|
Eight Tigers
The Eight Tigers (), sometimes referred to as the Gang of Eight (八黨), were a powerful group of Eunuch (court official), eunuchs that controlled the Chinese imperial court during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor (r. 1505–1521) of the Ming Dynasty, Ming dynasty. Led by Liu Jin, the remaining members of the coterie were Ma Yongcheng (馬永成), Gao Feng (高鳳), Luo Xiang (羅祥), Wei Bin (魏彬), Qiu Ju (丘聚), Gu Dayong (谷大用) and Zhang Yong (張永). Background Eunuchs in China Eunuchs are Castration, castrated men who have often been used as servants in imperial and noble households, due to the understanding that they would not be distracted by or be a danger to women. Eunuchs were often utilized in the imperial household as harem guards and attendants. The Imperial Chinese harem system, harems were considered necessary in order to help produce a male heir, and the eunuchs were trusted protectors. Before the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs had long been a powerful po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eunuch (court Official)
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium BCE. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures: courtiers or equivalent domestics, for espionage or clandestine operations, castrato singers, concubines, or sexual partners, religious specialists, soldiers, royal guards, government officials, and guardians of women or harem servants. Eunuchs would usually be servants or slaves who had been castrated to make them less threatening servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. Seemingly lowly domestic functions—such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter, or even relaying messages—could, in theory, give a eunuch "the ruler's ear" an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
