Inside the World of the Eunuch:A Social History of the Emperor’s Servants in Qing China
- History
- Categories:Chinese Culture Historical Study
- Language:English(Translation Services Available)
- Publication date:December,2018
- Pages:236
- Retail Price:(Unknown)
- Size:156mm×234mm
- Page Views:12
- Words:(Unknown)
- Star Ratings:
- Text Color:Black and white
Request for Review Sample
Through our website, you are submitting the application for you to evaluate the book. If it is approved, you may read the electronic edition of this book online.
Special Note:
The submission of this request means you agree to inquire the books through RIGHTOL,
and undertakes, within 18 months, not to inquire the books through any other third party,
including but not limited to authors, publishers and other rights agencies.
Otherwise we have right to terminate your use of Rights Online and our cooperation,
as well as require a penalty of no less than 1000 US Dollars.
Review
“This is a unique study of Chinese eunuchs, in which Melissa Dale proves that they were a necessary and vital presence in the palace of the last dynasty in China. She explores all aspects of their life to the end of their existence, while avoiding the temptation to sensationalize them.” —Keith McMahon, University of Kansas
Description
Seeking more control over their lives, eunuchs serving the Qing repeatedly tested the boundaries of subservience to the emperor and the imperial court. This portrait of eunuch society reveals that Qing palace eunuchs operated within two parallel realms, one revolving around the emperor and the court by day and another among the eunuchs themselves by night where they recreated the social bonds—through drinking, gambling, and opium smoking—denied them by their palace service. Far from being the ideal servants, eunuchs proved to be a constant source of anxiety and labor challenges for the Qing court. For a long time eunuchs have simply been cast as villains in Chinese history. Inside the World of the Eunuch goes beyond this misleadingly one-dimensional depiction to show how eunuchs actually lived during the Qing dynasty.