In Imperial China Emperors invariably maintained harems of concubines, to the extent that some concubines never ever had a chance to see, less sleep, with the Emperor after the Concubine Selection process. Similarly, local landlords were legally allowed to have as many concubines as they could afford. In many cases, the main wife even encouraged the husband to acquire concubines, where they were unable to conceive, as it was paramount to have a male descendant. Further, concubines raised the status of the main wife to a “Tai Ma” (big wife) with undisputed power and authority over the lower status concubines. One side effect of concubinage was the fierce and at times fatal power struggle that ensued between concubines and between half-brothers.
Imperial history became interesting and intriguing as the male offspring of competing concubines battled one another for the attention and favour of the Emperor. In the pursuit to inherit the throne, half-brothers did not hesitate to betray and resort to murder. Emperors, worried about siblings in-fighting, were at times compelled to take the hard road of removing, by way of life prison or death, a threatening son so that another favourite son could ascend the throne without challenge.
Although Imperial concubines were subservient to the reigning Empress, this did not prevent them from seizing power and becoming powerful Emperor, as were the case of Empress Wu Zetian, the only female Emperor in the Chinese history, and Empress Dowager Cixi (Empress Dowager is defined as the mother or widow of a Chinese Emperor).
There are numerous Chinese movies depicting the intrigues of Imperial households on Youtube and the likes, with English subtitles, a great entertainment for any evening.
Concubinage was abolished in China when the Communist took power in 1949 and Hong Kong later in 1971. However, concubinage continues to be socially tolerated in China and Hong Kong even today, although it is not legally recognized. The term is now changed to “Er Nai”, literally Second Wife.
As China opened its door to trade in the 90’s and its citizens became affluent, keeping an Er Nai became not only widely popular but represented a symbol of power, wealth and social status. It is widely believed that most corrupt Government Officials and affluent businessmen in China maintain at least a second wife, if not a third and fourth.
Honkongers also jumped on the bandwagon when factories started to move from the Colony to mainland China for its cheap land and labour. They usually spend weekdays attending to their factories, returning home for the weekends.
China became a perfect breeding ground for Er Nai, young Chinese women seeking financial stability by offering themselves as Second Wife, and lonely businessmen away from home seeking companionship and pleasure. Typically, the arrangement, a business arrangement per se, requires the man to provide a comfortable apartment in China and a pre-negotiated monthly allowance to the Er Nai. There is even established rate for an Er Nai depending on the cities in China, with Beijing commanding a premium. To ensure a long and permanent relationship with the “husband”, Er Nai made sure to bear children, reported to number in half a million, a clever tactic to hold on to their man. However, Er Nai know where they stand and do not seek to replace the main wife, content to maintain the second wife status.
Mistress villages have sprung up in cities close to Hong Kong, namely Shenzhen, so that the men can drop by the apartment to be with the Er Nai for a short period before taking the train back to Hong Kong to have dinner with the wife.
