How Expensive and Difficult Was Taking Concubines in the Real Qing Dynasty? It Wasn’t Romance

Hello everyone, welcome to History and Culture. Many friends, when watching modern historical dramas set in the Qing palace, often develop a misconception, it seems that in the Qing dynasty, as long as a family had some wealth, a man could simply take a concubine with just a word. The master would wave his hand, the butler would lead the person in, they would kowtow and offer a cup of tea. And the matter would be settled, both economical and straightforward. But if we actually consult historical records, we discover that in the real Qing dynasty, taking a concubine was far more complicated and burdensome than depicted in modern historical TV dramas. It wasn't a momentary whim of romantic indulgence, but rather the result of a whole set of practical conditions stacking up. Money, family, wife, reputation, if any one of these hurdles couldn't be cleared, the matter couldn't proceed. To explain this clearly, let's start with a real case. The time is the second year of the Xianfeng reign. The location is Xiangxiang County in Hunan Province. On this day, Zeng Guofan's younger brother Zeng Guohua finally got his wish and brought a concubine into the family home. For this matter, he had been fussing back and forth for nearly a year, causing upheaval throughout the entire Zeng household. That night, Zeng Guohua wrote in his diary something to the effect that he only managed to fall asleep late into the night. But his mood had instead become much more settled. One can sense that before this, he had truly kept the matter close to his heart. Even obsessing over it day after day, logically speaking, the Zeng family at that time was a renowned, scholar-official household. His elder brother Zeng Guofan was already a powerful minister in the state. And the family had both prestige and decent financial conditions. How could it be so difficult for the younger brother to take a concubine? The answer is simple. In the Qing Dynasty, taking a concubine was never an easy matter. First, the most practical hurdle, money. In the Qing Dynasty, a concubine wasn't married in, but bought. Historical records note this clearly. The late Qing scholar Li Siming recorded in his Yuman Tang diary the expenses for his three instances of taking concubines, the first cost 400 tales of silver, the second 130 tales, and the third 180 tales. Overall, for a concubine of normal background and clear origins, the price was basically between 100 and 500 tales of silver. This figure might not seem impressive today. But converting it to the income of ordinary people at the time reveals it as an extraordinarily exorbitant amount. An ordinary long-term laborer in the Qing Dynasty, with room and board provided, earned roughly 2 to 3 to 6 tales of silver per year. That is to say, 130 tales of silver was equivalent to a long-term laborer's total earnings from over 20 years of work. Even for officials. It wasn't easy. At the time, a county magistrate nominally had an annual salary of just over 40 tales of silver, beyond that. They relied on additional subsidies to maintain a dignified lifestyle. This money had to support an entire family of young and old. Plus hire secretaries and servants, the amount truly freely disposable wasn't as much as imagined. So don't assume that officials in the Qing Dynasty could take concubines without any pressure. In fact, even a county magistrate lord had to weigh it carefully. Even Zeng Guofan himself was no exception. In the eighth year of Tongzhi reign. When he was nearly 60 and serving as governor general in Zhili. With heavy official duties and physical and mental exhaustion, he considered taking a concubine. Thus, Zeng Guofan gave his son 300 tales of silver to help him search for a suitable concubine in Jiangnan. As a result, the son spent several months busy in Jiangnan but still failed to accomplish the task. Here, we won't speculate on the reasons for now, but one thing is certain, 300 tales of silver was not a small sum at the time. Yet it still couldn't secure a suitable candidate, moreover, even if the money hurdle was cleared. It didn't mean the matter was settled. What truly gave people headaches was the second hurdle, the family. Let's return to Zeng Guohua. In the first year of Xianfeng, while preparing for exams in Changsha. He suddenly wrote a letter home saying he wanted to buy a maidservant in the provincial capital as a concubine and asked the family to quickly send money. As soon as this letter arrived home, the entire Zeng household nearly exploded. In the eyes of the family elders. A 30-year-old scholar in a critical period wasn't focusing on diligent study but instead obsessing over taking a concubine, it was completely putting the cart before the horse. More importantly, for such a major matter. He hadn't even discussed it beforehand, Zeng Guohua's stated reason was quite justified, he said he was over 30 and still had no son. All for continuing the family line. But to the family, this reason didn't hold water. He was healthy and not old, there was no need to resort to taking a concubine. The family ultimately sent someone to dissuade him and even used a ruse to trick him back home. After discovering it, Zeng Guohua didn't make a big fuss. He just quietly handled household affairs and cared for the elders. Appearing as if the ordeal had smoothed his edges. But in reality, the following year. He brought up the old matter again. This time, Zeng Guohua even invoked notions of fate and customs, claiming his repeated failures in the imperial exams were due to the lack of a suitable woman in the household. The reason sounds absurd, but at the time, some people indeed believed such things. Ultimately, the Zeng family compromised. But the matter wasn't over yet, because there was a third hurdle, the principal wife. In the Qing dynasty, taking a concubine required the principal wife's consent. After the concubine entered the Only if the principal wife accepted the cup of tea was her status recognized. If the principal wife refused, the concubine could be driven out at any time. Because Qing laws clearly distinguished wife-concubine relations. The wife was married through proper rites and entered into the family genealogy. The concubine had a status close to that of a servant, and any children she bore were recorded under the principal wife's name. The principal wife had great authority over managing the concubine. In other words, whether the principal wife nodded or not decided everything.So even if the family agreed. If the wife didn't relent, the matter still couldn't succeed, moreover, even if the concubine successfully entered the home. It didn't mean everything was fine. Next came another hurdle, public opinion. When Zeng Guofan took a concubine in his 50s, it happened to coincide with a period of national mourning. And the matter immediately sparked discussion. Some accused him of violating ritual propriety, others suspected ulterior motives. Regardless of his true intentions, in the Qing dynasty, taking a concubine was never purely a private affair. Especially for officials, it could always be magnified and interpreted. Finally, there was one more hurdle, the most practical one, whether one could afford to maintain her. Buying a concubine was just the beginning, maintaining her was a long-term investment. Food, clothing, housing, transportation, servants, pocket money, children, none could be omitted. With more concubines, household relations became more complex. And conflicts between wife and concubines were almost routine. In some historical books, concubines often couldn't even leave complete names. This wasn't due to historians' negligence but reflected their true position in the family structure. According to comments from relevant historical scholars. Taking concubines in the Qing dynasty was not a man's paradise but a heavy choice that only a minority could bear. This is the History and Culture channel. Liking and subscribing are the greatest help and support to us. Thank you everyone and see you in the next time.