Are concubines making a comeback in China?

BEIJING, July 26 (UPI) -- Most of the officials arrested recently for corruption in China have had at least one concubine, investigators say, suggesting an old custom is back.

Qi Pewein, a top official with the Communist Party's Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection, warned in a speech in Dongguan that "beautiful women" can lure office holders into heavy spending, Asia Times Online reported. Qi said 95 percent of officials found to be corrupt have had a concubine.

After the 1949 revolution, the Communist Party under Chairman Mao Zedong banned multiple wives and concubines. But the shift toward capitalism has also brought changes in sexual relations.

Some Chinese now joke about concubines, saying the practice of powerful men having more than one woman hurts the chances of others. The All-China Women's Federation reported the sexual imbalance among newborns continues, with 119 boys born in 2005 for every 100 girls, meaning many men are unable to marry.