Who are xiaosan or minor wives in China, and why is such a status dangerous for a woman
In modern China, the cult of the family is very developed. Ordinary citizens and high-ranking officials are ordered to lead a “correct” way of life and create “cells of society”. True, people in a high position are far from always ready to honor family foundations, and then xiaosan sacredly, concubines, appear in their lives.
However, the status of Xiaosan can be dangerous both for the girls who have taken on this role and for the men who have taken on the responsibility of maintaining them.
A successful Chinese is simply obliged to have, in addition to a legal wife, also a Xiaosan, a secondary wife, or, as westerns are more familiar with, a mistress. This is due to the peculiarities of the business culture of the country. Not only that, the more successful a person is, the more he should have secondary wives. For example, the former head of one of the largest construction corporations in China has 146 Xiaosans, but this, of course, is an exception, not a rule. Although the “record holder” Xuya Qiyao was really proud of his success. Characteristic is the fact that the provincial officials in the number of secondary wives easily outnumber the city leaders.
Xiaosan began to appear at a time when the country was experiencing rapid economic growth. This was facilitated by the traditions of antiquity, when men who had power and money were simply obliged to have concubines.
According to scientists, this can even be considered a certain national feature of the Chinese and, moreover, corresponds to the concept of Confucianism. But there is another side to this phenomenon. The migration of the population from villages to cities allowed the formation of an “updated” look at the representatives of the most ancient profession.
The fashion for minor wives originated in southern China, when businessmen from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore arrived en masse. Almost each of them had wives in their homeland, but at the new place of residence, there were many young beauties who arrived from distant villages and dreamed of gaining a foothold in the city. Naturally, among them were those who did not neglect the opportunity to please a rich man in exchange for gifts, money, and renting an apartment.
Acquaintance with a wealthy man, endowed with money and power, promises the girl all sorts of benefits. Firstly, the “benefactor” will certainly rent an apartment for a minor wife, usually in a good area. Secondly, she will receive a monthly fee of 10,000 to 20,000 yuan. And thirdly, the amount of monthly payments does not include the gifts she receives from her patron, including clothes, accessories, and jewelry. But the life of a Xiaosan and her patron may not be safe at all.
The dangers of “secondary” wife
The first and main danger for the Xiaosan lies, of course, in the status of a mistress. If the official wife finds out about the presence of a minor, the consequences can be unpredictable. At the same time, revenge overtakes, as a rule, not at all the traitor-husband but his young mistress.
Xiaosan often suffers beatings from the wives of officials, and sometimes their health is irreversibly damaged. But there are also exceptions to the rule. There is a known case when the wife and mistress of an official knew each other and were also friends and even helped each other with children. Naturally, even younger competitors dream of ousting older “girlfriends” from the market, so you can also expect a dirty trick from them.
High competition in the market allows men to choose from many young and beautiful women, and Xiaosan, who have reached the age of 24-28, are mercilessly exchanged for younger and still unspoiled beauties.
By the way, cases of reprisal against the patrons themselves with their secondary wives are not uncommon. As soon as they start to arrange conflicts out of the blue, throw tantrums or start endlessly complaining about a “headache”, punishment overtakes instantly. And the most innocuous outcome would be simply “fired”. But history knows many cases when yesterday’s patron orders his subordinates to simply eliminate the Xiaosan.
For their part, the secondary wives, knowing that a relationship with a man cannot last forever, try to behave very carefully and prepare the ground for retreat in advance, collecting dirt on the patron. And then they willingly sell it to special services, who are ready to pay for specific material.
In the Celestial Empire, even such a thing as “the fight against corruption with the help of mistresses of officials” appeared. At the same time, in fact, a considerable number of crimes related to corruption in China are being investigated thanks to the former Xiaosan precisely.
And the Chinese media claim that each of the corrupt officials who were exposed, as a rule, had at least one mistress, but more often, there were several. Even the fear of exposure and the prohibition at the legislative level does not stop Chinese men from wanting to acquire concubines.
Becoming a minor wife in China is quite simple, all it takes is youth and beauty.
