Guan Zhong assisted Qi Huangong to become the first overlord in the Spring and Autumn Period with his excellent strategy, and was praised as "the first phase of China", "the pioneer of Legalism", "the protector of Chinese civilization" and "the teacher of saints".
In addition, Guan Zhong has another special identity, and he is also the "originator of prostitution".
Ji Xiaolan's Notes on Yuewei Caotang in Qing Dynasty contains:
Three hundred and sixty lines have no ancestors, and all lines have ancestors. The ancestor of prostitution is Guan Zhong.
When prostitutes originated, there is no clear conclusion. However, according to some historical records, prostitutes have a long history in China.
Most prostitutes in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were organized by the government, either prostitutes or official prostitutes. "The Origin of Everything" said that "Hanwu began to set up prostitutes to treat the sergeant's wife." In fact, this kind of prostitute similar to the later army appeared as early as the Spring and Autumn Period.
Prostitutes at that time were different from prostitutes in brothels later, because they had to run around for wealth and try their best. But in Qi State at that time, prostitutes didn't have to worry, because they had a big backer, and that was Guan Zhong, the prime minister of Qi State.
As we all know, when Guan Zhong was prime minister, he assisted Qi Huangong in governing the country and carried out a series of reforms. Such as: re-dividing administrative regions, enforcing military discipline and developing salt and iron industry.
In addition, Guan Zhong also opened an official female Lu. The so-called prostitute is the place where prostitutes live, that is, the brothel of later generations. ? According to historical records, Guan Zhong set up 300 women's brothels, with a total of 25 women's brothels, always around 7,400. Guan Zhong became the first official to open a brothel in history.
As a politician, Guan Zhong initiated the state to run brothels, not for pleasure, but for the country. He can achieve the following goals by managing the female Lu:
First, increase national fiscal revenue. Guan Zhong carried out a large-scale reform in the territory of Qi at that time, and needed huge funds to support his series of reform actions. Although he recovered the national salt and iron franchise at that time, it was still not enough to cope with the huge reform expenditure. In ancient times, the consumption of brothels was generally high, so he thought of enriching the state treasury by creating prostitutes, which later became an important source of tax revenue.
Second, by setting up women's clubs, businessmen can be attracted to do business in Qi, and at the same time, some celebrities and talents can be attracted.
Third, in feudal society, the social status of prostitutes was low, but after the commercialization of prostitution, the status of prostitutes was protected by national laws, which alleviated social contradictions to some extent.
According to the literature, Qi Huangong is a womanizer. In Zuo Zhuan, the establishment of "a good wife helps, dotes on many things, and six women are like wives" and the woman Lu also provided convenient conditions for her lewd music.
Guan Zhong's establishment of female prostitutes had a far-reaching impact on later generations. Under the advocacy of Guan Zhong, the people maintained a neutral attitude towards prostitutes and gave them human rights to a certain extent, so Guan Zhong was also called the patron saint of prostitutes.