Almost all women in the Forbidden City were required to live within the inner palace and were strictly forbidden from leaving the northern area.

 

Most women in the Forbidden City served as palace maids or attendants. Among them, a select group of concubines was chosen specifically for the duty of bearing children for the Emperor—as many as possible. Those who gave birth to sons were elevated to the rank of Noble Consort, with the Empress holding the highest position in the hierarchy of the imperial harem.

 

The inner court was composed of three main groups of women: imperial consorts, palace maids, and royal princesses.

 

In the Qing Dynasty, Manchu women had a famous hairstyle called Liangbatou. It is a tall headdress that features two handfuls of hair, parted to each side of the head, sometimes with the addition of wire frames, extensions and ornamentation. Liangbatou was made by Empress Dowager Cixi. Then this hairstyle was used by Manchu Concubine in Qing Dynasty, became popular and evolved starting from the Qing dynasty through the Republican Period (1910–1940s).