An Dehai (, 1844 – 12 September 1869) was a palace

eunuch 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 ...

at the imperial court of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. In the 1860s, he became the confidant and favourite of Empress Dowager Cixi and was subsequently executed as part of a power struggle between the empress dowager and Prince Chun. Before becoming a eunuch, An lived in

Wanping Fortress Wanping Fortress, also known as Wanping Castle (), is a Ming Dynasty fortress or "walled city" in Fengtai District, Beijing. It was erected in 1638–1640, with the purpose of defending Beijing against Li Zicheng and the peasant uprising. From ...

, near

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. Empress Dowager Cixi regarded An as her favourite eunuch, and referred to him as "Little An" (). Jung Chang writes in '' Empress Dowager Cixi'' (2013) that "Cixi feelings towards him went far beyond fondness for a devoted servant", and she was "clearly in love" with An. In 1869, Cixi sent An on a mission to the Imperial Textile Factory in

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, to "supervise the procurement" of wedding gowns for Emperor Tongzhi wedding. On this trip, An travelled on the Grand Canal with a conspicuous display of imperial authority. This was an open violation of palace rules, which prohibited palace eunuchs from leaving the capital without authorisation on the penalty of death, so as to prevent eunuchs from gaining too much power. When An and his entourage reached

Shandong Province Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizatio ...

, the governor

Ding Baozhen Ding Baozhen () (1820–1886), courtesy name Weihuang (), was a Chinese official who lived in the late Qing dynasty and served as the governor of Sichuan Province. The Sichuan dish Kung Pao chicken (or Gongbao chicken) was named after his nickn ...

reported his behaviour back to the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a Chinese palace, palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples includ ...

. Led by Prince Chun, who disliked An, the Grand Council ordered the execution of the eunuch.

Empress Dowager Ci'an Empress Xiaozhenxian (12 August 1837 – 8 April 1881), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Niohuru clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and empress consort of Yizhu, the Xianfeng Emperor. She was Empress consort of Qing from 1 ...

seemed to have supported the decision whereas Empress Dowager Cixi, who favoured An, did not intervene on the eunuch's behalf. According to one explanation, Empress Dowager Cixi was attending a performance of

Beijing opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

at the time that the decision was taken and had requested not to be disturbed. As a result, An and six other eunuchs in his entourage were beheaded near the Ximizhi Spring in a Guandi Temple in

Jinan Jinan (), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized as Tsinan, is the Capital (political), capital of Shandong province in East China, Eastern China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is the second-largest city i ...

. The other members of An's group, including his female relatives and a few musicians, were made slaves and banished to

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...

in the far northeastern corner of the Qing Empire. After An's execution, a bereaved Cixi had all of his belongings collected, and entrusted them to one of her brothers. One of An's friends, a fellow eunuch, laid the blame for his death on Cixi, and was promptly strangled to death as punishment. It has been suggested by historians including Stephen Haw and Jung Chang that An's execution was part of, and exacerbated, a broader power struggle between Empress Dowager Cixi and Prince Chun. Ma Saihua (馬賽花, 马赛花), a 19 year old woman was married by An Dehai when he was 24.

References

{{reflist Qing dynasty eunuchs 1844 births 1869 deaths Qing dynasty politicians from Hebei Politicians from Cangzhou People executed by the Qing dynasty by decapitation Executed Qing dynasty people Executed people from Hebei