The practice of polyandry by the lower class during Qing dynasty serves as evidence the overshadowed unseen reality of imperial China. Mainstream media, books and historical documents often highlights the practice of polygyny by the elites and nobilities, and very few records include the condition of the lower and less educated class. While the men of the upper class were proud of their full authority and power over the females in their households, the men in the lower have to bite their tongues and tolerate wife sharing as a way to survive.
