In addition to serving the concubines in the harem, ancient palace maids had many rules to follow, including strict regulations on sleeping positions. In the books “Thanh Su Cao” and “Song Su” there are related records, saying that palace ladies must squeeze both legs tightly when sleeping, not spreading their legs wide. If caught violating by the palace maids, they will be dragged out and beaten or decapitated.
Qing Dynasty palace maids had to follow many strict regulations, including sleeping positions. Illustrative photo: Internet
Regarding the rules that palace maids need to follow, in a book called “Memoirs of Palace Maids” by Forbidden City Publishing House, published in the last century, palace maid Ha Vinh Nhi, who served Cixi Thai after 8 years, described their lives in great detail. For example, when new maids enter the palace, they must call all the senior maids of the previous generation “aunt”. The new maids not only served their masters but also had to attend to the “aunt’s” daily life, including washing her face, combing her hair, washing her feet, and bathing.
Young palace maids often work from early morning until late at night, only being able to rest after being exhausted. But in the middle of the night, they were often inspected by the palace maid and stood up to scold them. They woke up, eyes dreamy, not knowing what had happened. After a while, they understood that they had violated the rules about sleeping positions.
Once they violate the rules, palace maids are often severely punished. Illustrative photo: Internet.
This scene also appeared in the TV series Yanxi Palace. When Wei Anh Lac and the others entered the palace and received their first sleeping positions, they were taught how to sleep with sticks by the palace chancellor. Although sleeping posture is important in the palace, it only applies to the palace ladies. No matter how the emperor and his concubines slept, no one dared to interfere.
The book “Memoirs of a Palace Lady” describes in great detail: “Lie on your side, legs bent, one arm next to your body, one arm straight out.” In short, the standard sleeping position of royal ladies is: lying on the side, right leg slightly bent, legs stacked on top of each other, and using one hand as a pillow.
Why impose strict requirements on sleeping positions for palace maids? The first reason is due to belief. Feudal society worshiped gods and in the palaces where the emperor lived, there would be gods protecting everywhere. In the evening, the gods in the palaces would come down to check, and if the sleeping position of the maids was not according to regulations, the gods would feel disrespected and could punish them, affecting the emperor. and national destiny.
The harsh sleeping position makes it impossible for palace ladies to forget their status. Illustrative photo: Internet.
The second reason is to show social hierarchy. Feudal society had a strict hierarchical system and very specific regulations on materials and patterns for the costumes of mandarins at all levels. For example, the highest-ranking mandarins wear the Tien Hac palace uniform, the second-class mandarins wear the Golden Rooster palace uniform… The purpose of this is to always remind people of their position and to be careful. In words and actions, do not cross the boundary. In the palace, the emperor and his concubines could sleep any way they wanted, but the maids were only allowed to lie on their sides, which always reminded them: I can’t even sleep like master, because I is a slave.
The third reason is the space issue. Although the ancient palace was very large, most of the space was reserved for the emperor and his concubines. That is, the bedrooms of thousands of palace maids are very small simply because they have low status. The ruler believes that if they let them sleep comfortably in large rooms and big beds, they will forget who they are. Therefore, the palace maids could only be arranged to sleep in a common bed, so that they would not forget their identity. On a shared bed, the space is very narrow, you can’t lie horizontally, so you can only lie on your side to save space.
