Imperial Chinese harem system


The ranks of imperial consorts have varied over the course of Chinese history but remained important throughout owing to its prominence in the management of the inner court and in imperial succession, which ranked heirs according to the prominence of their mothers in addition to their birth order. Regardless of the age, however, it is common in English translation to simplify this hierarchy into the three ranks of empress, consorts, and concubines. It is also common to use the term "harem", an Arabic loan word used in recent times to refer to imperial women's forbidden quarters in many countries. In later Chinese history|Chinese dynasties], these quarters were known as the inner palace or the rear palace. In Chinese, the system is called the "rear palace system".
No matter the dynasty, the empress held the highest rank and was the legal wife of the emperor, as well as the chief of the imperial harem and "mother of the nation" which translates to ”imperial mother of all under heaven”. She was also known as the "central palace". In addition, the emperor would typically have other imperial women. Every dynasty had its set of rules regarding the numerical composition of the harem.

Early history

There existed a class of royal consorts called ying during early historical times in China. These were people who came along with brides as a form of dowry. It could be a female cousin or sister of the bride, or people from other countries.
Worth noting is the fact that during the Shang dynasty, there were times when two queens existed at the same period.
The Rites of Zhou contains great details of a royal consort ranking system. However, as the Rites of Zhou is considered by modern scholars to be merely a fictitious constitution for a utopian society, the system listed in that work of literature cannot be taken word for word. Rather, it offers a rough glimpse into the inner palace during the time.

Ranking system for kings

The Rites of Zhou states that kings are entitled to the following:
  1. 1 Queen
  2. 2 Consorts
  3. 3 Madames
  4. 9 Concubines
  5. 27 Hereditary Ladies
  6. 81 Royal Wives
It was suggested that a system was set up to prevent the situation of having two queens/empresses.

Ranking system for others

According to the Rites of Zhou, under the feudal fengjian governance system, aristocratic feudal lords were entitled to nine consorts in total, and cannot marry again after having nine consorts, which makes for one wife and eight concubines. For other officers, they are entitled to one wife and one concubine. For normal citizens, only one wife is allowed.

Qin

Under the Qin dynasty, from the reign of King Huiwen:
  1. Queen, which became Empress from the reign of Qin Shi Huang
  2. Madame
  3. Lady of Beauty
  4. Lady of Gentleness
  5. Learned Lady
  6. Harmonious Lady
  7. Senior Waiting Lady
  8. Junior Waiting Lady

    Han

Western Han

During the reign of Gaozu of Han|Gaozu] of the Western Han dynasty:
  1. Empress
  2. Madame
Later:
  1. Empress
  2. Madame
  3. Lady of Beauty
  4. Lady of Gentleness
  5. Learned Lady
  6. Harmonious Lady
  7. Senior Waiting Lady
  8. Junior Waiting Lady
From the reign of Emperor Yuan:
  1. Empress
  2. Lady of Bright Deportment
  3. Lady of Handsome Fairness, created by Emperor Wu
  4. Lady of Youthful Fairness, created by Emperor Wu
  5. Lady of Splendid Countenance, created by Emperor Wu
  6. Lady of Complete Deportment, created by Emperor Wu
  7. Lady of Beauty
  8. Lady of Gentleness
  9. Learned Lady
  10. Harmonious Lady
  11. Senior Waiting Lady
  12. Junior Waiting Lady
  13. Courtier of Miscellaneous Uses
  14. Lady of Complaisant Constancy
  15. Lady Without Impurity
Lady of Reverent Gentleness
Lady Who Pleases the Spirit
Lady Who Can Safeguard a Multitude
Gentle Waiting Lady
Lady of Night Attendance
The crown prince:
  1. Consort
  2. Bride of Excellence
  3. Dear Lady

    Eastern Han

In the Eastern Han dynasty:
  1. Empress
  2. Noble Lady
  3. Lady of Beauty
  4. Lady of the Palace
  5. Talented Woman
No limits were set for these imperial consorts. This later created situations when more than 20,000 women were living in the palace during the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling.

Three Kingdoms

During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Wei used the following system:

[Cao Wei]

During the reign of Cao Cao :
  1. Queen
  2. Madame
  3. Lady of Bright Deportment
  4. Lady of Handsome Fairness
  5. Lady of Splendid Countenance
  6. Lady of Beauty
During the reign of Emperor Wen:
  1. Empress
  2. Madame
  3. Noble Concubine
  4. Lady of Pure Beauty
  5. Lady of Bright Deportment
  6. Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  7. Lady of Handsome Fairness
  8. Lady of Splendid Countenance
  9. Lady of Humble Accomplishments
  10. Lady of Beauty
  11. Lady of Gentleness
During the reign of Emperor Ming:
  1. Empress
  2. Madame
  3. Noble Concubine
  4. Pure Consort
  5. Lady of Pure Beauty
  6. Lady of Bright Deportment
  7. Lady of Flowering Luminance
  8. Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  9. Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  10. Lady of Handsome Fairness
  11. Lady of Splendid Countenance
  12. Lady of Beauty
  13. Lady of Gentleness
  14. Lady of Value

    Jin

During the Jin dynasty, the ranks were as follows:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Madames
  3. # Noble Concubine
  4. # Madame
  5. # Noble Lady
  6. 9 Concubines
  7. # Pure Consort
  8. # Lady of Pure Beauty
  9. # Lady of Pure Ceremony
  10. # Lady of Splendid Cultivation
  11. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  12. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  13. # Lady of Handsome Fairness
  14. # Lady of Splendid Countenance
  15. # Lady of Sufficient Splendidness
  16. Lady of Beauty
  17. Lady of Talent
  18. Lady of Mediocre Talent

    [Northern and Southern dynasties]

Liu Song">Liu Song dynasty">Liu Song

  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Madames
  3. # Noble Concubine
  4. # Madame
  5. # Noble Lady
  6. 9 Concubines
  7. # Pure Consort
  8. # Lady of Pure Beauty
  9. # Lady of Pure Ceremony
  10. # Lady of Splendid Cultivation
  11. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  12. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  13. # Lady of Handsome Fairness
  14. # Lady of Everlasting Splendidness
  15. # Lady of Sufficient Splendidness
  16. Lady of Beauty
From the reign of Emperor Xiaowu:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Madames
  3. # Noble Consort
  4. # Noble Concubine
  5. # Noble Lady
  6. 9 Concubines
  7. # Pure Consort
  8. # Lady of Pure Beauty
  9. # Lady of Pure Ceremony
  10. # Lady of Bright Deportment
  11. # Lady of Bright Countenance
  12. # Lady of Flowering Luminance
  13. # Lady of Handsome Fairness
  14. # Lady of Flowering Countenance
  15. # Lady of Sufficient Splendidness
  16. Lady of Beauty
  17. Lady of Mediocre Talent
  18. Favoured Assistant
From the reign of Emperor Ming:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Madames
  3. # Noble Consort
  4. # Noble Concubine
  5. # Noble Beauty
  6. 9 Concubines
  7. # Lady of Pure Beauty
  8. # Lady of Pure Deportment
  9. # Lady of Pure Countenance
  10. # Lady of Flowering Luminance
  11. # Lady of Bright Deportment
  12. # Lady of Bright Countenance
  13. # Lady of Cultivated Splendidness
  14. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  15. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  16. 5 Post Holders
  17. # Lady of Handsome Fairness
  18. # Lady of Flowering Countenance
  19. # Lady of Sufficient Splendidness
  20. # Lady of Inherit Glory
  21. # Lady of Propitious Honour
  22. Lady of Beauty
  23. Lady of Mediocre Talent
  24. Lady of Talent
  25. Lady of Gentleness
  26. Favoured Assistant

    [Southern Qi]

From the reign of Emperor Gao:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Madames
  3. # Noble Concubine
  4. # Madame
  5. # Noble Lady
  6. 9 Concubines
  7. # Lady of Splendid Cultivation
  8. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  9. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  10. # Pure Consort
  11. # Lady of Pure Beauty
  12. # Lady of Pure Deportment
  13. # Lady Handsome Fairness
  14. # Lady of Flowering Countenance
  15. # Lady of Sufficient Splendidness
  16. Lady of Beauty
  17. Lady of Mediocre Talent
  18. Lady of Talent
In 483, when Emperor Wu ascended to the throne, the positions of noble consort and pure consort were elevated to independent categories, just beneath the empress. In 489, the position of lady of bright countenance was added to fill the gap created upon the elevation of pure consort.
The crown prince:
  1. Bride of Excellence
  2. Lady Who Can Safeguard a Multitude
  3. Lady of Talent

    Liang">Liang dynasty">Liang

During the reign of Emperor Wu:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Madames
  3. # Noble Consort
  4. # Noble Concubine
  5. # Noble Beauty
  6. 9 Concubines
  7. # Lady of Pure Beauty
  8. # Lady of Pure Deportment
  9. # Lady of Pure Countenance
  10. # Lady of Flowering Brightness
  11. # Lady of Bright Countenance
  12. # Lady of Bright Deportment
  13. # Lady of Cultivated Splendidness
  14. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  15. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  16. 5 Post Holders
  17. # Lady of Handsome Fairness
  18. # Lady of Flowering Countenance
  19. # Lady of Sufficient Splendidness
  20. # Lady of Inherit Glory
  21. # Lady of Propitious Honour
  22. Lady of Beauty
  23. Lady of Gentleness
  24. Lady of Talent
The crown prince:
  1. Bride of Excellence
  2. Lady Who Can Safeguard a Multitude

    Chen">Chen dynasty">Chen

Initially, during the reign of Emperor Wu, no specific ranking system for imperial consorts were devised, due to his desire to live a simple life. It was only during Emperor Wen's reign that a ranking system came into being:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Madames
  3. # Noble Consort
  4. # Noble Concubine
  5. # Noble Beauty
  6. 9 Concubines
  7. # Lady of Pure Beauty
  8. # Lady of Pure Deportment
  9. # Lady of Pure Countenance
  10. # Lady of Flowering Brightness
  11. # Lady of Bright Countenance
  12. # Lady of Bright Deportment
  13. # Lady of Cultivated Splendidness
  14. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  15. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  16. 5 Post Holders
  17. # Lady of Handsome Fairness
  18. # Lady of Flowering Countenance
  19. # Lady of Sufficient Splendidness
  20. # Lady of Inherit Glory
  21. # Lady of Propitious Honour
  22. Lady of Beauty
  23. Lady of Talent
  24. Lady of Gentleness

    [Northern Wei]

During the reign of Emperor Daowu, the ranking system was very simple, and only contained the rank of madame. However, there existed an unwritten, subjective system of prestige. It was during the reign of Emperor Taiwu that the system listed below came into existence:
  1. Empress
  2. Left Lady of Bright Deportment
Right Lady of Bright Deportment
  1. Noble Lady
  2. Lady of the Pepper Chamber
  3. Passing Attendant
During the sinicization of Northern Wei, Emperor Xiaowen reformed the ranking system to the system below:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. Left Lady of Bright Deportment
Right Lady of Bright Deportment
  1. 3 Madames
  2. Third Concubine
  3. Sixth Concubine
  4. Hereditary Lady
  5. Imperial Wife

    [Northern Qi]

In the beginning, there were only three ranks:
  1. Madame
  2. Concubine
  3. Lady
From the reign of Emperor Wucheng:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 1 Left Lady of Beautiful Blooming
1 Right Lady of Beautiful Blooming
  1. 1 Pure Consort
  2. 1 Left Lady of Bright Deportment
1 Right Lady of Bright Deportment
  1. 3 Madames
  2. # Madame of Great Moral
  3. # Madame of Just Moral
  4. # Madame of High Moral
  5. Upper Concubines
  6. # Upper Concubine of Great Honor
  7. # Upper Concubine of Light Plan
  8. # Upper Concubine of Bright Instruction
  9. Lower Concubines
  10. # Lower Concubine of Proclaimed Honor
  11. # Lower Concubine of Proclaimed Brightness
  12. # Lower Concubine of Congealed Brightness
  13. # Lower Concubine of Congealed Splendidness
  14. # Lower Concubine of Conducive Splendidness
  15. # Lower Concubine of Light Instruction
  16. 27 Hereditary Ladies
  17. Lady of Talent
  18. Selected Lady

    [Northern Zhou]

  19. 1 Empress
  20. 3 Madames, later 3 Consorts
  21. # Noble Consort
  22. # Great Noble Consort
  23. # Virtuous Consort
  24. 3 Lady Officials
  25. 6 Concubines
  26. # Lady of Bright Splendidness
  27. Lady of Imperial Beauty
  28. # Lady of Upper Beauty
  29. # Lady of Middle Beauty
  30. # Lady of Lower Beauty
  31. Lady of Imperial Gracefulness
  32. # Lady of Upper Gracefulness
  33. # Lady of Middle Gracefulness
  34. # Lady of Lower Gracefulness
During the reign of Emperor Xuan, five empresses were created :
  1. Yang Lihua, Primary Great Heavenly Empress
  2. Zhu Manyue, Great Heavenly Empress
  3. Chen Yueyi, Great Central Heavenly Empress
  4. Yuchi Chifan, Great Left Heavenly Empress
  5. Yuan Leshang, Great Right Heavenly Empress
In addition, there was an innumerable number of women in the palace.

Sui

At the beginning of the Sui dynasty, there existed a simple system of ranking:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 4 Concubines
  3. 9 Hereditary Ladies
  4. 38 Ladies of His Majesty
There also existed a system of female palace officers to manage ceremonial affairs in the inner palace. The system was based on similar systems of the past.
After the death of Empress Dugu, Emperor Wen expanded the ranks to the following:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Noble Ladies
  3. 9 Concubines
  4. 27 Hereditary Ladies
  5. 81 Ladies of His Majesty
During the reign of Emperor Yang, the ranking system was expanded yet again:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Consorts
  3. # Noble Consort
  4. # Pure Consort
  5. # Virtuous Consort
  6. 9 Concubines
  7. # Lady of Conducive Wellness
  8. # Lady of Supportive Wellness
  9. # Lady of Splendid Wellness
  10. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  11. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  12. # Lady of Cultivated Splendidness
  13. # Lady of Complete Deportment
  14. # Lady of Complete Countenance
  15. # Lady of Complete Splendidness
  16. 12 Ladies Handsome Fairness
  17. 15 Hereditary Ladies
  18. # Lady of Beauty
  19. # Lady of Talent
  20. 24 Ladies of Treasure
  21. 24 Ladies of His Majesty
  22. 37 Ladies of Elegance

    Tang

Imperial consorts of the Tang dynasty were organized in eight or nine ranks, in addition to the empress. They were also called the "inner officials", as opposed to "palace officials", the bureaucracy.
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 4 Consorts
  3. # Noble Consort
  4. # Pure Consort
  5. # Virtuous Consort
  6. # Worthy Consort
  7. 9 Concubines
  8. # Lady of Bright Deportment
  9. # Lady of Bright Countenance
  10. # Lady of Bright Beauty
  11. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  12. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  13. # Lady of Cultivated Beauty
  14. # Lady of Complete Deportment
  15. # Lady of Complete Countenance
  16. # Lady of Complete Beauty
  17. 9 Ladies of Handsome Fairness
  18. 9 Ladies of Beauty
  19. 9 Ladies of Talent
  20. 27 Ladies of Treasure
  21. 27 Ladies of His Majesty
  22. 27 Selected Ladies
During the reign of Emperor Gaozong:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 4 Consorts
  3. # Noble Consort
  4. # Pure Consort
  5. # Virtuous Consort
  6. # Worthy Consort
  7. 9 Concubines
  8. # Lady of Bright Deportment
  9. # Lady of Bright Countenance
  10. # Lady of Bright Beauty
  11. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  12. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  13. # Lady of Cultivated Beauty
  14. # Lady of Complete Deportment
  15. # Lady of Complete Countenance
  16. # Lady of Complete Beauty
  17. 9 Ladies of Handsome Fairness
  18. 9 Ladies of Beauty
  19. 9 Ladies of Talent
Emperor Gaozong wanted to create and promote Lady Wu, who was then ranked as Lady Wu of Bright Deportment to Royal Consort because the 4 ranks of consorts were already occupied. The court officials opposed this idea, saying that it was unprecedented; the emperor can only have four consorts and the character chēn was used to refer the power of the emperor. Emperor Gaozong would not carry out his plan. In 662, the titles were temporarily changed to be devoid of feminine quality. This seemingly feminist change was reverted in the twelfth month of 670. The rationales were not explained in official records in both instances. However, some scholars have speculated it to be the suggestion of Empress Wu to her husband.
RankOld titlesNew titles
1aConsort Patroness in Virtue
2aConcubine Propagator of Deportment
3aLady Handsome Fairness Recipient from the Inner Chamber
4aLady of Beauty Recipient of Edicts
5aLady of Talent Guardian Immortal
6aLady of Treasure Consecrated Provider
7aLady of His Majesty Coiffure Attendant
8aSelected Lady Towel Attendant

From the reign of Emperor Xuanzong:
  1. 1 Empress
  2. 3 Consorts
  3. # Consort of Conferred Kindness
  4. # Magnificent Consort
  5. # Splendid Consort
  6. 6 Ladies of Ceremony
  7. # Lady of Pure Ceremony
  8. # Lady of Virtuous Ceremony
  9. # Lady of Worthy Ceremony
  10. # Lady of Conducive Ceremony
  11. # Lady of Graceful Ceremony
  12. # Lady of Fragrant Ceremony
  13. 4 Ladies of Beauty
  14. 7 Ladies of Talent
The crown prince:
  1. Crown Princess
  2. 2 Ladies of Excellence
  3. 6 Ladies of Filial Excellence
  4. 10 Ladies of Inherent Excellence
  5. 16 Ladies of Clear Instruction
  6. 24 Ladies of Decorous Service

    Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, governments were replaced frequently, and as a result, it is difficult for modern scholars to derive any solid information on ranking systems during these times.
However, it is known that the Later Tang used the following system:
  1. Lady of Bright Countenance
  2. Lady of Bright Deportment
  3. Lady of Bright Beauty
  4. Missionary Lady
  5. First Lady of His Majesty
  6. True Servant
  7. Lady of Honorable Talent
  8. Lady of Unity
  9. Precious Flower
  10. Lady of Honorable Moral
  11. Lady of Promise
Whether there were any limits to the holders of these titles are unknown.

Song, Liao, Jin

Song">Song dynasty">Song

  1. 1 Empress
  2. 4 Consorts
  3. # Noble Consort
  4. # Pure Consort
  5. # Virtuous Consort
  6. # Able Consort
  7. # Imperial Consort, created by Emperor Renzong
  8. Concubine
  9. # Lady of Highest Ceremony
  10. # Lady of Noble Ceremony
  11. # Lady of Imperial Ceremony
  12. # Lady of Warm Ceremony
  13. # Lady of Graceful Ceremony
  14. # Lady of Conducive Ceremony
  15. # Lady of Conducive Appearance
  16. # Lady of Warm Appearance
  17. # Lady of Graceful Appearance
  18. # Lady of Bright Deportment
  19. # Lady of Bright Countenance
  20. # Lady of Bright Beauty
  21. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  22. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  23. # Lady of Cultivated Beauty
  24. # Lady of Complete Deportment
  25. # Lady of Complete Countenance
  26. # Lady of Complete Beauty
  27. Lady of Handsome Fairness
  28. Lady of Beauty
  29. Lady of Talent
  30. Noble Lady

    Liao">Liao dynasty">Liao

  31. 1 Empress
  32. 2 Ladies of Beautiful Ceremony
  33. 3 Ladies of Warm Ceremony
  34. 4 Ladies of Bright Ceremony
  35. 5 Ladies of Conducive Ceremony
  36. 6 Ladies of Fragrant Ceremony
  37. 7 Ladies of Peaceful Ceremony

    Jin">Jin Dynasty, 1115–1234">Jin

  38. 1 Empress
  39. 2 Primary Consorts
  40. 4 Consorts
  41. # Noble Consort
  42. # Pure Consort
  43. # Virtuous Consort
  44. # Able Consort
  45. 9 Concubines
  46. # Lady of Bright Deportment
  47. # Lady of Bright Countenance
  48. # Lady of Bright Beauty
  49. # Lady of Cultivated Deportment
  50. # Lady of Cultivated Countenance
  51. # Lady of Cultivated Beauty
  52. # Lady of Complete Deportment
  53. # Lady of Complete Countenance
  54. # Lady of Complete Beauty
  55. 9 Ladies of Handsome Fairness
  56. 9 Ladies of Beauty
  57. 9 Ladies of Talent
  58. 27 Ladies of Treasure
  59. 27 Ladies of His Majesty
  60. 27 Selected Ladies

    Yuan

The Yuan dynasty ranking system was at its simplest, and only consisted of empress, consort, and concubine. While there was only one empress at a time, there were no limits on the number of consorts or concubines.
Although the number of ranks were few, there existed a sub-system of ranking by prestige inside the Yuan harem. An imperial consort's tent determined her status; multiple women often lived in the same one. In the many tents that existed, the imperial consort of the first tent was considered to be the most prestigious woman.
As with all parts of the Mongol Empire, Goryeo provided women to the Yuan dynasty. One of them was Empress Gi, who, through her political command and incorporation of Korean females and eunuchs in the court, spread Korean clothing, food, and lifestyle in the capital. The entry of Korean women into the Yuan court was reciprocated by the entry of Yuan princesses into the Goryeo court, beginning with the marriage of King Chungnyeol and a daughter of Kublai Khan; in total, nine princesses of the Yuan imperial family married into the Goryeo royal family.
Emperor Gong of Song surrendered to the Mongols in 1276 and was married off to a Yuan princess of the Borjigin clan; they had one son, Zhao Wanpu, who was only exiled after Emperor Gong's death due to his mother's ancestry. Paul Pelliot and John Andrew Boyle identified references to Zhao Xian in The Successors of Genghis Khan chapter of Rashid al-Din Hamadani's Jami' al-tawarikh; he mentions a Chinese ruler who was an "emir" and son-in-law to the "qan" after being removed from his throne by the Mongols and he is also called "monarch of Song" in the book.

Ming

The Ming dynasty system was simple with five commonly used ranks:
  1. Empress
  2. Imperial Noble Consort
  3. Noble Consort
  4. Consort
  5. Concubine
Other known titles:
  1. Lady of Handsome Fairness
  2. Lady of Bright Deportment
  3. Lady of Bright Countenance
  4. Noble Lady
  5. Lady of Beauty
For the crown prince:
  1. Crown Princess
  2. Lady of Talent
  3. Lady of Selected Service
  4. Woman of Gentleness
Human tribute, including servants, eunuchs, and virgin girls came from China's various ethnic tribes, as well as Mongolia, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Central Asia, Siam, Champa, and Okinawa.
Joseon sent a total of 114 women to the Ming dynasty, consisting of 16 virgin girls, 42 cooks, and 8 performers. The women were sent to the Yongle and Xuande emperors in a total of seven missions between 1408 and 1433. Xuande was the last Ming emperor to receive human tribute from Korea; with his death in 1435, 53 Korean women were repatriated. There was much speculation that the Yongle Emperor's real mother was a Korean or Mongolian concubine. Relations between Ming China and Joseon Korea improved dramatically and became much more amicable and mutually profitable during Yongle's reign. Both Yongle and Xuande are said to have had a penchant for Korean cuisine and women.
Central Asian concubines, mostly of Uighur and Mongol origin, were provided to the Zhengde Emperor by a Muslim guard and Sayyid Hussein from Hami. The speculation about Zhengde becoming a Muslim is remembered alongside his excessive and debauched behavior with his concubines of foreign origin. Muslim Central Asian women were favored by Zhengde like how Korean women were favored by Yongle and Xuande.

Qing

The Qing dynasty system was one of the simplest systems in Chinese history. Officially, there were eight ranks:
  1. Empress
  2. Imperial Noble Consort
  3. Noble Consort
  4. Consort
  5. Concubine
  6. Noble Lady
  7. First Class Attendant
  8. Second Class Attendant
There was no fixed number of holders for the three lowest ranks. Lady-in-waiting was typically used to refer the palace maids who has been favored by the emperor and were kept at his side but, without a formal/proper title. It was not part of the official ranking.
The system was solid, but the number of imperial consorts an emperor actually had during the Qing dynasty is subject to wild variations. The Kangxi Emperor holds the record for having the most imperial consorts with 79, while the Guangxu Emperor holds the record for having the fewest, with one empress and two consorts, a total of three imperial consorts.
There were limits placed on how many imperial consorts could hold the ranks of concubine and above. An emperor could have one empress, one imperial noble consort, two noble consorts, four consorts and six concubines at a time. The ranks of noble lady, first class attendant and second class attendant were unlimited.
An imperial consort who had attained the rank of concubine or above would be given a residence in the main section of a palace in the inner court of the Forbidden City and become its mistress, while imperial consorts holding the three lower ranks could only live in the side rooms of the palaces.
Imperial consorts of concubine rank and above could ride in sedan chairs. The empress' entourage was called yíjià, the imperial noble consort and noble consorts' entourage was called yízhàng, and the consorts and concubines' entourage was called cǎizhàng.
The empress was the only wife of the emperor, while his other women were considered concubines. The empress' children were the legitimate heirs and they had a higher chance of inheriting the throne.
When the crown prince ascended to the throne, he was allowed to posthumously promote his late consorts in the ranks. A primary consort could be honored as empress, while secondary consorts and mistresses could be elevated to any of the seven other ranks.
A posthumous name was given to empresses and imperial noble consorts after their deaths. The total characters in an empress' posthumous name was 16 while, there were 2 characters in an imperial noble consort's. The initial character of an empress' posthumous name was always , meaning "filial", and the final character was the emperor's own posthumous name. The posthumous name given to an imperial noble consort used her honorific name and added another character.
An emperor would be careful when promoting an imperial consort to the rank of imperial noble consort because this rank was considered a deputy empress. As such, the promotions mostly happened when an imperial consort was hopelessly ill and the emperor wanted to console her, when the empress needed someone to assist her in managing the inner court or when the empress was dead and someone else was needed to manage the inner court.
An empress who outlived her husband would become empress dowager and would be known as imperial mother, empress dowager. In the cases when the new emperor's birth mother was one of the former emperor's imperial consorts, she would also become empress dowager and would be known as holy mother, empress dowager, as well as being posthumously honored as empress. An empress who lived through the reigns of at least two subsequent emperors would be called grand empress dowager.
The other imperial consorts of the former emperor would be addressed as dowager according to their rank, but it was not required. A concubine would be called dowager concubine, a consort would be called dowager consort, a noble consort would be called dowager noble consort, and an imperial noble consort would be called dowager imperial noble consort. The empress and imperial consorts were expected to pay respect to the elders who held the positions above. However, the former emperor's low-ranked imperial consorts would simply be referred to as palace woman of the late emperor.
A prince's harem consists of only three ranks:
  1. Primary Consort
  2. Secondary Consort
  3. Mistress
As the primary consort was the only wife of a prince, only one woman could hold this position, while there could be two secondary consorts at a time and there wasn't a limit on the number of mistresses a prince could have.