Things concubines were forced to do before being buried with the emperor

In the burial regulations of ancient Chinese emperors, martyrdom was the most cruel custom. Palace maids and concubines would be buried alive with the deceased emperor. The purpose of this custom was so that the deceased would still have servants and attendants in the afterlife , just as they did during their lifetime.

According to Jueshifan , the custom of sacrificial burial appeared during the Zhou Dynasty. During this period, the people chosen for sacrificial burial were slaves and prisoners of war. Later, during the feudal period, the emperors abused it, not only slaves but also concubines were buried with the king when he died.

By the time of Qin Shi Huang, the custom of martyrdom was considered to be at its "peak", and the number of remains buried with him in his tomb has not been accurately counted to this day, and can be said to be countless.

The number of concubines forced to be buried with Qin Shi Huang is countless. (Illustration: Sohu)

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, this custom was abolished because the monarchs realized its barbarity. Instead of burying people alive, people at that time turned them into human figures or animals. But at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang revived the custom of sacrificial burial and it became a common funeral custom in the royal family. After his death, 46 concubines were forced to be sacrificially buried with him. It was not until Emperor Yingzong of Ming ascended the throne that he issued an edict abolishing the practice of sacrificial burial of concubines.

This practice did not last long. Early in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Nurhaci ordered the burial of his empress and four concubines upon his death. Later, Emperor Taizong included the names of some of his concubines on the burial list. It was not until the Kangxi period that the practice of burying the living was completely abolished.

Those chosen for burial were mostly concubines without children and without support. (Illustration: Sohu)

So in ancient China, what did the concubines chosen to be buried with the emperor have to prepare beforehand?

In fact, most of the concubines chosen to be buried with the emperor were childless or had no support. Many historians describe the scene when they were assigned to be buried as extremely tragic: “The sound of their cries shook the heavens and earth, and anyone who happened to hear them was scared out of their wits.”

Upon receiving the edict, the chosen person would meet with his family and relatives. They would then spend days in mourning for the deceased emperor before the day of burial. During this time, they were forced to perform certain tasks to maintain their appearance. The purpose of this was to make the emperor happy in the afterlife.

On the day of burial, the concubines had to dress up in their finest to be buried with the emperor. (Illustration: Sohu)

When the day of burial comes, the concubines and palace maids will have to dress up in their finest clothes. They wear their best clothes and bring their most precious jewelry. In addition, they can bring their most beloved items such as souvenirs, paintings, and books.

There are many ways to force concubines to be buried with the Emperor. Among them, drinking poisoned wine is considered a way that does not harm the appearance of the concubines. People believe that drinking poisoned wine helps to preserve their bodies best. In addition, hanging or pouring mercury are also commonly used methods when burying with the Emperor.

Those who were buried alive were starved for several days beforehand to avoid overreacting when they were placed in the tomb. At this point, the concubines had lost the strength to resist and could only obediently submit to fate.

Burial is a cruel and brutal custom. It deprives the concubines and palace maids of their right to live just for the purpose of enjoyment and greed for power of the ruling class. Therefore, when later generations realized its backwardness, the custom of burial was eliminated from the flow of history.

Quoc Thai (Source: Sohu)

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Source: https://vtc.vn/nhung-viec-phi-tan-bi-ep-buoc-phai-lam-truoc-khi-tuan-tang-theo-hoang-de-ar766732.html