In most modern people's cognition, the nursing mother in the feudal period is often regarded as a cow-like existence, and its value is mainly determined by the amount of breast milk it produces. However, in the feudal society, the family with a certain amount of power must be equipped with a nurse, and the rich and noble family lacking the nurse will inevitably be despised by others. In reality, however, their work was far from being as singular as we see it, and in the case of nurses in the Qing imperial family, they supported their children while also shouldering a variety of other missions.
Scope of duties of the nursing mother
Normally, the background of these nursing mothers is ordinary and ordinary, most of them come from low-level families with poor lives, and if they are not worried about their livelihood, they will naturally not choose such an industry. In addition, in order to become a nurse in a noble mansion, many strict conditions must be met, and it is not enough to be physically strong and have plenty of milk. There are also detailed rules on body shape, status and personality.
The criteria for selecting nursing mothers, which prevailed in the Qing Dynasty, generally included good health, good character, abundant milk after childbirth, and well-proportioned body shape. Only those who meet the above conditions can initially step into the list of nursing mothers. After becoming a nursing mother, you still need to follow the rules set by your owner, such as not contacting your family or husband at all times, and be sure to take care of your child wholeheartedly to ensure that the child can grow up healthy and strong.
So, how do these nurses settle their own children?For children from poor families, goat's milk or cow's milk is usually used for breastfeeding. The aristocratic ladies hired others to feed their children on their behalf, not because they had no milk and needed others to take over, but because they wanted to recover as soon as possible in order to compete for the favor of their husbands, a trend that was particularly evident in the imperial harem.
As a result, nursing mothers have gradually become indispensable members of wealthy families. However, nursing mothers are different from other ordinary people, because in the process of raising children, they have established a deep family bond with their children, and if the children successfully ascend the throne in the future, the people who are attached to them will be able to soar, which naturally includes nursing mothers, especially in the Qing Dynasty royal family.
The daily tasks of a nurse in the Qing Dynasty
Throughout history, harem battles were commonplace, and even emperors, as rulers, tried to prevent their relatives from interfering in politics. As a result, the emperor's harem concubines were often unable to raise their children in person, so they had to separate the mother and son from an early age to reduce the emotional connection between the two parties and prevent their mothers from tying up their ambitions with family affection. For example, when the prince grows up to the throne, it is difficult for his mother and relatives to gain too much power in the hands of the new emperor.
In view of the above considerations, the Qing imperial family recruited a large number of nursing mothers from the private sector, and over time, the work functions of nursing mothers gradually diversified. In addition to nursing their babies, they are also responsible for taking care of their daily lives. Due to the severe shortage of medical resources in ancient times, the survival rate of infants and young children was not optimistic, and even the royal family could not escape such troubles.
It can be seen that the nursing mother at this time is particularly rich in parenting and childbirth experience, and can take care of the various needs of the prince in an all-round way. When the child is weaned and adult, the role of the nursing mother does not end abruptly, on the contrary, they need to continue to accompany the child for a long time, and the impact on the child is so important that some children have a great spiritual dependence on the nursing mother. For example, the last emperor Pu Yi did not depose his nursing mother until he was nearly ten years old.
Analysis of the far-reaching influence of the royal nursing mother of the Qing court
Most of the so-called nurses of the Qing court royal family are actually in the homes of the low-level people, and they have deeply experienced the embarrassment and hardships of the common people. It is precisely because of this that these princes, who grew up in the palace since childhood, were unconsciously influenced by the nursing mother's worldview, values and outlook on life through close contact with the nursing mother, and in the wonderful and life-and-death power struggle. This was undoubtedly an important factor in the large number of monarchs in the Qing Dynasty. In this case, the focus of the nursing mother's duties is not only to give birth, breastfeed and take care of the prince's daily life, but also to bear a considerable part of the important responsibility of the prince's early education and guidance.
In order to cultivate the prince's family affection and filial piety, the huge price paid by the nursing mother in the process of raising the prince is absolutely shocking. In return, however, they received the same remarkable favor. The emperors of the Qing Dynasty will never forget to give rich rewards to the nurses who once took good care of their babies. Even in the case of princes who failed to succeed to the throne, they would repay or give back to their nurses in their own unique ways, trying their best to ensure that they could live a comfortable and stable life.