this series....as there are so many of us who want to understand Ancient China...
I'd like to see a video focusing on the evolution of food in China, as well as its role within society! I really enjoy food.
Additionally, great video! I like all of the information you two get to make your videos, it's lovely to learn so much.
you convinced me to visit China... I love ittt!!!
careful, you need to prepare yourself before you end up like some poor chaps expat that now hates China... -_-|||
Go to China. I went to Beijing and Shanghai several years ago and I loved every minute.
Mary Louise Pelerin I love Asian countries like china and India.so full of history and culture
what are your favorite Chinese imperial dramas?
Princess Huan Zhu.
Empress of china!
War & Beauty and Curse of the Imperial Harem.
Startling by Each Step!
The Dream of Red Chambers, or The Story of The Stone.
What about foot binding in the harem?
foot binding is not done by the Manchu women, in fact they wanted to walk like woman with bounded feet that they came up with their platform shoes. Not to mention, that there are some Han Chinese women that don't bind their feet such as the Hakka.
@Isabella Yu: I don't think the point was to make sure women didn't go out of the house; I think it was a cultural fetish for really, really small feet on women. It started when a girl was of pre-school age; they'd wet long strips of linen and bind her little feet from front to heels. As the linen dried it would shrink. The linen strips would be wet down occasionally, and changed every so often. Yes, it would have been torture. And from time to time, surgery would be done on the feet to make sure the process was done "correctly." By the time she was of marriageable age, all the young woman had at the ends of her legs where little deformed stumps. Special soft slippers made of nothing but silk covered what were left of her feet. These were called "lotus feet" - flower feet, and were for the upper classes, and to walk a woman needed to lean on a servant with normal feet to balance her. Or ride in a sedan chair.
Love you guys! I'm learning so much, thanks!
Yes, read a lot of this at the Forbidden City, especially the food allotments. Mentioning it, Long Jing Cha (Dragon Well) is the best tea ever. :)
is there such a thing as a male Concubine ?
nope only females. Unless the emperor was secretly gay i suppose 😂
sort of yes. the only female empress Wu ZeTian had male servants who may be intimate with her... but they are not officially "male concubines". fyi.
yes,but not officially,some emperors have done gay,like in the han dynasty,most emperors had some male concubines.and some female concubines,empress and princesses also had their own male "concubines"
kinda. in the Han dynasty I can't remember which emperor off the top of my head, he kept male favourites but he was giving male titles not female titles
Yes, One of the Song dynasty emperor is gay. he is buried with his boyfriend after his death.
It all sounds very comfortable and luxurious but also pretty useless. It seems the vast majority of these women couldn't do anything substantial to contribute to the wellbeing of China.
They produced the next emperor and raised him. Probably one of the most important jobs in China at the time. Although, you said majority, so. They produced poetry at least.
The Delphic Sybil is one of my favorite paintings btw.
they came from aristocrat families whom did a lot for society example priminister daughter would be a concubine or a noble calligraphy writers daughter or imperial guard sister etc women weren't really allowed to be politically verse neither did they have much rights then so this was the most important job back then
Been waiting for one of these videos. Where's Mike though?
I really appreciate this channel you guys are doing giving us about Chinese history dynasty.
fantastic! thank you for such a comprehensive vid. always been interested, fascinated by the artistry of the life (clothes, jewelry, china, food, lifestyles)