I’ve been reading The Stone of Heaven by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott Clark, all about Chinese and Burmese Jade and I came across a section on the Emperor and the rules that governed his, shall we say, ‘getting off’. Has anyone studied Chinese royalty and know more about this - I’m no perv…no really…but it is really fascinating, especially the concubines and the rules about their bound feet.
um, could you be a little more specific? How about a dynasty or time frame? You’re talking thousands of years of Chinese history and an awful lot of emperor’s so really not sure what millenia you’re talking about?
Dutch diplomat and mystery novelist Robert Hans van Gulik was fascinated by Chinese erotic art and sexual practices. He wrote several monographs on them, and on other aspects of hinesde culture, most of which are virtually impossible to get (he privatelty printed up small runs, mostly for friends). But his Judge Dee mysteries are still in print, and worth reading.
As for bound feet, that’s a whole 'nother topic. It wasn’t restricted to the Emperor’s concubines, and it wasn’t throughout Chinese history. I’ve got a fascinating book on the topic, and have no doubt there’s plenty on the Web.
every Step a Lotus by Dorothy Ko:
Well the book goes from medieval period to empress dowager Chi Chi (not sure of spelling).
Tsu Hsi? She was a real firecracker, that one. A whacko, too. I don’t know much about the rules, though. I came in here hoping to find out!
But I AM a perv, though. 
ooo I love Dee Goong-An. Fascinating real person that the Judge Dee mysteries were fictionalized from.
My “Auntie” Chang Yang Bei-chin had lotus feet [she was born in 1902 and was my grandmothers Mt HolyOak roommate for all 4 years, and lifelong friend. She was all of 4’3" tall, played mah jong and fantan like a vegas gambler and smoked like a chimney. Somewhere I have several pair of her beautiful small silk and embroidery shoes. Phenomenal - each pair of shoes was hand made and embroidered for her, some even had semiprecious stone beads and gold bullion-work on them. I can remember not being able to fit into them at the age of 5, they were FOUR INCHES LONG!
I bet a museum would be happy to keep those shoes for you.
aruvqan - sounds like both your grandmother and your aunt would be fascinating.
In the early 1980’s, for some reason that I never understood, one would still see “lotus feet” in the city of Kunming. Almost never anywhere else. It was not exactly a common site but not unusual - especially once you noticed the hobbling walk that these women all had.
Foot binding IIRC was pretty much done around 1920, so age wise there are not many left.
In Pinyin, the Emporess Dowager is Ci Xi