The Last Eunuch of China

Language: English

Publication Date: 2008

Number of Pages: 314

Binding: Paperback

ISBN: 9787508514079

 China's last eunuch Sun Yaoting died in December 1996 at age 94. He took with him intimate stories of the last vestiges of Imperial China and was himself the Fast in the line of eunuchs who had served the royal family for more than 2,000 years. His personal journey from poor farmboy to revered servant to Pu Yi and Wanrong, China's last emperor and empress, is an amazing journey which also chronicles nearly one century of turbulence and upheaval in Chinese history and culture. This engrossing biography by Chinese historian Jia Yinghua features first-hand accounts by Sun Yaoting of his adventures in the Forbidden City, his reunion with Pu Yi in Japanese-held Manchukuo in the 1930s, his return to "normal" life as a community organizer in the Buddhist temple where he lived out the rest of his life. Beginning in the early 1900s, Sun's story follows events in China such as Pu Yi's abdication of Imperial rule, the Japanese occupation of China which ended with the conclusion of World War II, China's civil war and the eventual victory of the Communist Party in 1949, the Cultural Revolution （1966-1976）, and the subsequent:"opening up" policy from which China has emerged as a leading economic and political power worldwide. The Last Eunuch of China: The Life of Sun Yaoting is a unique glimpse into China's storied past from the perspective of a man who faithfully served China's Imperial Family in the Forbidden City but was later forced to maneuver himself among the tremendous and often turbulent events that became the history of 20th century China. As Sun Yaoting recalls his experiences, he also recounts the life of the dwindling eunuch　community in China.

 Content:

Prologue

1.Castration

1.The ChiefEunuch Comes Home

2.A ChildIlood Dream

3.The Castration

4.Private School

Prince Zai Tao’S Mansion

1.Arriving in the Capital

2.The Imperial Uncle

3.Loss ofthe Pigtail

4.The Restoration

5.Leaving Zai Tao

The Forbidden Citv

1.Entry into the Palace

2.ChiefEunuch Ren

3.High Consort Duankang

4.The Theatrical Troupe

5.Death ofEmperor's Mother

In the Red Walls

1.Head Eunuch Mu

2.The Accounting Office

3.Constant Learning

4.palace ofGreat Benevolence

5.Stories and Anecdotes

6.The Emperor's Wedding

7.Dispersal ofEunuchs

Serving the Imperial Couple

1.The Empress

2.Palace ofGathering Elegance

3.Languishing in Seclusion

4.The Capricious Emperor

5.nle Emperor's Secrets

Sunset in the Forbidden City

1.The Empress’s Birthday

2.The Expulsion

3.The Northern Mansion

4.Back at Home

Temple of Prosperity

1.Eunuch Sanctuary

2.Myriad Fates ofEunuchs

3.White—CloudTemple

4.Tales about Cixi

House Servant

1.Xiaode Zhang

2.Yao Mengshan

3.Prodigal Sons

Manchukuo

1.“New Capital”

2.Team ofOrderlies

3.Puppet Emperor

4.Visitors to the Palace

5.A Brutal Beating

6.Back at Home

Some Turbulent Years

1.An Amicable Japanese

2.Zha Qi'er

3.Silver Fish and Purple Crabs

4.Death ofChert Zechuan

Communist‘lhkeover

1.Temple ofGreat Bounty

2.L0rd Guall's Temple

3.People’s LiberationArmy

4.”Big Landlord”

After Liberation

1.An Investigation and a Lawsuit

2.The Fate ofXiaode Zhang

3.Back in the Temple ofProsperity.

4.Quarrels and Fights

Life in the New Society

1.Narrow Escape

2.A Forum ofEunuchs

3.TheGreatTurbulence

4.Homecoming in Disgrace

The Final Years

1.The Last Eunuch ofChina

2.Revisiting the Forbidden City

3.Peaceful Old Age

4.Secrets to Longevity

Gravestone in Silence