Horrifying Contraceptive Methods in Feudal China

Contraception in the imperial court of feudal China was mainly due to three reasons. First, the emperor was afraid that the historians would record his debauchery, leaving a bad reputation for posterity. Every time the emperor "favored" his concubines, it was recorded. If contraception was applied, the emperor could enjoy the pleasures of the harem without damaging his dignity, and also not spread his offspring indiscriminately.

Second, the harem had thousands of concubines, all of whom wanted to be favored by the king. To escape the lonely fate of the cold palace, they always tried every possible way to give birth to the king's children before their beauty faded. If the emperor did not like a concubine or felt that she had bad intentions, he would order the eunuchs to force her to use contraception.

Finally, the king feared that his descendants would fight for the throne. There are many stories of massacres over the throne, such as the Xuanwu Gate incident during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) or the Zhu Ying Palace case during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Contraception would help the emperor avoid the headache of choosing a successor.

Horrifying Contraceptive Methods in Feudal China - 1 — Tang Dynasty palace maid in the 2016 film "Craft of the Golden Flower". (Photo: *Sohu* )

According to the king's preferences and needs, the royal physicians collected contraceptive remedies day and night. History books mainly recorded four methods.

The first method is "pressing the sperm-flowing acupoint" . After the Qing Dynasty (1616-1912), the emperors were even more careful in avoiding pregnancy. According to "Qing Dynasty's Wild History", when the king favored a concubine, the chief eunuch would kneel down and wait for orders, asking the king whether to abort or keep her. If the king ordered an abortion, the chief eunuch would gently press the concubine's "Anus" to let the sperm flow out.

If the king wanted to keep the pregnancy, the eunuch would record the exact date and time to have proof of conception. Gently pressing the anus was the method used for emergency contraception. Chinese history books did not record it in detail, so the effectiveness of this method is still unclear.

The second method is "willow and do patch" , inserting musk into the navel. The two beauties Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede both used this method of birth control in history. Inserting musk into the navel will make women lose their ability to conceive. The use of "willow and do patch" is extremely unique, but has been lost.

"Tang Hong Hoa", which means using saffron flowers, is the third method . According to Chinese history books, "Tang Hong Hoa" is the most effective secret method of birth control in the palace. If the emperor does not like a palace maid after having sex with her, he will order the eunuch to hang her upside down. That palace maid will be forced to wash her lower body with water mixed with saffron powder to remove semen from her body. This method of birth control was often used during the chaotic period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960).

Using birth control pills is the last resort. These pills are mostly poison. The most frightening thing is drinking mercury, which is very effective but extremely harmful to the body. Contraceptive teas of concubines or palace maids often contain small amounts of mercury. This method does not directly cause death but is clearly effective.

Another method used by many prostitutes is to drink "good medicine". The ingredients of this medicine contain musk, which not only helps to prevent pregnancy effectively but also causes abortion. When Empress Dowager Cixi entered the palace and was visited by Emperor Xianfeng, the first time she became pregnant, someone secretly harmed her by putting musk in her tea and causing her to miscarry. This medicine is effective but long-term use will lead to infertility.

HONG PHUC (Source: People)

Useful
Emotion
Creative
Unique
Wrath