In ancient times, there were not many women who could enter the harem to serve as concubines for the emperor, and many concubines were actually after the imperial court. Of course, the emperor had the right to select the best of the girls of the whole country to serve in the palace.
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People's demand for beauty has existed since ancient times. Beauty can be in all aspects, but as far as beauty is concerned, there are differences. For example, thin beauties and personality beauties are popular nowadays. In ancient times, there was also a fashion trend at that time, and the identification standards of the ancients in different periods for beautiful women were not set in stone. The most direct criterion for their judgment is the personal preferences of the emperors of previous dynasties, such as "the king of Chu has a thin waist, and there are many starvations in the palace", the Han and Tang Dynasties' "Yan thin ring fat", Li Yu's "three inches of golden lotus", etc., which are typical examples. The preferences of the emperor can greatly influence the aesthetic tastes of the people.
In ancient books and other documents, it can also be seen that the aesthetic vision of the emperors has its own advantages, and there are very different advantages. So how did the emperors of the past choose concubines? Please follow us to find out. In the pre-Qin period, most of the emperors at this time advocated the beauty of nature, believing that beauty should "clear water out of the hibiscus, natural to carve ornaments"; In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the emperors preferred women with "apricot faces and peach cheeks, moth eyebrows and phoenix eyes, body like spring willows, and stepping out of the lotus"; In the Qin and Han Dynasties, the emperor admired the solemn beauty of "dignified and gentle"; During the Wei and Jin dynasties, the king admired the beauty of elegance; The Sui and Tang dynasties also admired the beauty of abundance; The Ming Dynasty emphasized both ability and political integrity; In the Qing Dynasty, Manchu and Han did not intermarry, and court concubines were limited to women in the homes of Manchu, Mongolian, and Han "Eight Banners" officials.
In ancient times, there were not many women who could actually enter the harem to give the emperor. In the palace, there are special services for the emperor to select women to enter the palace, and in addition to the strict requirements for appearance, the selected women must undergo a strict physical examination before entering the palace. The person in charge of the selection will specifically examine the physical, age, psychological, physiological and other aspects of these girls. During the physical examination, each procedure is very careful.
These women must not only have both moral integrity and ability, but also have mental health and no mental problems. Because they are not ordinary women, they are all people who will serve the emperor in the future, so naturally they must be careful, not sloppy at all, and they must pick out the most beautiful and cleanest girls for the emperor to enjoy. This would require nude examinations of the women in order to be examined in more detail. Generally, this examination is mostly done by female officials in the palace.
Do I have to undress for a physical examination?
The answer, of course, is yes. What aspects of the nude test should be examined? From the historical records, the size of the breast, symmetry should be a routine item, and the shape of the vagina, the thickness of the pubic hair, the amount of armpit hair, whether there are hemorrhoids in the anus, is also a link that cannot be ignored. Ancient men believed that girls with no hair or little hair under their armpits were the best, and such girls were the most favored. And if there is hemorrhoids, it will definitely be eliminated.
As for the age requirements for women selected to enter the palace, the dynasties and generations are not consistent. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, women were required to be over thirteen years old and under twenty years old. In the Three Kingdoms period, women were required to be around fifteen or sixteen years old. During the Northern Qi dynasty, it was required to be over fourteen years old and under twenty years old. During the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yuanzhang period, it was required to be over fifteen years old, under twenty years old, and the minimum age could not be less than thirteen years old.
The most common requirement is that the skin be delicate, there must not be a mole, a spot, and must be a virgin during menarche. Because the girls of this age are waiting to be released, it is the age of the flower season, young and beautiful, delicate and lovely, which is more in line with the mentality of the emperor.