Eunuchs and Concubines
For much of the imperial period , the Inner Court of the palace was the home of more than six thousand members of the royal household, around half of this number eunuchs . The castrated male was introduced into the imperial court as a means of ensuring the authenticity of the emperor's offspring and as a radical solution to the problem of nepotism. In daily contact with the royals, they often rose to considerable power, but this was bought at the expense of their dreadfully low standing outside the confines of the court. Confucianism held that disfiguration of the body impaired the soul, and eunuchs were buried apart from their ancestors in special graveyards outside the city. In the hope that they would still be buried "whole", they kept and carried around their testicles in bags hung on their belts. They were usually recruited from the poorest families - attracted by the rare chance of amassing wealth other than by birth. Scarcely less numerous were the concubines , whose status varied from wives and consorts to basic whores. They would be delivered to the emperor's bedchamber, wrapped in yellow cloth, and carried by one of the eunuchs, since with feet bound they could hardly walk.
Your Tip for Forbidden City
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Forbidden City - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Forbidden City - visit the main Forbidden City forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Forbidden City webguide section below! Thanks.
| 
