Routes to the Palace

Abstract

All eunuchs, regardless of their route to the palace, began their journey with the singular act of emasculation. During the Qing, government-licensed professionals and family members performed the procedure on eunuch candidates. While eunuchs had volunteered for service, many young boys were coerced by family members into undergoing emasculation. Their families, like many destitute Chinese adult men who volunteered for service, viewed emasculation and employment as a palace eunuch as the potential remedy to their families’ financial problems. The irreversible act of emasculation, a prerequisite for even being presented as a candidate for service within the palace, did not ensure employment as an imperial court eunuch though. A myriad of palace eunuch prerequisites concerning ethnicity, age, and form of emasculation allowed the Qing to control the selection process.