The Painful Castration Process of Eunuchs in Chinese History

Chinese history books record that men serving in the palace before the Qin Dynasty (before 221 BC) and the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC - 8 AD) were not necessarily eunuchs. From the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) onwards, they were forced to have their genitals removed and become eunuchs to avoid having relationships with women in the palace.

Eunuchs come from a variety of backgrounds, including those who volunteered, were punished, paid tribute, or even sold. After undergoing a selection process, they were forced to undergo castration before officially becoming eunuchs.

In ancient times, there were two places that specialized in male castration surgery: the "Internal Affairs Office" in the palace and the "Specialized Body Castration Facility" outside. During the Qing Dynasty, the "Kidney and Bone Surgery Department" was the name given to the department in the palace that specialized in performing this procedure.

Tinh su is the name of those who practice body purification. This is a money-making profession because the process is extremely painful and has a high mortality rate, requiring high techniques.

The main knife used to cut off the genitals is made of an alloy of gold and copper to avoid infection. Before use, it must be heated over a fire to sterilize it. In addition, the practitioner also uses a number of other types of knives.

The process of purification requires careful selection of weather because ancient medicine was still quite poor and had not yet found an effective antiseptic. Therefore, people often performed this process in late spring and early summer, when the climate was mild and there were almost no flies or mosquitoes.

Before starting, the person who is to be castrated and the monk will have to sign a commitment in the presence of witnesses. The commitment will state that the person who is to be castrated is completely voluntary, regardless of any risks or death after the castration. The person who is to be castrated must also pay a certain fee. Most of these people come from poor families and must pay it back gradually each year after entering the palace.

A few days before surgery, the practitioner is not allowed to eat or drink to avoid infection from defecating or urinating. While on the operating table, the practitioner does not anesthetize the patient but simply washes their genitals with hot chili soup.

The painful castration process of eunuchs in Chinese history - 2 — Body purification tools. (Photo: QQ)

According to the book "Chinese Royal Life", before castrating a child to become a eunuch, the eunuch would take a peeled chicken egg and stuff it into the child's mouth, blocking the child's throat so that it could not make a sound before starting the act.

Because the genitals still have the ability to develop or grow longer, eunuchs will have their bodies examined once a year after entering the palace. This process is called purification. Many eunuchs have a strong urine odor because they have not been purified properly, causing urine to leak out.

After being castrated, the Adam's apple will not be exposed, the voice will be clear, and the gestures will be like a woman's. In addition to obvious physiological changes, they will also gradually change psychologically. They will lose their sexual instincts, feel like their life is over, and no longer have any real meaning.

Therefore, they often live with a negative attitude, even actively giving up their plans, ideals and motivations. Most eunuchs in ancient times lived such a quiet life. However, once they had a lot of money or held some power in their hands, they would no longer live in silence but would become greedy, cruel and ruthless.

The painful castration process of eunuchs in Chinese history - 3 — Eunuchs at the end of the Qing Dynasty. (Photo: Sohu)

Many people find it difficult to understand the stories of eunuchs marrying wives. However, Japanese scholar Terao Yoshio studied this issue and explained it with the "psychological theory of escaping loneliness" in his work "The Story of a Eunuch".

He believes that eunuchs marry to escape loneliness. They always have to endure the contemptuous gazes of others, so it is understandable that they seek warmth from their wives.

The "wives" of eunuchs were mostly palace maids. Life in the palace was isolated from the outside world, so only palace maids could marry eunuchs.

HAI YEN (Source: Morning Post)

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