The six women of the Mongolian harem played an important role in the history of the Shunzhi Dynasty. They all have the surname Borzigit and are related to Shunzhi's mother, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. However, despite their noble status, none of them were able to be favored by Shunzhi, and none of them were able to give birth to children for him. These included Concubine Jing and Empress Hyo Hye-zhang, both of whom had held the position of empress but were ultimately not favored by Shunzhi. This situation is in stark contrast to Shunzhi's preference for Han Chinese women.
Before meeting Concubine Dong E, Shunzhi favored Han women, and many Han women in the harem gave birth to children for him. However, Shunzhi seems to have a different attitude towards women from Mongolia, and does not pay attention to and pamper them. This rejection of Mongolian women raises the question: why is Shunzhi so cold to Mongolian women? Is there some hidden reason for this? First of all, we can interpret this phenomenon from the historical background.
The Shunzhi Dynasty was the last dynasty of Mongol rulers in Chinese history, and there were certain cultural differences and estrangements between the Mongols and the Han Chinese. As a Mongol emperor, Shunzhi may have been more inclined to establish intimate relationships with people of his own race, while he may have a certain prejudice against women from outside Mongolia. In addition, Shunzhi's favor for Han women may be related to the particularity of his background.
Shunzhi's father, Huang Taiji, was a famous anti-Qing general in the last years of the Ming Dynasty, who led the Mongol tribes to conquer most of China and establish the Later Jin regime. Therefore, Shunzhi, as the Later Jin Emperor, may have hoped to consolidate his dominance in China through a union with a Han woman. In addition, Shunzhi's indifference to Mongolian women may also be related to personal preferences. Everyone's preferences for the opposite sex are different, Shunzhi may just not have a special affection for Mongolian women, but is more fond of Han women.
Whatever the reason for this phenomenon, the women of the Mongolian harem did not receive Shunzhi's favor and attention. Although Empress Xiaohuizhang eventually became Kangxi's queen mother, their harem life was not satisfactory. This also reflects Shunzhi's preferences and prejudices for harem concubines from the side. In general, the Mongol women in the harem of the Shunzhi dynasty were not favored by the emperor, in contrast to Shunzhi's preference for Han Chinese women.
The reasons for this can be multifaceted, including a combination of factors such as historical background, personal preferences, etc. In any case, this phenomenon has left us with a special historical memory, and it has also triggered thinking and exploration of harem life.