For thousands of years, Emperors of China had harems of dozens or even hundreds of wives. Emperors had the right to select concubines from among the teenage daughters of the nobility or the peasantry. During the Ming dynasty 5,000 beautiful woman were brought from around the country and lined up in front of the palace. They were narrowed down to just a handful who were admitted into the palace and had a chance of spending a night with the emperor. Inside the forbidden city, imperial wives had an intricate system of hierarchy. At the top was the Empress. She was usually chosen for her nobility and political connections. When the emperor died, she could claim the title Empress Dowager, and continue her influence through her son. Below her were consorts, then concubines and maids. The emperor alone had access to all of them, and they were closely guarded by eunuchs. If the Emperor favored a particular concubine for her beauty, brains, or for baring him a son, he had the right to promote her, even to the rank of Empress. Today lets met 7 imperial concubines who, through allure, sex appeal, child-birth, and or ruthlessness, managed to climb their way to power in Imperial China.

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Music: Lau Tzu Ehru by Doug Maxwell

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