Post #5 Form A

A major cultural difference which has arisen is in the existence of the Forbidden City. In the Forbidden City hundreds of women live lives of luxury, pettiness, and jealousy while waiting and hoping for the Emperor’s favor so that they might go to bed with him. That’s not something that exists in current day America, at all. Though this seems like a lowly existence for these women it is actually the best way and one of the only ways to gain any power at all. “My heart leapt with pride. As Talented One of the fifth rank, I immediately overtook my brothers in the imperial hierarchy; they were officials of the seventh rank. The next time we saw each other they would have to prostate themselves at my feet!” (34) The women within the Forbidden City were the ones who became the Emperor’s concubines and wives. They were surrounded by government officials and were able to have some influence within the government. They were also the ones who gave birth to possible heirs to the throne. It’s a major cultural difference but it is also one of the only ways a woman could obtain power and influence in this highly patriarchal society.