The Concubine Economy

Abstract

China is the undisputed future location for the automobile industry — more attractive by far than India, Russia or South America. It is for this reason that the Chinese leadership can specify the conditions under which it allows international automobile manufacturers into the country, even if these are conditions that would never be accepted under any circumstances in the Western free market economy. Also global players like Volkswagen, General Motors or Toyota have to comply with these mechanisms of power. Today they are treated similarly to the former concubines at the imperial court.

The emperial concubines were subject to a hierarchical order of precedence, and the most able and favoured among them enjoyed special recognition. They competed fiercely for the grace of the emperor or at least the empress dowager. Whoever was the favourite of the hour found a thousand ways to fuel the envy of her rivals, since her elevated rank was not outwardly apparent. (…) She was brought in to give birth to a son after her predecessor had not lived up to this expectation. (…) As soon as the emperor had lost interest in her, she was merely counted as a maidservant.

Sterling Seagrave ‘The Concubine on the Dragon Throne’