Zheng He in the news

[JesusA (imported)]

The latest issue of U.S. News & World Report (Feb. 23–Mar. 1, 2004), the one with History’s Great Explorers on the cover, has a fine short article on Zheng He, the great Chinese eunuch admiral. With pictures, the article is 3-1/2 pages long. There is absolutely NO whitewashing of the fact that he was a eunuch – very unusual for a popular magazine. Schoolteachers often order classroom sets for their junior high or high school classes.

While Zheng He’s castration figures elsewhere in the article as well and eunuchs are mentioned throughout, I’ll post the central part of his life story here. BUY THE MAGAZINE for the rest of the article, and for its other fine articles on exploration.

**********

In 1381, when Zheng He was 10 years old, the imperial Army attacked his province, an isolated area on China’s lawless southwestern border that was a hideout for outlaws from the ousted Mongol regime. Zheng’s father was killed in the fighting. As was the custom in times of war, young male children of the enemy were castrated. (Survivors of the brutal procedure were sometimes handed their preserved genitals in a jar, which they would keep with them throughout their lives in the hope that after burial they would be made whole in the afterlife.)

Zheng’s castration had historical reverberations. As a eunuch, he was taken as a servant into the household of his enemy, Zhu Di, the emperor’s fourth son. Though robbed of a family, he was well cared for and educated – in fact, given advantages that he probably never would have received otherwise.

Eunuch power. Though the custom of castration seems bizarre today, eunuchs were actually a powerful force in the society of imperial China. Part of their power came from their intimate access to powerful women and their children. Child eunuchs often grew up with future princes and emperors. Indeed, eunuchs garnered so much wealth and political influence from their close contact with royal families that commoners sometimes had their sons castrated in the hopes of improving the family lot.

Zheng He grew up strong and intelligent, apparently impressing his young master, Zhu Di. In short order he went from houseboy to right-hand man, plotting strategies with the prince and riding next to him in battle. He later assisted Zhu Di in a brilliant and bloody coup to usurp the throne. When Zhu Di became the third Ming emperor of China in 1402, he soon named his loyal eunuch and friend admiral and commander in chief of the huge treasure fleet.

This is only a small part of an excellent article. Well worth the price of the magazine!

[Bboy]

Jesus,

Would the castration as a subjugated people in conflict have been a full emasculation or removal of the testicles?

(if you know ...)

B

The latest issue of U.S. News & World Report (Feb. 23–Mar. 1, 2004), the one with History’s Great Explorers on the cover, has a fine short article on Zheng He, the great Chinese eunuch admiral. With pictures, the article is 3-1/2 pages long. There is absolutely NO whitewashing of the fact that he was a eunuch – very unusual for a popular magazine. Schoolteachers often order classroom sets for their junior high or high school classes.

While Zheng He’s castration figures elsewhere in the article as well and eunuchs are mentioned throughout, I’ll post the central part of his life story here. BUY THE MAGAZINE for the rest of the article, and for its other fine articles on exploration.

**********

In 1381, when Zheng He was 10 years old, the imperial Army attacked his province, an isolated area on China’s lawless southwestern border that was a hideout for outlaws from the ousted Mongol regime. Zheng’s father was killed in the fighting. As was the custom in times of war, young male children of the enemy were castrated. (Survivors of the brutal procedure were sometimes handed their preserved genitals in a jar, which they would keep with them throughout their lives in the hope that after burial they would be made whole in the afterlife.)

Zheng’s castration had historical reverberations. As a eunuch, he was taken as a servant into the household of his enemy, Zhu Di, the emperor’s fourth son. Though robbed of a family, he was well cared for and educated – in fact, given advantages that he probably never would have received otherwise.

Eunuch power. Though the custom of castration seems bizarre today, eunuchs were actually a powerful force in the society of imperial China. Part of their power came from their intimate access to powerful women and their children. Child eunuchs often grew up with future princes and emperors. Indeed, eunuchs garnered so much wealth and political influence from their close contact with royal families that commoners sometimes had their sons castrated in the hopes of improving the family lot.

Zheng He grew up strong and intelligent, apparently impressing his young master, Zhu Di. In short order he went from houseboy to right-hand man, plotting strategies with the prince and riding next to him in battle. He later assisted Zhu Di in a brilliant and bloody coup to usurp the throne. When Zhu Di became the third Ming emperor of China in 1402, he soon named his loyal eunuch and friend admiral and commander in chief of the huge treasure fleet.

This is only a small part of an excellent article. Well worth the price of the magazine!

[JesusA (imported)]

Standard practice in China was a clean sweep, removing everything. In battlefield conditions the death rate could be quite high.

A standard procedure in China was for the unmarried younger sons who made up the Chinese army was, when they conquered new, non-Chinese territory, to kill the adult males (as enemy soldiers), castrate all the boys, and marry the women. Since Chinese culture has promoted primogeniture (only the eldest son inherits anything) and polygamy (marry or keep as concubines as many women as you can afford), there were plenty of younger sons who had no hope of every obtaining property OR finding a woman except by joining the army and conquering new territory. This is a major reason why the Chinese were able to turn the vast territory into a single unit.

While there is brief mention of the practice in lots of documents, there are few details available. One case which IS documented is from the Chinese push to the south. The Hmong people occupied a large swath of what is today southern China. (The philosopher Lao Tze may well have been Hmong in origin.) As the Chinese armies moved south, men were killed and all the boys were castrated. The Hmong fled in terror from the advancing armies, ending up in Southeast Asia, and many of them, later, in the U.S. and Europe after the Vietnam War.

One battle during the reign of Emperor Zhengtong (reigned 1436 –1449) resulted in the capture of a small region from the Hmong inhabitants. It is recorded that 1,565 Hmong boys were castrated after the victory. 329 died of complications from the brutal surgery – a death rate of over 20%.

In the more carefully controlled surgical procedures involving “voluntary” eunuchs – mostly young boys whose parents had decided to have them castrated in order to secure their economic futures in palace service – the death rate was only about 3%.

[An Onymus (imported)]

You can access the story for a few more days at http://www.usnews.com.

[Pueros]

I should humbly like to remind those interested that, amidst my portfolio of stories submitted to the archive, is one entitled 'Zheng He'!

PUEROS

[swordsman (imported)]

Hi ~ Here I'd like to rectify a tiny mistake that you have made . In Ming dynasty of ancient China , the castration taken for punishment of prisoners was a removal of penis only and the balls remained. The ancient record of Chinese court has described him as a "manly,handsome and gentle eunich"and had beard confirmed this saying . A clean sweep was adopted in the late of Ming dynasty . Zheng lived at the start of the dynasty. Sincerely yours~

[Paolo]

Link to any sources, please?

[JesusA (imported)]

Hi ~ Here I'd like to rectify a tiny mistake that you have made . In Ming dynasty of ancient China , the castration taken for punishment of prisoners was a removal of penis only and the balls remained. The ancient record of Chinese court has described him as a "manly,handsome and gentle eunich"and had beard confirmed this saying . A clean sweep was adopted in the late of Ming dynasty . Zheng lived at the start of the dynasty. Sincerely yours~

This is certainly contrary to the information that I have from multiple sources in several languages. There's a longer post at

http://www.eunuch.org/forums/showthread ... Geographic

Please provide a source for your information.