This is a set of old photos of eunuchs from the late Qing Dynasty, which truly and intuitively show the real image and appearance of eunuchs in the palace more than a hundred years ago. Compared with the eunuchs in Chinese costumes in movies and TV shows, the real eunuchs in history have another image difference.
An old photo of four young eunuchs in the imperial palace during the late Qing Dynasty. In the old photo, they are all handsome, handsome and tall, and they look no different from other normal men. According to historical records of old photos, the four eunuchs in the old photo from the left are: Yang Zizhen, the eunuch in the palace of Yangxin in the late Qing Dynasty, and Wang Fengchi, the second-generation eunuch on the east side of the Yangxin Palace. , the third one is Liu Xingqiao, the former eunuch of Yangxin Palace, and the fourth one is Zhang Haiting, the eunuch of Changchun Palace.
During the late Qing Dynasty in 1885, an old eunuch in charge of the palace in the capital was arrogant. Compared with the overcrowded group of eunuchs in the palace during the Ming Dynasty, the number of eunuchs in the palace was repeatedly reduced after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs. During the Qianlong period, Emperor Qianlong personally issued an edict that the number of eunuchs in his palace should not exceed 3,000.
An old portrait of Yanshou, the chief eunuch of the inner palace in the imperial palace during the late Qing Dynasty. It is reported that Yanshou was from , Dacheng County, , and he was forty-eight years old when the photo was taken. In 1793, the number of eunuchs in the Qing imperial palace was 2,605. By 1887, the number of eunuchs in the palace had been reduced to 1,693.
An old portrait of the eunuch Ruifu, the chief eunuch in the Imperial Palace. He was forty-four years old that year. Perhaps it was the autocratic power of eunuchs during the Ming Dynasty that made the Qing emperors fearful. After learning from their experience, they not only immediately ordered to reduce the number of eunuchs in the palace, but also personally formulated various court laws to restrict the voluntary behavior of eunuchs and punish them.
An old photo of the portrait of Shaoxing Lu, the eunuch in charge of the inner palace in the palace. He had just turned forty-four that year. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty was particularly strict and cautious in controlling the eunuchs in the palace. Not only did he strictly prohibit the eunuchs in the harem from interfering in government affairs, but he also did not allow them to be lazy, disrespectful, loud, drunk and quarreled, and many other related details. They were not even allowed to do so. Eunuchs and court ministers. Princes, nobles and others came and went.
A rare photo of Lai Fu, the chief eunuch in the imperial palace during the late Qing Dynasty. Although he was fifty-seven years old at that time, he was highly trusted and favored by the emperor and his master because of his skillful handling of affairs and his tactful approach to envoys. During the Qing Dynasty, the Jingshifang was usually responsible for managing matters such as eunuchs and maids in the palace, as well as rewards and punishments for their work and behavior. Its subordinate departments were under the jurisdiction of the Internal Affairs Office.
