Sun Yaoting (1902–1996)
Sun Yaoting was the last surviving imperial eunuch of the Qing Dynasty, serving the last Emperor Puyi and Empress Wanrong. His life spanned the transition from Imperial China to the People’s Republic.
Life and Emasculation
- Early Life: Born into poverty in Tianjin. His family sought imperial influence to escape oppression by a local landlord.
- Emasculation: In 1911, at age eight, he was emasculated by his father without anesthesia.
- Timing: Ironically, Emperor Puyi abdicated just weeks before Sun’s recovery, though Sun eventually entered the Forbidden City at age 14.
Service and Later Years
- Palace Service: Rose to become an attendant to Empress Wanrong.
- Expulsion: Evicted from the Forbidden City in 1924 during the crackdown on corruption and later followed the imperial family to Manchukuo.
- Target of Scorn: During the Cultural Revolution, he was persecuted as a remnant of the “old society.” His siblings discarded his “treasure” (preserved genitals) out of fear, causing him lifelong distress as he could not be buried as a “complete man.”
- End of Life: Spent his final years as a monk and caretaker of the Guanghua Temple in Beijing.
Legacy
- Biography: The Last Eunuch of China by Jia Yinghua.
- Symbolism: His life represents the end of a two-thousand-year-old tradition in the Chinese imperial court.
Related Concepts
- Arab Slave Trade (Comparison of Eunuch Roles)
- Qing Dynasty History
Citations
[1] Wikipedia: Sun Yaoting
[2] Yinghua, Jia. The Last Eunuch of China.