Throughout history, physical beauty has been a coveted ideal for women across cultures and eras. But for Yang Guifei—hailed ...

In ancient China, Confucian traditions required women to be gentle and obedient. According to “The Book of Rites,” a collection of texts mainly published in the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE) on the ...

The Guardian writes about the former provincial official brought down by his 11 mistresses: Pang Jiayu, the former deputy head of the provincial political advisory body, has been sacked and expelled ...

Concubinage fell into official disrepute in Japan in the late 19th Century when the Japanese discovered that Westerners considered it a barbaric practice. Many a wealthy Japanese male, however, ...

When “Farewell My Concubine” hit the screens in China in 1993, many were shocked by its portrayal of taboo subjects—homosexuality, suicide and the Cultural Revolution. The story follows two young boys ...