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Revealing the secrets of how ancient women satisfy their sexual desires, you won’t believe what they did

Even as concubines, with lowly status, they still have their own personal needs that need to be addressed.

9 March, 2024

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In the three-thousand concubines harem of ancient China, not everyone was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the emperor’s favored concubines. For the less popular concubines and palace maidens, especially when they were still young, they had to find ways to alleviate their loneliness and sexual needs. Here are the methods they often used:

Same-sex relationships

In the harem, there was only one man, the emperor, and the rest were eunuchs. For the concubines or palace maidens who were not favored by the emperor, they were not allowed to have contact with other men in the harem, while they were at the peak of their sexual desires. Some people with high sexual needs may choose to have same-sex relationships with other concubines. However, these relationships usually only lasted for a short period.

Furthermore, eunuchs were not allowed to have families, and concubines had no husbands, so they could form temporary relationships to alleviate loneliness in the harem. In this type of cooperation, they lived together as husband and wife and created a considerable stability. However, eunuchs could not meet the sexual needs of the concubines in the usual way and often used special methods. However, these methods are still secret and have not been recorded in historical documents.

In some cases, the private relationship between the concubines and the eunuchs is also supported by the Empress and the other palace maidens. The reason is that each concubine has the potential to become the emperor’s favorite, and if that happens, they could become competitors to the current palace maidens.

Overcoming barriers

Every human being has emotions and desires, and concubines are no exception. In the harem, where there is no presence of male counterparts, concubines and palace maidens have to face overwhelming loneliness. For those with high needs or in favorable circumstances, they may try to communicate with the eunuchs in the harem to alleviate their emptiness.

However, this is forbidden in the imperial palace. If discovered, the consequences can be severe, even threatening their lives.

Frequently asked questions

Eunuchs, who were not allowed to have families, and concubines without husbands, sometimes formed temporary partnerships. They lived as husband and wife, providing each other with stability and companionship. However, eunuchs could not satisfy the concubines’ sexual needs in the conventional way and had to resort to special methods, which remain a secret to this day.

Interestingly, yes. The potential for any concubine to become the emperor’s favorite meant that the current palace maidens viewed them as future competitors. By supporting these relationships, they may have hoped to reduce the chances of a concubine catching the emperor’s eye and threatening their own position.

Aside from same-sex relationships, some women tried to communicate with eunuchs, despite this being forbidden in the imperial palace. The consequences of discovery could be severe, even life-threatening. However, the overwhelming loneliness and desires they faced may have driven some to take this risk.