Ming Dynasty Selection of Concubines: The ancient emperor's harem was beautiful three thousand, but the emperor had every opportunity, and it was impossible for the emperor to go to all parts of the country to choose one by one, one by one. Even the most mediocre emperors of ancient times did not do this, so how were so many concubines chosen? Take the Ming Dynasty, for example, the system of selecting concubines in the Ming Dynasty can be described as very standardized, and it can be said to be a model in the mainland dynasties. How did the concubine selection system of the Ming Dynasty work? Before the prince was to get married or before the emperor ascended the throne, the imperial court began to prepare. The first step was the "audition", in which the emperor sent 5,000 girls between the ages of 13 and 16 across the country. The officials then gave their parents some silver coins as dowries and reimbursed them for their travel, food and lodging expenses to the capital. After these beauties from all over the world arrived in the capital, the formal procedure for selecting concubines began. The process of choosing a concubine is roughly divided into six steps. The first was screening, in which eunuchs lined up the maidens in a row of every hundred in a larger venue, sorted by age. In this round of elimination, tall and short, fat and thin will be eliminated.
Next comes the second round of selection, where eunuchs check each person's facial features, hair, skin, timbre and demeanor, and if one does not meet the requirements, they will be eliminated. The selection requirements for this round are very high, not only to be good-looking, but also to meet the superstitious requirements of the opposite face of the court. In addition to appearance, eunuchs would also ask the girls to speak, self-declaring their families, who their surnames were, where they came from, etc., in order to listen to their timbre and voice when they spoke. Slurred speech, timid speech, or a bad voice will also be eliminated. In addition, eunuchs would measure the girls' hands and feet with rulers and observe their walking posture. Walking postures that do not meet the requirements of etiquette will also be eliminated. About 1,000 people will be eliminated in this round of selection. Then came the selection of secret rooms, where the girls would be brought into the secret room, and the eunuchs would "probe their breasts, sniff their armpits, pluck their textures, and check their chastity." This means that their body must be well-proportioned, without armpit hair or armpit odor, without a trace of scars on their bodies, and their skin must be delicate and shiny. In this round, another seven or eight hundred people will be eliminated, leaving about two or three hundred.
The remaining two or three hundred people would stay in the palace for a month for the eunuchs to observe their virtuous character and style in the palace. After a month of observation, in the end, only 100 people were able to stay and become the final winners in entering the palace. However, not everyone could become the emperor's concubine. Some will become imperial concubines, some will become palace maidens, some will be given to the imperial princes and nobles by the emperor, and some will become concubines of the princes. The whole process of selecting concubines is complicated and cumbersome, even if there is no emotional foundation, the fate of the concubines is not controlled by them. So, how was the queen chosen? In fact, most queens were not chosen from these maidens. Emperors in ancient times usually chose some noble women as empresses for political purposes. Some empresses may not be outstanding in appearance, but are chosen because of their family status or political background. Of course, there are exceptions, such as the Sui Emperor who chose an empress according to her birthday, and Wu Zetian became an empress because she was beautiful and favored by the emperor, and she also used her tricks to suppress the previous empress.
Although the process of choosing a concubine in ancient times was very complicated, the choice at that time was not based on feelings. However, the fate of these concubines was not determined by them, and many concubines may have been favored by the emperor only once in their lives. The concubine selection system of ancient emperors reflected the hierarchical concept and superstitious beliefs of the society at that time, and both appearance and family background were important factors in choosing concubines. In today's social context, our view of the ancient concubine selection system may be different. On the one hand, we can understand that this is a special system of ancient societies, different from today's values of equality and freedom. On the other hand, we can also see the helplessness of the status and fate of ancient women from the concubine selection system. In any case, understanding the ancient concubine selection system is important for us to gain insight into history and culture. In short, the concubine selection system in the Ming Dynasty was standardized and complex, from the "audition" to the final selection process, each step had strict requirements and elimination ratios. Although the concubine selection process was not based on feelings, the system reflected the hierarchical and superstitious beliefs of the society of the time.
Opinions about the ancient concubine selection system vary from person to person, but we can better understand ancient society and the status of women by understanding this system. Imagine how you would feel if a similar concubine selection system still existed in today's society? Share your thoughts in the comments section!