Concubinage is deeply steeped in China’s history. Concubines were women who cohabited with Emperors throughout the dynasties, but were never officially married and were subordinate to wives. An Emperor could have as many or as few concubines as he wished, with the main purpose of bearing him lots of children.

During the earlier dynasties, concubines were frequently chosen from poor families and so often parents obliged, assuming that their daughters were embarking on a better life inside the palace. However, during the Qing dynasty, Emperors looked for concubines from wealthier, nobler families. Although many didn’t choose this path for their girls, they had little choice.

The ideal concubine was expected to be virtuous, docile and listen to her Emperor. If a girl was chosen she would enter the Forbidden City, usually between the age of 13 and 16, to begin a surreal life within the city walls, seldom to see her family again.

One such concubine was Consort Zhen. Born in 1876, she is best known as a consort of the Guangxu Emperor, the penultimate Emperor of the Qing dynasty. Her elder sister, Consort Jin, was also chosen to be a concubine and both girls entered the Forbidden City when Zhen was just 13 years old. Although Zhen was the Emperor’s favorite of the two sisters, it was Jin that managed to play the game for longer, outliving Zhen by years.