Chinese Concubines - research

Here is a news article of interest written in China by Xu Xiaomin that isnot likely to make for much pleasant reading regarding husbands in Old Chinabeing allowed to have a wife and concubines. It is entitled "Marriageaccessory", and can be accessed at:http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2003/0619/cu18-1.html Hopefully, it willprovide the insight you are seeking on the subject of marriage customs inOld China. Near the end of the article the point is made that the wife isexpected to encourage the husband to take a concubine if the wife cannotbear children for the husband after attempting for several years into themarriage.In addition, I recommend that you read the book entitled "Chinatown's AngryAngel - The Story of Donaldina Cameron" by Mildred Crowl Martin (ISBN0-87015-225-4). This book will shed some insight for you with its severalsad and vivid stories of poor, innocent young girls from China having beensold to Chinese men in America (notably San Francisco) to become wives. Ofcourse, many more of the girls, unknowing to them, were sold to work atbrothels in Old San Francisco Chinatown. The plight of the poor Chinesegirls became a battle cry for Donaldina Cameron to rescue and harbor thesegirls for safekeeping and comfort at the Presbyterian Mission House inChinatown. A brief writeup on Ms. Cameron and her heroics can be found at:http://baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/zpub2000/sfentries&cmd=list&range=0,50&cmd=all&Id=94Hope these recommendations provide some of the aid you are seeking inwriting your book.