This book is unusual because the subject itself is unusual. Eunuchs! What do we know about them, except statements full of bewilderment, sometimes contempt, usually based on ignorance or misunderstanding of the essence of a complex phenomenon. Who are these people, how did they become eunuchs, what place did they occupy in society? The book will focus on China, a country where the institution of eunuchs existed for many centuries. Secrets of the court, court intrigues, and intimate secrets were associated with eunuchs. These are pictures of Chinese history, little known in China itself, and even more so outside it. Interesting are the fragments of those literary monuments that talk about the fate of the court eunuchs, some of whom became literary heroes.

CONTENTS: Preface 9Part 1D. N. VOSKRESENSKY. COURT EUNUCTURES IN THE HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF CHINA 13 Court eunuchs in the history and literature of China 15 Comments 52 Guo Qing, the righteous man from Chang'an Dreams dark and light, warning the world Fragments from a 17th century novel. A word of insight (Foreword by the Woodcutter from the Yanshan Mountains) 54Dreams dark and light, warning the world 56Introduction 56In Zhuozhou he gathers a gang (chapter one) 60In a blue-green mansion they organize a fun competition (chapter four) 67He finds lodging for the night in a wretched temple (chapter seven) 77At an inn in the yard he asks for alms (chapter eight) 82 Some wish him longevity, others point out his delusions (chapter twenty-seven) 88 A dark dream 94 A righteous Taoist wanders in his sleep (chapter one) 94 Contents of subsequent chapters 100 Comments 106 The monster Tao-u. Anonymous author (fragment from a 17th century novel. Chapter XVIII) 110 Comments 131 Li Yu, or Elder Li in a Bamboo Hat (17th century) Three stories from the collections: “Silent Plays” and “The Twelve Towers” 134 A man who became a mother 134 A bisexual child 172 The Tower of the Collection of Refinements 197 Chapter first 197Chapter two 206Chapter three 215Comments 223Li Yu. Night Owl Weiyang, or Flesh Mat (fragments from the novel) 228 Comments 253 Stories from palace life during the Manchu Qing dynasty. The end of the 19th - the beginning of the 20th century 254Li Lianying, whom I knew 255The story of the eunuch Zhang Fu about his life 283Some facts from the life of the Qing eunuchs 299Clothing and emblems 302Salary of eunuchs 303Private life of high-ranking eunuchs 304Life after service 307Punishments 308The case of the eunuch Su De about you dug silver 311Comments 315Part 2B. V. USOV. EUNUCHS AT THE COURT OF THE CHINESE EMPERORS 319 Eunuchs at the court of the Chinese emperors 321 Castration 326 Eunuchs in Chinese history 336 Eunuchs - military leaders 350 From eunuchs to officials 354 The place of Taijians at the imperial court 366 How they became eunuchs 375 Their lives 386 Embezzlement 389Punishments of the eunuchs 395The variety of their labors and duties 405Emperors and favorites 411Marriage of the eunuchs 420Death 423Comments 427Literature used 428