The Nasty Lives Of Concubines In Imperial China

The word “concubine” has several definitions and many connotations. The easiest way to define the Chinese type of concubinage, at least among the very rich and the Imperial family was that they were mistresses.
Concubinage in China differed in many ways from that of other nations, though it did have similarities as well. At the very top, in the Imperial Household, there was sisterhood, rivalry, palace intrigue, and much more. This likely took place at the home of rich men too. In the Imperial China which lasted until the Communist Revolution of 1949, a man could have only one wife, but as many concubines as he could afford to house, clothe and feed. Frequently, in Chinese history (and that of other nations), a man's wealth and power were partly judged by the number of concubines he kept and how they lived.
Likely the most famous system of concubinage existed within the Chinese imperial family, likely going back at least two thousand years to the Han Dynasty, which lasted from 25AD- to 220AD. The law then, and going forward to 1949 was that the higher the rank of the man, the more concubines he was able to have. Since Han times and likely before, a concubine could be bought, at a slave market in the earliest times, or from a family with an attractive daughter who needed money to survive - these are just two examples. In many cases, a wife would have to approve of this “transaction”. History is full of tales of Chinese wives mistreating their husband's concubine or concubines, sometimes addressed as “little sister”, with a number attached in case of multiple women. That was a common occurrence, but likely as common was a good relationship - especially in a bad marriage: a concubine/mistress could take the attention and pressure off a wife and allow her her own time - even more so in a household with multiple concubines.
#concubines #history #imperialconcubine #ancientchina #chinesehistory #qingdynasty
Scriptwriter: Matthew Gaskill
Video Editor & Motion Graphics: Jason Bohol
Voice-over Artist: Chris Redish
Music: Motionarray.com
Copyright © 2021 A Day In History. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If you are, or represent, the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an email to [e-mail]

[@maritasue5067]

The last dynasty of Chinese emperors were ethnically Manchu, not Han Chinese, and they disapproved of foot binding. Early efforts to ban the practice failed, so they settled on a rule that forbade offering concubine candidates with bound feet to the emperor. The Manchu ladies still had a precarious walk, though, due to their fashionably high platform shoes.

[@perrydowd9285]

Oops! I completely missed that one. I was too busy correcting his twaddle about Imperialist China ending in 1949 LOL. Come to think of it. Didn't the last Han emperor drop the baton for good about 1500 years ago? This video should be on the fiction shelves. 🤣🤣🤣

[@SetyTheBlue]

Ming dynasty (1368 -1644) was Han, so no. The last Han emperor was the Chongzhen emperor (1627-1644).

[@perrydowd9285]

@@SetyTheBlue Oh I see. I misunderstood how it works. Thanks Rena. ❤️👍

[@maritasue5067]

In my comment about foot binding being practiced by “Han Chinese” as opposed to Manchu, I was NOT referring to the Han Dynasty. I was using the dictionary definition of Han as “the Chinese people in general… not of Mongol, Manchu, Tibetan, or other non-Chinese extraction.”

[@perrydowd9285]

@@maritasue5067 Yeah I get that. I got a bit confused. Thanks for the clarification mate. 😊👍

[@nancyclark]

Hello! I mean this with upmost respect. Foot-binding is not just where they wrap the feet up so tightly that their feet don’t grow properly. Foot-binding was actually a process where a girl toddler’s foot was broken at the arch of the feet and their toes were broken and bent and THEN wrapped to form this shape in the foot. The practice finally ended in 1949. There are interviews you can watch of old Chinese women speaking of the trauma that they remember of it and how it has effected their lives.

[@chinesekungfu2031]

I would have rather killed myself. The unspeakable daily pain from such an early age would have no doubt all probably given them severe dissociative disorders and other things (which are nightmares) every moment of their lives. Women have always been treated as objects to be abused in all of the most violent and brutal of ways

[@WholeHeartily]

They look like the foot is growing in the shape of a modern heel 😳

[@Danny-ti1vt]

Thank you! I was going to say this very thing. "Foot binding" is a very euphemised term that doesn't do justice to the true horror of snapping and breaking children's feet, whilst they were fully conscious and without pain relief. They suffered endlessly, having to endure their feet being wrapped and rewrapped with tighter and tighter bindings, sometimes containing sharp shards, until they achieved the perfect "lotus foot." They developed infections, and some died from it. And Jesus Christ, did they honestly compare the slavery of a concubine, denied human rights or bodily autonomy, to a modern woman choosing to seek a sugar daddy?!?

[@Tt-qm2xg]

So brutal 😞

[@niklasdahlgren7641]

It would not surprise me if the main reason for doing that is so that they cannot run away in the case of involuntary concubines.

[@Cecilia-]

For concubine of kings, princes, and officials. Most concubine are from other similar family ranking. Their marriage is to connect the 2 families/countries powers so they are not chosen causally. The higher that concubine's family's power, the higher the status and power of that concubine's in the household cause she has her family's backing. Sometimes they can even boss the wife/queen around too. And yes there are also causal fling concubines.

[@serronserron1320]

What is a causal fling concubine, can you give can you give a historical example?

[@Cecilia-]

@@serronserron1320Like maids. So technically, "every unmarried women in the country but more frequently every women in the palace "belong" to the emperor". Depending on dynasty, some have more Confucius values (1-2 maybe 3 wives/concubines) and some are more women abusive (unlimited number of women), causal flings will be palace maids that the emperor took a fancy too in that moment. And noble or not, women they met on their excursion trips out of the palace to a different region or city. Sometimes they will bare children and those children will be taken back to the palace without or without the mother. Same for maids, even if they bare a male child, and the emperor really loves her, her ranking is still limited cause of her background and lack or family backing.

[@scorpio85]

Yes because it’s called a Combine.

[@Cecilia-]

@@cicin9313 yes sorry i have a dyslexia and tend to switch letters placements

[@anastasia10017]

concubines were trapped. a woman with a sugar daddy made the choice to engage in that relationship and can leave when she wants to. not saying it is a good arrangement, but there is a difference.

[@attoboi9763]

bruh imagine being known throughout history as the concubine that "wasnt so bright but charismatic!" What a legacy

[@jennabannena3525]

God how horrifying.. Glad as a woman, i can now own a bank account and land and not rely on some pig.

[@jermaine7694]

🚶🏽‍♂️

[@jermaine7694]

Before or after the shipwreck I can’t remember 🎎⛪️

[@elifarnsworth8762]

Most of the women who were concubines for the Emperor were MOST DEFINITELY THERE BY CHOICE. It meant whether or not she could eat, whether her family could eat / the dowry paid to her family. It was a great honor to be selected. Totally different time and place, without much context, it is impossible to relate.

[@Z020852]

How is it "by choice" when your father tells you to do it or they all starve to death. "By choice" is someone on Seeking Arrangement avoiding student loans, being in a nicer flat in DTLA close to UCLA instead of, like, Compton, and being able to eat lobster and such instead of boxed food that, while we may scoff at it, still means Capri Sun and boxed mac and cheese and frozen chicken nuggets can ward off scurvy and not give you beri-beri.

[@Insecurity119]

@@Z020852 It's still a choice, even if it's out of desperation/means of survival. Your sugar baby example can contrast with prostitutes in poorer parts of the world, such as Southeast Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, etc. Attractive women sell their bodies to make a living that would otherwise be out of reach for their family/male family members. The sugar baby is obviously much better off, but it's still a choice.

[@elifarnsworth8762]

@@Z020852 You should brush up on Qing Dynasty history. I highly recommend reading the biography of the Empress Dowager Cixi by Jung Chang. The culture in that time period was so bizarre compared to what we experience in the west. Being selected as a concubine (what we perceive as a live in stable whore) was like cinderella. They had their dreams come true. Read a bit, it will really give you a lot of value for western institutions.

[@elifarnsworth8762]

@@Z020852 ""By choice" is someone on Seeking Arrangement avoiding student loans, being in a nicer flat in DTLA close to UCLA instead of, like, Compton, and being able to eat lobster and such instead of boxed food" That is precisely what happened at that time period. Your living courters were in the imperial court, you at far better than the average peasant (The Chinese had a very strict dietary regime for everyone.. the most valued people were able to eat the emperors left overs.). It is exactly like living in a better place , and eating lobster, not Sunny D.

[@ersendal2466]

@@elifarnsworth8762 i am so fascinated by your comment i nearly dropped my cup..

[@jeromedavid7944]

"Even concubinage has been corrupted....by marriage."-Nietzsche

[@jimmylight4866]

Hahahaha

[@NinjaGrrrl7734]

"Are you going to women? Do not forget your whip!" - also Nietzsche

[@mitacestalia7532]

Basically that time life is so impoverished that being concubine of a king is a sent from heaven. as long you keep your head low tho, harem fight can be very brutal

[@nelliethursday1812]

Imagine if women could have men as concubines. If I remember correctly there was a queen in Africa who did just that

[@roborockroborockov6804]

so?

[@michaelwilliams9574]

Not going to happen. Historically women have not been considered as powerful or important as men. Especially in China. It's only in the 18 and 1900s that women begin to really become empowered.

[@OloRishaCreole504]

Lady Shogun had 3,000 male concubines..its on youtube...i dnt think i could have did tht lol..its a movie

[@shadowlord1418]

It wouldn't work for the original intention of having more children but sure some queens did. They were called consorts

[@Prettyrissa]

@@shadowlord1418 interesting

[@stevenbeck5746]

CiXi is pronounced Tsee She. Ci'An is pronouninced Tsee Ahn, Gong is pronounced Goong as in Room. Footbinding began when one particular emperor had a dancer dance for him. She was very dainty on her feet and the emperor noticed her feet were very small. The emperor not being too bright made the conclusion that small feet made for a good dancer and a beautiful lady and henceforth only women with small feet were the only ones worth having.

[@jonigeetobe]

i am completely uninterested in carrying out any of the roles that were forced upon women throughout history. i hate patriarchy. its monstrous.

[@Kakaragi]

Foot binding wasn’t practiced until the Song dynasty, sure it was a thousand years ago but that’s only a fraction compared to the entire over 4000 year history of China

[@gregpringle1299]

As a fraction, it equates to about a quarter....

[@realmofthesenses]

@@gregpringle1299 Ancient China was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, and longest lasting civilizations in the history of the world. The history of Ancient China can be traced back over 4,000 years. I believe the footbinding may have started among court dancers before Song dynasty, but it was not common at all. In Song dynasty it became popular among the elite. Footbinding supposedly spread out to the lower classes during Qing dynasty (1636 - 1912). During Qing dynasty the rulers were Manchu who did not bind their feet. Still, they could not halt this spreading. Not all ethnic groups in China practiced footbinding, it was more or less a thing of Han-Chinese (the largest ethnic group in China).

[@gregpringle1299]

@@realmofthesenses In what way is this a reply to my pointing out that the "fraction" amounts to "a quarter"? All the rest of what you've written is just a little history lesson, written as though you assume I'm disagreeing or (somewhat objectionably) know nothing at all. Incidentally, if we're talking about fractions, I spent almost one third of my life to date in China. That certainly doesn't make me an expert -- far from it -- and you've added a little extra detail, but do spare me the "Ancient China was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, and longest lasting civilizations in the history of the world. The history of Ancient China can be traced back over 4,000 years" bit. I've heard it all before.

[@realmofthesenses]

@@gregpringle1299 It is not about disagreeing or knowing or not knowing, looking down or up, or being petty. And there is no intent to step on your feet, or anyone's feet in my comment, esp not those of women with bound feet. I tried to accentuate that 1000 years of footbinding does not automatically mean that the same, stable extremely "high" percentage of women had bound feet during those 1000 years (Yes, as you or someone else wrote earlier, 1000 years out of 5000 yrs of history and 7000 yrs of culture). In late Qing dynasty, appr.40 - 50 % of Han Chinese women (except Hakka and other Han-groups or specific classes) had bound feet, but in Tang or Song that was not the case. Still, every % is one to many.

[@gregpringle1299]

@@realmofthesenses Well, you put it rather stupidly. My point was simple: 1000 years is long enough to matter. It's ridiculous to say "that's insignificant compared to China's long history". There is a lot in modern China that doesn't date back to the Tang or Han dynasties, let alone the Warring States or the Zhou dynasty, or even earlier. Tracing the "true China" back to Confucius or earlier is nonsense. Otherwise, you're right, it wasn't universal, even in early modern China. But I was never disputing that.

[@beverlyledbetter4906]

Cixi didn't have her feet bound because she was Manchurian!

[@schallrd1]

I have dyslexia and get concubines and porcupines mixed up.

[@mikefoehr235]

Concubines and porcupines have a lot of pricks

[@jojonesjojo8919]

This all sounds fab. Where can I get me one of these concubines?

[@kingcosworth2643]

Earn lots of money and they will find you.

[@shadowlord1418]

Be wealthy and powerful

[@rizwanuzzamanjyoti]

With money you could still have concubine, but be nice to them if you want to call yourself human, this video puts sugarcoat over concubinage

[@preoximerianas]

He basically said at the end, become rich and influential and you can have models.

[@EVL-xj5vc]

The virgin concubines are thoroughly cleansed , wrapped up in blanket and offered to the heavenly son aka the emperor. It's sick.

[@realmofthesenses]

Only In C-drama, according to KZbinr Bing. Personally, I have no idea what is real or unreal in C-drama besides some basic historical facts.

[@Doxiy]

Theirs actually a quote in China saying “后宫佳丽三千” meaning inside the harem theirs 3000 woman. A king would have 3000 woman available to him. He determined who he slept with by flipping a tag every night. My fav is from the Tang dynasty.

[@KingofGeo]

Whenever I hear the word concubine I think porcupine... if I ever become emporer I plan on keeping many porcupines... I may get remembered as a prick but at least I won't be remembered as a creep.

[@perrydowd9285]

Q: What's the difference between a porkupine and a Volvo? A: A porkupine has its pricks on the outside. 🐾

[@KingofGeo]

@@perrydowd9285 BMW works too

[@perrydowd9285]

@@KingofGeo Yesss. 🚘🍆

[@deandeann1541]

You get remembered as a prick, the porcupines get remembered for a prick.

[@daxdasche6112]

That depends on what you do with the porcupines!

[@Ashley_Magnolia]

The show “Ruyi’s royal love in the palace” taught me a ton about Concubinage

[@DinnyDC]

I'm watching the show now and it's great. I love how elegant Ru Yi is.

[@Ashley_Magnolia]

@@DinnyDC same. She was so wise and kind

[@huangguifei]

Have you seen Empresses in the Palace yet? It's a few years older, but the show did a fantastic job illuminating the ranks and roles of 'pin fei'. It's centered around the Tai Hou of RRLitP when she first entered the inner palace!

[@DinnyDC]

@@huangguifei I didn't watch that show but is already on my list, people keep telling me how good it is.

[@lilyflower5576]

I watched that too so crazy

[@StaalBurgher0]

Judging by the taste of these "powerful men" is that if you were a pretty girl you were safe from being picked.

[@AntonNilakson]

I like that last touch where you said that the sugar daddy culture means they are concubines 👏👏👏👏

[@dan13ljks0n]

More like prostitutes.

[@mikloridden8276]

@@tiggerfink They can, but many tend to stay.

[@suzannescorner199]

Let's remember that concubines were pretty bored and condemned to emotional and physical solitude (especially if there were a lot of concubines!). If they tried to flee or were caught with another man, they faced death. I can't imagine it being a nice life.

[@kenster8270]

Some likely avoided going insane from cabin fever (harem fever?) by devoting themselves to mastering arts such as music or dance, while others devoted themselves to gossip and intrigue out of sheer boredom. But yeah, I could easily imagine the confinement and strict isolation from family and childhood friends must have driven some of those harem-dwellers into depression.

[@jonathanthink5830]

old habits never die...... our women foot bind their own feet with high heels......... yes, they damage their feet too.

[@collectivetranscendence5336]

Loved the video!

[@jaycdp]

In india we had a system the king will declare his doughter is ready to marry. And prince from all over the world come for cerimoney with their own resume stating that they are the best ruler . And the queen walk arround with a ring and she chooses the right husband for her . This is called swa( means self) var( means marriage)

[@Anmolnegi-yw7hg]

Yes it was by choice if king wanted to do swayamvara for his daughter or or not , otherwise political marriage

[@-cMc-]

Sugar daddy and sugar babies are a type of concubine I agree. It's more lavish and less harmful but one man can have as many of those if he can pay the $$. So but it's nor legal to have multiple wives in most places polygamy is encouraged.

[@my_pronoun_is_your_excellency]

Imperial China ended not when the Communist took over mainland China in 1949, but in 1912 when the Nationalist formed the government in the south, and the emperor addicated at the urging of the most powerful warlord at the time!

[@frankplechaty3415]

interesting topic thank you

[@nielubieinceli]

That's crazy. They kept concubines but their children were low ranked than empress'. At least at Ottoman Empire all sons had the same chances to get on the throne

[@will2003michael2003]

Really good, well animated, good content. Earned my subscription. Hope you keep making stuff

[@PNETriffid]

Imperial China ended in 1911 not 1949. The period between 1911 and 1949 was the Nationalist era.

[@跡無行者]

However, it is still interesting to note that in most historical periods in the West, women were defined as the property of the male family member, without any protection of life or property rights, On the other hand, it is an interesting fact that in ancient China, crimes against women, including domestic violence, were punished equally with men.

[@HoneyBerighthere-Saysarath]

Looks way better then today homless camps.

[@energybender70]

No matter the country or the era, women would(and still do) always get the short straw, since power/status always was centered around men. And people dare complain nowadays of Feminism for trying to empower women to seek their rights...

[@mhaas281]

Are you kidding. Women have it so easy and especially with divorce law that favors the woman 99% of the time and they have many more options for free services and support.

[@lovefacts55]

The weirdest thing is that many novels glorify this and I came across this in WEBNOVEL. After reading few top ones, I felt so horrible

[@formwiz7096]

Pronounced con-kyu-bin-age, emphasis on the second syllable, and these women were doubtless better fed and cared for than their sisters in the rice paddies/

[@azahariawang9155]

True, but they have to open up their legs at a moment ' s notice, hihihi

[@kingcosworth2643]

@@azahariawang9155 Don't think for a second that didn't happen to the woman in the rice paddies either, except they were probably beaten afterwards, not put up in comfortable housing with 3 meals a day.

[@deandeann1541]

@@kingcosworth2643 I'm sure that on average rice farming men and women were better than that. In any age, whether male or female, beating one's chosen mate is for the ignorant and brutish.

[@ndowroccus4168]

People don’t understand what a “SLAVE” really is and means…. If I could be a superhero…CABLE…I’d go throughout time blasting the masters….

[@forgivemenot1]

And by doing so would you would end civilisation as we know it, the problem with history being taught today is we forget there were reasons such practices existed and in the greater scheme of things they were a moment in history we had to go through to get to where we are today and as such have the luxury to be advanced enough to ban such practices.

[@hamzaferoz6162]

slavery still exists though

[@wastedstupid4686]

Lol. So Stupid. Why killed the masters when you can just kill yourself? Is it Fear of death?…Killing masters don’t set slaves free. But slaves dying can kill a master.

[@lindadiedrich3162]

What did they do about social diseases, you can't mix all those fluids from person to person. That's how syphilis got started from lewd actions. It's disgusting.

[@stephaniecoggins733]

Foot binding looks so painful 😣

[@evilnick2885]

foot binding has always made me queasy. seem torturous.

[@venussss5930]

This is so fascinating!!

[@anitagorse9204]

All harems with lots of ambitious and sexually frustrated women were pure hell. It wasn't a safe or comfortable place. One slip and you got killed.

[@cozettegaye4834]

Good Grief! Sick minds of man.

[@toniremer1594]

I just found your channel because it was recommended by KZbin. Holy tamole!!! Seeing foot bindings made me cringe.

[@stupidnerdbird]

So I really enjoy this channel but across multiple videos the Chinese pronunciations are just way off. Please see if the narrator can look into how Mandarin’s pronunciation system (pinyin) work, because right now it’s really distracting from the otherwise great content!

[@sulaimaanahmad]

concubines will never completely go away... 🤔

[@ginnamin]

Foot binding. They couldn’t run away…

[@afrikasmith1049]

I'm actually surprised the Chinese Communist reinforced foot binding. I thought they we're against the old values of the Chinese Imperials.

[@gregpringle1299]

He meant the ban was reinforced by the Communists. Yes, the wording could have been better. Just another one of the many faults in this video.

[@ShadesApeDJansu]

Christian Finnish Frostiis player here .D

[@peterkavanagh64]

Money jumps so high. Near the hieght of perception

[@marieazrak1951]

Gross this is why women should have the freedom to have high paying careers or have any career of any kind no matter what country they live in

[@donnadees1971]

Film named Raise the Red Lantern was about I’m sure they were concubines. Hard life.

[@coffeepandacat]

Stupid practices. I don't know how people could be happy living like this. Nauseating to imagine.

[@sarcasmo57]

Bound feet look so rank.

[@gemthepolyglot3258]

Not a bad video, but you really need to work on your Chinese pronunciation, just look up how use pinyin. At the very least push sound button on Google translate for an idea. Zh = is pronounced more like a “J” sound with your bottom teeth protruding further than your upper teeth. Q = is pronounced more like “Ch” with your bottom teeth protruding further than your upper teeth. X = is pronounced more like “Sh” but when making this sound you show you teeth instead of making an o with your lips.

[@gemthepolyglot3258]

Also “C” which sounds like “T” and “S” put together.

[@yoteslaya7296]

"Its good to be the king" - mel brooks

[@desariestanford1364]

So is geisha and concubine the same thing???

[@msessenceofreality]

Great close and historical video of a ridiculous lifestyle! 😄👍🏼

[@philyip4432]

We all forgot to mention that the Emperor is supposed to have three thousand concubines . Not because he could've " visited " them all , but it's just a status symbol for his wealth and virility.

[@chocolat-kun8689]

1 Emperors Fetish became the bane of females.

[@matthewhuszarik4173]

I don’t think any of these were good men. It should be very bad men very poor treatment less bad men less bad treatment.

[@shadowlord1418]

Why do you think that? If you are to be judged by future generations you too would be a monster

[@matthewhuszarik4173]

@@shadowlord1418 I couldn’t disagree more. No men who kept concubines was a good men, powerful yes but not good. There is nothing I do that will get criticizes significantly in the future for being bad. Unenlightened and ignorant possibly but bad no.

[@catherinehpn3613]

Women in England don’t have sugar daddies? Didn’t think that was indigenous to North America.

[@benpinto2579]

background music is so dracula

[@DanteKenchi]

question: with all the high standards or checkmarks concubines had to have to be even qualify for such position, isn't that proof that it was a voluntairy system? Since it sounds like it would be easy to fail one or multiple qualifications if they actualy didn't want to be a concubine? just act dumb, clumsy, etc. And since the atraction of wealth, luxury, access to food and protection, wouldn't this be a a thing women want since alot of them where/are hypergamies in nature? there are alot of texts and stories out there that concubines had a very privlidges life? sometimes even a better position then an actual wife?

[@frankjustis]

If they failed the test they may have been beaten and abandoned by their family who wanted or need the money, power and influence.

[@FC-hj9ub]

No. It is not proof of q voluntary system. It's proof of misogyny and lack of choice.

[@shadowlord1418]

Well yea its better to be the concubine of an emperor than a wife of a rice farmer

[@frankjustis]

@@pearly872 do some cursory research on what life was like in that time period, then tell me what you would assume.

[@mitacestalia7532]

It was voluntary, and many people consider it's an honor to be choosen by the emperor because life as commoner can be very harsh

[@MegaDavyk]

I should never have married,1 or 2 concubines that could be sacked at any time for bad behavour or failure to preform is a far better option.

[@lilyflower5576]

Praise the Lord the law has got these men under control in the modern day...keep polygamy illegal because this is the reality of the practice, whether its Mormons or Chinese emporers, or the guy who has 3 baby mamas, these men are all reprehensible

[@michaelthong598]

Great, enjoy

[@mikec5400]

everyone lived nasty lives back then

[@maryettamoody5079]

Sad beyond words

[@taxol2]

With the coming recession, the demand of sugar daddies might increase 😂

[@sandra-sukiacquah4445]

Concubines in any country can be nasty, period...... Good evening.

[@ThanksIhateyoutoo]

History is usually terrible to women no matter what part of the world it is. This is genuinely awful

[@wilstheone]

............ ....... ..... you totally butchered the words huh? .... or was it some dialect that i'm not aware of? O_O

[@fernandoxavier6392]

If you would become slave, become a concubine. The best kind of life for any slave.

[@olanwebb2805]

It could be also thought that most sugar daddies are being exploited for their money.

[@kingcosworth2643]

That is true, but they are men, so society couldn't care less.

[@harlowblackadder356]

I hear bach toccata and fugue...but what key is it in?

[@philyip4432]

we are just as savage as the ancients with surgical breast augmentation today.

[@debra1363]

And how many women can't walk because they've had their breasts enlarged?

[@samuelbekele3601]

You're a clown. Breast augmentation is consensual. Most body modifications and mutilations in the past were not.

[@macmcleod1188]

@@debra1363 I don't know about walking but severe, nearly crippling back pain is a thing. And high heels can make it painful to walk in flats. And failed cosmetic surgery can be horrific. I think it depends on the womans informed, non-coerced consent. If they make the choice and it messes them up, that's their choice. And I include the choice to seek the opportunity to become a concubine vs continuing to be a peasant as uncoerced as I would the choice of becoming a soldier, or farmer, or Alaskan fisher.

[@debra1363]

@@macmcleod1188 I can see your point when you put it that way.

[@LocalNoob_2]

imagine modern women living 2000 years ago in this form of society no more feminism and woman empowerment anymore lol,

[@gerry5134]

A stunning woman who was not so bright ! 😂

[@Murph110]

Better than starving to death. Agree?

[@lgv4065]

The background music is absurd.

[@JamesJones-ew6cp]

Cuba freestyle

[@charliepearce8767]

Not all Concubines had horrible lives.. Most were treated respectively and lived a life of luxury with the best treatment as its written in many books ive on this subject .

[@FC-hj9ub]

Not most, maybe less than half. If you can't even choose what to do with your life, ever, even after your slave owner dies, how good can your life be?

[@shadowlord1418]

@@FC-hj9ub they had more choices than the average person back in those days

[@jivvyjack7723]

@@FC-hj9ub No need to judge other cultures or beliefs against the luxuries of your own modern one. Phrases like "give me freedom or give me death" meant nothing to most ordinary folks who just wants to survive to see another day. I would like to see the day when you are really asked to choose between the 2. The Chinese has an old saying - staying alive is the most important, have life means have hope to change your destiny.

[@samuelbekele3601]

Not all, but most of them did. Plenty of horny men got more wives than they could afford. The emperor and outrageously wealthy men could have been the exception. Even then they could be sadistic.

[@mitacestalia7532]

@@FC-hj9ub Basically being slave to emperor is better than die due to starvation back there... or killed by bandit... or died of illness because you received no treatment... or raped by other men. Let's just say there's multiple reasons why join imperial harem sound like a better choice

[@laurendearnley9595]

Can't help but think that a sugar baby is actually lower on the "heirachy" than a concubine. I believe you were usually obligated legally to provide some level of care for your concubines and couldn't just stop supporting them. Sugar babies are employed and unemployed on the whim of their sugar daddies.

[@yod4166]

Difference being that full time sugar babies generally have more than one sugar daddy, and besides that they’re easily replaceable. Whereas concubines had no choice but to share one man their whole lives. A powerful ass man that could easily discard you

[@PureYang0]

Also, scrolling down you'd think you would see many people discussing the virtues of being a concubine but nope, half the people below me only on here to try to correct the content creator like they are so smart. Why don't you guys in the comments section make your own history videos instead of coming in to tell others who did the hard work that they are wrong.

[@shanirahrogers8709]

I was not expecting the sugar daddy comment 🤣

[@nomingantumur9772]

1:54 how is it related to Chinese concobine? 😂

[@pc1972]

like jakarta and bangkok today. great.

[@catsado]

Well those were the good day.

[@anuragjoshi47]

All the Sugar Daddies of the owrld unite!

[@gsomethingsomething2658]

Why not classical Chinese music instead of Bach!? ...Seems like an odd choice.

[@mopixies4196]

what happens to the female babies the concubines birth?

[@fqras]

Anyone wants to be my mistress? I don’t have money though…

[@davidarnold9324]

Good luck with that!

[@kingcosworth2643]

Booo

[@olgagaming5544]

meeee xd

[@huangguifei]

This might could use some more research...

[@GIBunz]

sugar daddies dot . .

[@blacko777]

Swear all the men i’ve seen look bad 🤣

[@tellodoroteo2543]

Nowadays you can simply order one online for cheap...cheaper than gf and without the bullshit.🤣

[@mkay2925]

Do you really compare concubines to consenting adults?????