I love how he pronounced those names so fluently and at the same time narrating the story in English so nicely.

So refreshing to come across a channel that talks about Chinese history and can actually pronounce Chinese names correctly. Interesting content too, I'll be checking out the rest of your channel.

@sydneyt8976

3 жыл бұрын

I was just about to comment this. Studied Mandarin for almost 10 years and even lived in Beijing for 3 years. It was so nice to hear him pronounce them properly. Made me smile.

@TheWhitepantheress

3 жыл бұрын

Studied Chinese (Mandarin) for 4 years and lived in Beijing for a few months and I was also thinking this also.

@Fyre0

3 жыл бұрын

I've studied Mandarin for like 5 chapters of HSK 1 book and never lived in China and was gonna say the same thing

@ImAMassiveBender

3 жыл бұрын

Shade thrown on Jabzy.

@mephistosprincipium

3 жыл бұрын

I never studied mandarin for even a second in my life and I was about to write the same

There was an old phrase of “stinking like a Eunuch,” which either referred to the fact that many Eunuchs had some urinary incontinence or “dribbling,” or that Eunuchs would wear heavy perfume to cover this, and so smelled strongly of perfume. Just another difficulty in the whole difficult process.

@CrimsonAlchemist

Ай бұрын

Omg for real? Cant be

@tomlopez4968

17 күн бұрын

Civet paster and agarwood oil very expensive

@bbeloveth53bahtgad37

11 күн бұрын

So sad.

"It takes balls to take down the Chinese empire." "History says otherwise, in surprising specificity..."

@fullbloom7934

3 жыл бұрын

Empire was taken down along with the balls…

@seangallagher1947

3 жыл бұрын

Aptly said lol

@noobie7719

3 жыл бұрын

😂apparently true!

@davidfreeman3083

3 жыл бұрын

It's sort of true, it takes the taken away of the balls. They're probably revenging for that...

@theabrescia1955

3 жыл бұрын

@@davidfreeman3083 - There are reports of eunuchs being hostile and sadistic, - so the vengeful theory makes sense. Very gross that the parents forced their young boys to undergo the extreme torture of castration. What a horrific betrayal. The death rate from castration was very high. This video claims that the professional castrator killed 1 client out 50. It is more likely that the majority of his clients died from massive blood loss or extreme infection.

I’m so beyond happy I found this channel. It’s so hard to find people who make Chinese history easier to understand, let alone make it interesting too!!

@roblox21242

3 жыл бұрын

im still having a hard time because of the names its confusing and city names... i wish the names was easier to understand remember

@jackl2257

3 жыл бұрын

I’m glad you are appreciative of our culture

@elguapodelmonte215

3 жыл бұрын

Oh yea Katarina, you must be either a Chinese bot, a smurf, a paid troll, a moll, a lost soul, or maybe just a skooby.

@jackl2257

3 жыл бұрын

@Morgrim who asked

@WildWombats

3 жыл бұрын

@@roblox21242 That just takes time my friend. I've been fascinated with ancient Chinese history since my childhood. My recommendation is to watch some classic Chinese TV shows so you can get a handle on pronunciations first - like Romance of the Three Kingdoms (2010 version or 1996 version, both are good) or Advisor's Alliance. You'll obviously not understand everything being said, but if you can at least understand the names being said and the places, that will help you a lot over time. I'm at the point where I can remember names and places and to me, they sound normal. Keep watching and reading, and it'll become normal to you.

Me, in pain recovering from surgery: KZread: wanna hear about chinese castrated civil servants? Me: Sure, hearing about someone else's horrible pain might distract me.

@Replicaate

3 жыл бұрын

@Josh Smith Just several severely impacted teeth, thankfully not a castration lol.

@glorfindelchocolateflowery6392

3 жыл бұрын

and they say the average person should feel guilty for being depressed because of bed bound people in the hospital. Looks like hospital bound people are just as hypocritical as the rest of us

@TheMotherofTacos

3 жыл бұрын

Nice. I'm recovering from surgery too!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Lol, I hope you will have a speedy recover :)

@bananaice3469

2 жыл бұрын

Wishing you a speedy recovery And hopefully you have already recovered :)

There was a very powerful eunuch before the Han dynasty. The name is Zhaogao赵高 of Qin dynasty. He was very close to the first emperor of China. And he managed to rigged the final imperial edict. Choosing the younger prince Huhai胡亥 as the next emperor and purged elder prince Fusu复苏 with his supporters. Later on Zhaogao purged prime minister Lisi李斯, became the practical ruler of the Qin dynasty. He was so powerful if he say "a deer is a hourse" no one in the court would dare to oppose him.

@PT-pq6gw

3 жыл бұрын

Lao Ai was an eunuch ( fake because he wasn’t castrated ) he actually had 2 sons with the mother of the Qin emperor Ying Zheng ( the emperor who united china .Lisi was his prime minister …

@chestervelosophotography6702

3 жыл бұрын

I watched a Chinese war drama on netflix featuring him as the villain.

@vestysteiner9480

3 жыл бұрын

@@chestervelosophotography6702 what's the name of the drama? I love Chinese Drama, especially ancient ones involving generals and war etc.

@user-ng7wh6bh7r

3 жыл бұрын

扶苏not复苏

@chestervelosophotography6702

3 жыл бұрын

@@vestysteiner9480 kzread.info/dash/bejne/qX9l2tWKh8_SdNY.html

What's interesting is how many different roles eunuchs played. Some were merely house keepers, while others were given control over entire armies and provinces.

@dominicbrant1968

3 ай бұрын

As a Eunuch, their wealth, status and power wouldn't be passed down to another generation. Neither were they considered as a sexual threat, and thus unlikely to produce bastard children. That gave the perception of them being safe. They carried few material liabilities. This allowed them to get close to those in power... and the rest, as they say, is history

Kind of sad knowing countless numbers of poor young boys were castrated for the role. Many, if not all, of these children had no say as they were castrated.

@rockit3422

3 жыл бұрын

And they weren’t criminals either🥺

@dashoverton1963

3 жыл бұрын

@@rockit3422 Yes, usually these young boys were just captured child slaves or orphans.

@sampuspitakumarajiva8930

3 жыл бұрын

they also grew boobs… yum

@SONJASAVEDBYGRACE

3 жыл бұрын

😞

@deejin25

2 жыл бұрын

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say none of them had that choice. Even if asked they wouldn't know what that meant.

I finally find a channel that's probably most accurate about Chinese history, and presented it in a chronological and clear way with the dates and names of the persons and locations. Good research work !

@History_of_China

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Glad you like it :)

It was to my shame that as a British born Chinese I didn't know much of my own history and culture. So I started on the Tang Dynasty 500 poems, read the top five Chinese classics and had tuition on the dizi and erhu. This series on Chinese history will go a long way to fill in the vast gaps in my knowledge. Thank you.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

My absolute pleasure :)

@brisvegasthemoneymagnetslo5470

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Edward, please can you tell me if you know the Old testament of the Bible. Chinese history traditions and rituals match the history of the Israelites (the people of the covenant - you could say 'heavenly mandated sons of God' as is said in these videos). The Han names match the meanings attributed to the tribes. If you don't know, I hope you can direct me to the classics translated to English by a Chinese native, as the translations I've found are by white people with their spin.Thank you, appreciate it. And if you are a descendent of the heavenly mandated sons of God, I bow to you, sir.

@700gsteak

2 жыл бұрын

What the? Where does chinese history traditions and rituals match the history of the Israelites?

@pastorvega9056

2 жыл бұрын

Could be worse lol. You could be an American zealot that arrogantly speaks out their ass lol.

@protoman482

2 жыл бұрын

The current chinese regime is a little shifty on teaching it tbh so good for you .

Also what a delight that the narrator can speak the language fluently, a delight to the ear.

@History_of_China

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

I've always been interested in the topic of how eunuchs were able to adopt children to make a surrogate family and thus a legacy, such as Cao Cao who had a eunuch "grandfather."

@13gan

3 жыл бұрын

@@stevoz6743 They actually know the psychological issue regarding eunuchs and is the reason why they were trusted servants and despised enemies. Out of the 3 main temptations of man; power, wealth and sex, only the first 2 are available to the eunuch and because of that, they will do practically anything for it. This is why they are extremely loyal if you're their master, assuming that you're able to maintain your status and able to provide power and wealth to them. This also mean that they are ruthless to those who deny them of those 2 as they have sacrificed their very chance to have sex and a family to get power and wealth. Either by force or voluntarily, their purpose in life have been set the moment they are castrated, so they will stop at nothing to get what they want. Even the emperor is not safe if they can find a more generous patron.

@sampuatisamuel9785

3 жыл бұрын

@@stevoz6743 My understanding is that young boys are castrated.

@justmyopinion9883

3 жыл бұрын

I heard that castration makes a male docile and feminized. Is that true? P.S. Why was it necessary to cut the penis off in addition to the testicles? Seems like cutting off the testicles would suffice. 😞

@thechronicler9556

3 жыл бұрын

Cao Cao's grandfather was one of the 10 attendants and they got special privileges - one of them being able to adopt sons to carry on the family name

@Wasserkaktus

3 жыл бұрын

@@stevoz6743 This makes no sense since the primary reason why monarchs would appoint eunuchs as senior officials was because they could not sire any offspring and thus create their own lineage to challenge the Monarch's lineage.

Learning Chinese History can take more than a lifetime. You make Chinese history so fascinating.

in case someone wants to know, Ruan An, the Vietnamese eunuch was not the designer of the forbidden city, but a supervisor of construction in the last phrase of the whole program. He was too young to be the designer when the forbidden city started to be constructed. He was just a little boy when he was trafficked to Beijing as a eunuch.The design of such a huge program usually takes more than imaginable amount of intellectuals, scholars and time to do, letting along a young foreign eunuch.

@700gsteak

2 жыл бұрын

lol that guy who was spamming the place that he was the designer just popped a vein.

@malagebide

Жыл бұрын

你们的历史一塌糊涂

@rstidman

9 ай бұрын

that is a great example of a eunuch's operating system

@nguyenvinh2161

8 ай бұрын

So he is too young to be a designer, but old enough to be a supervisor? Thats dumb logic! Ofc he would not be able to design the whole thing by himself, but it did not mean you could take away his credits of being the architect, not to mention that he was the main architect and the supervisor at the same time! Double the work!

@reinhardheinzwarfelr8215

2 ай бұрын

​@@nguyenvinh2161kuai xiang is the real name of the architect

Honestly, this channel is so helpful. You deserve the subscriber base of the big history channels.

Quality narration and content, as expected of this channel.

Holy shit finally a Chinese history video with properly pronounced names! Saw you replying to another comment that you weren't Chinese, that makes it even more impressive!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment! I was raised in a bilingual environment, though :)

@namjoonsbonsai7354

3 жыл бұрын

@@History_of_China Ahhh that's cool

I love the narrator’s voice…the way he pronounces English and Chinese.

@elenastone6011

3 жыл бұрын

British or rather specifically English accent. He could be Chinese who studied in England or an Englishman who studied Chinese Literature/history or half Chinese.

@mireillelebeau2513

2 жыл бұрын

and the way he pronounces French is flawless too.

SO informative and interesting. I love history of any form.0⁰73 years old and always believed castration was just having the testicles cut off. What a shock and eye opener to learn otherwise. I knew about them being kept to be buried with the owner so they were 'whole' again. I will keep watching and learning. A HUGE thank you.

@peterlee9691

Жыл бұрын

You are right, "castration" is only the removal of the testicles. But "emasculation" is the removal of the whole crown jewels. The irony of getting your jewels cut off voluntary is that you need to have big balls to go through with such a procedure.

There's a simple and 100% effective solution to all Eunach related problems: NOT deliberately creating them.

@macrick

3 жыл бұрын

They were need to do manual labourers, but were castrated to prevent infidilities among the Emperor's harem.

@zeytelaloi

3 жыл бұрын

On the other hand, look at how well ahead China was.

@Shreendg

3 жыл бұрын

Eunuchs were everywhere. They even lead armies of Byzantine Empire.

@thechronicler9556

3 жыл бұрын

You'd think so right? But it's more to maintain the palaces and look after the emperor as well as his concubines. To stop affairs happening and illegitimate children being everywhere - it makes sense to castrate them. But I agree it's crazy how the tradition lasted so long considering they ruined 4 of China's greatest dynasties.

@zm1786

2 жыл бұрын

why do you think they are pushing transgenderism? trans people will be the new eunuchs , will loyalty only to the state

I'm watching a chinese drama named "Yu Jun Ge" which is filmed about the Eunuchs' throne robbing in Tang dyanasty and coincidently suggested this video by YT. Thanks for sharing. Have learned alot.

@sarah199616

3 жыл бұрын

@Абдульзефир If you're intrested in chinese costume drama with plot twists and sweet romance, then you may enjoy to spend some of your time for it ^_~

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Well-presented documentary. The narration is crisp and tight. I don't know any Chinese language, but your pronunciation sounds very authentic.

"Beware of ballless men." - Machiavelli

@stefanschleps8758

3 жыл бұрын

Thats a misquote. The original Italian reads, "beware of business men." On the other hand. Eunuchs, it seems, had a bone to prick with everyone.

@user-er9fx3qx7n

5 ай бұрын

Or, as LBJ once said, "I never trust a man unless I've got his pecker in my pocket"

I think that what would be a wonderful series,if they made one based on the book "Tales of a Chinese Grandmother" by Frances Carpenter. It is about an upper class Chinese family in Ancient China and details their day to day life along with their special ceremonies and the stories that the Grandmother tells her grandchildren. In the series they could actually dramatized the stories the children are told. I'm sure that such a series would be an instant hit. ☺️

@chandang2654

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the best reader.

Thanks for these wonderful documentaries! I had no interest or even knew any Chinese history until I took a course in university to fulfill a requirement and have wanted to learn more ever since!

I wonder how many poor young boys didnt survive the castration process not just in china but everywhere.1 in 50 if you could afford a swanky dude but most castrators werent that swanky done at home or in dirty places, for torture or money, with dirty equipment. A lot simply bled to death

Fun fact: There was a kingdom in China which only employed castrated people as high officials because the monarch thought such people had no connections to their families so they wouldn't be selfish and would give their all to the kingdom, leading to the castration of 20000 officials and wannabe officials. Yeah that was Southern Han, one of the 10 kingdoms in the 5d10k era. On top of this, the rulers of that kingdom tended to be exceptionally absurd trust me.

The theme of this video, those who do not learn from the past are destined to repeat it. Again and again and again.

Well made documentary! and I must say the pronunciation of names in Chinese is excellent, although I neither speak nor read Chinese. Thank you so much for enlightening me on the history of eunuchs who were an important part of history. I didn’t realize they lasted into the 1990’s! Loved the last emperor Puyi!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment :)

@Liliquan

2 жыл бұрын

I don’t speak Chinese but the pronunciation is excellent. $500 for things that don’t make any sense.

@newq

Жыл бұрын

​@@History_of_China you pronounce every language in your videos very well, actually. To my limited knowledge of the phonology of Manchu, you even rocked that obscure language! Great job! I gotta ask, though, what's your secret? You can pronounce so many languages so very well!

People have always been exceptionally brutal and heartless, but castrating young boys is just disturbing on so many levels

@lusciouslipslibra

Жыл бұрын

Say it louder so the Present can hear you

I enjoyed this presentation on eunuchs in China immensely. Though interested in history, I have not found a resource as valuable as this one. Thanks so much. I plan to watch all of your previous videos and all that your present in the future.

It's worth reading the last eunuch's (assisted) autobiography.

Always glad to see you posting new videos!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks :)

Imagine getting castrated then not getting the job.

@dashoverton1963

3 жыл бұрын

@kincaid SAED The jars they carried around housed their “treasures” according to the video. When the men died, they would enter heaven as whole intact men.

@junjungatbos3548

3 жыл бұрын

Or not being able to piss after the procedure...😫

@donaldsmith7967

3 жыл бұрын

@kincaid SAED 7

@sampuspitakumarajiva8930

3 жыл бұрын

they would grow boobs and serve in third-class prostitution…..

@dashoverton1963

3 жыл бұрын

@@sampuspitakumarajiva8930 Also, have a high voice, no masculinity features like a muscled physique and mustache.

Beautiful narration made even better with correct pronunciation of Chinese names. Incredibly well done.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

Amazing story - a part of history not often discussed

I just love your voice, it's very soothing.. thanks for another informative video😊

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you enjoy! Thanks for your comment :)

I read that Empress Dowager Cixi had romantically fallen in love with a handsome eunuch, and she was grief stricken when he was eventually executed. Castration was extremely dangerous and resulted in numerous boys and young men bleeding to death or dying from massive infections. A number of eunuchs suffered from severe nerve damage caused by the castration, which caused them to lose all control of urination so they had to wear diapers the rest of their lives. There are surprising reports that some eunuchs indulged in bizarre sadistic sexual practices. Weird.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely, An Dehai was her rumoured lover. It has no true historical basis though, just speculation

@theabrescia1955

3 жыл бұрын

@@History_of_China - Appreciate your reply! I read about this in a biography of the Empress, published several years ago.

@myrnaskogland1268

2 жыл бұрын

Those reports do not surprise me, loss of their manhood, I think, would leave bitterness of some sort, so going for power was their way to be a man. Those men who had gone thru puberty before being forced to face the knife, sexual desire was not forgot, and kinky sex was the only way to satisfy . There was even a story that the most powerful Eunuch was actually intact, and his women servants were his whores. Is that rumor true? Who can truly say.

@theabrescia1955

2 жыл бұрын

@@myrnaskogland1268 - Good points!

@redmi9834

2 жыл бұрын

Some of the Imperial Princes were often censured for "fooling around with the eunuchs"

Cdrama lover here, I get so much excited when another fantasy /costume /xinxia/wuxia drama comes! Much respect to Chinese entertainment industry from Pakistan 🇵🇰🐬. I will recommend some of the ancient Chinese dramas Ten miles of Peach blossom Ashes of love Princess li Wei young Princess Agents Journey of flower Legend of fuyao Legend of MI yue Empresses in the Palace Empress of China Story of Yanxi palace Secret of three kingdoms Castle in the sky Nirvana in fire The king's woman The flame's daughter The long ballad The untamed Word of honour Love and destiny Love and redemption Miss the dragon The Rebel princess The legends Ancient love poetry Story of Minglan The wolf Song of glory Legend of Xiao chuo Eternal love of dream Heavenly sword:dragon slaying Bloody romance Goodbye my princess (traumatic) General and I Love of thousand years Green Hill fox Princess of lanling kimg Renascence ♥️☕🎂

@perfectstudents8361

3 жыл бұрын

I've watched some cdramas on your list. I'm watching Blooms in Ruyi Pavilion now. Check it out on Viki.

@perfectstudents8361

3 жыл бұрын

I also like Arsenal Military Academy. Not a historical drama but it's good.

@weiyoung7636

3 жыл бұрын

@@perfectstudents8361, yes I will surely watch them. Thank you for recommendation!

@sparkle7132

3 жыл бұрын

You have really good taste 🤩😍

@Jewel_Ting

2 жыл бұрын

Most of ur recommendation are trash. Mostly here are looking and studying history. You should only recommended a good and quality one.

"The kings, the oppressors, exploiters of all kinds, are as guilty as the criminals who have emerged from the masses..." - Bào Jìngyán (鮑敬言)

@tzufbb

3 жыл бұрын

鮑敬言，東晉人。 生卒年不詳，僅知其好老莊，善清談，曾與葛洪辯論，他認為“有司設，則百姓困，奉上厚，則下民貧”，法国汉学家白乐日称他为中国第一位無政府主義者。著有《無君論》，已失佚。

@Archangelm127

3 жыл бұрын

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I still think history may overly blame ennuchs because its less embarrassing for losing an empire

@caitthecat

3 жыл бұрын

Sounds about right.

@elchen7624

3 жыл бұрын

thanks to a bunch of dudes with no ds, your empire failed

@luutuan7162

3 жыл бұрын

or blamed the empress or concubines. worked all the times

@limes5295

3 жыл бұрын

At first I thought they were just a scapegoat but thinking about it the power dynamic is probably similar to the praetorians or janissaries where outsiders are brought in so they will only be loyal to the emperor rather than other court factions but being in the inner circles makes them powerful enough to become their own faction.

@4G12

3 жыл бұрын

When you eliminate one's future, all that's left to pursue is money and power. What else do you expect from those who have no future other than infinite greed at the cost of a future they have no stake in?

I love how he pronounced the Chinese names so correctly and not in an English accent

@man-who-sold-the-world

3 жыл бұрын

Narrator is chinese.

@stevekima8881

3 жыл бұрын

@@man-who-sold-the-world ok if thats the case....then he has a great English accent 😅

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I am not Chinese though :)

@stevekima8881

3 жыл бұрын

@@History_of_China what are u then?

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

@@stevekima8881 I'm French, but my mother is English :)

Very well researched, with real and verified historical information, congratulations!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

After binge watching over the last three days now. I have found nothing inaccurate or unsatisfying in your productions. On the contrary they seem well researched, and crafted for the discerning scholar. Thank you. I do have a request, one which I hope you will grant, giving it all the consumate nuance, and eye towards detail, with which you have made all the others. Would you consider making us a history of imperial patronage in the martial arts? Not merely the famous Shaolin Temple arts. But those from the Wu Tang mountains as well. There seems to have been a "golden age" between the end of the Ming Dynasty and the end of the Qing Dynasty. Although we can be certain that martial arts were supported by governmental mandate and imperial decree far earlier than the Ming Dynasty. At the very least as far back as Marshal Yue Fei and the Southern Song Dynasty. Anything you can do to shed light on this subject. And how, and why, martial arts flourished more so in China. From farmers to emperors, than in other countries, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again. Laoshr #60 Ching Yi Kung Fu Association

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I'll take it into account, though I can't say for sure when or if I cover this topic. The subject is pretty interesting though, so I probably will eventually :)

Most famous of all the eunuchs of all dynasties is Tian Yi who served during the Ming Dynasty .he served not one or two emperors consecutively but 3 .first emperor JiaJing then emperor LongQing and finally emperor WanLi.No other eunuch had ever been rewarded as he was .after his death at the palace the emperor Wanli declared 3 days of mourning .The emperor had a mausoleum built for him to this day the site which is about 15 km east of Beijing. He was born in Shannxi province …

Excellent presentation. Very informative and insightful. Thank you for that. Subscribed!

I love history. This history of the eunuchs is very fascinating. And a clear demonstration of the human will to survive and thrive in every circumstance.

Sun Yaoting didn't die wealthy like most eunuchs but he took with him the rich history of China's last imperial rule.

Very good video gosh it has been so long since I last found such a good channel! Good work mate! Cheers from Brazil

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

It’s funny how eunuchs are always portrayed as effeminate, power hungry, conniving villains in HK wuxia movies 😅

@VChong1991

3 жыл бұрын

So true. And they work together in groups

@TheNeeyang

3 жыл бұрын

Lol Bc they were

@pskima4274

3 жыл бұрын

Most eunuch are feminine...

@sasjahuntelaar5755

2 жыл бұрын

i think that's just western pervert and close minded views. Because of colonisation, most of them see things like us knowing or unknowingly.

@KhanMann66

9 ай бұрын

They literally were. Han Dynasty fell because a group of eunuchs seized power and made the emperor a puppet ruler.

i screamed internally listening to the whole 13th minute of this video explaining the castration procedure!

@CJ-rx5fi

3 жыл бұрын

It is horrific! I can’t imagine anyone doing that to a child or adult man. Such a sad fate for those men.

@Ealsante

3 жыл бұрын

The truly horrible thing is, that is the *official* procedure - in other words, it was the *best* care you could get in being castrated. There are many cases of people who castrate themselves to enter the palace - Wei Zhongxian (18:02) was one such guy. So imagine what the *unofficial* castrations were like.

I’ve never been so glad to live in modern times.

Love the video! Would be great to make some special mention of Lao Ai who was a fake eunuch during the early Qin Shi Huang era, originally presented to Qin Shi Huangs mother as a lover but ended up gaining immense power in the Qin court and even attempted a failed coup to gain power. The other would be Zhao Gao who was believed to be an eunuch and was instrumental in the downfall of the Qin dynasty, he forced Qin Er Shi to commit suicide and caused the country into rebellion. Another special mention would be Wang Zhen during the reign of emperor Yingzong of Ming. He had a great relationship with the child emperor like childhood friends and thus gained significant trust and power from the emperor. He was one of the main reasons the Tumu crisis happened. Anyways keep it up!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I considered adding them but didn't want to make the video any longer

@luxbeauty4952

2 жыл бұрын

Why did china have so many? This gross. And what purpose did it even serve really? How could men do this to themselves for money?

@KhanMann66

9 ай бұрын

I believe it wasn’t Zhao Gao but Xiang Yu who forced Huhai to commit suicide.

I love this kind of presentation, which seize a theme, and with it cut through history. Thanks, and keep up the good work.

@History_of_China

9 ай бұрын

Thank you! Will do!

If there is one thing I can take away from Court Eunuchs through history, it's that the "conversion process" sounds extremely painful and has all sorts of unpleasant possible complications. Urinary incontinence was one of them, giving rise to the insult "Stinking like an eunuch".

@dodo-eu6ox

2 жыл бұрын

But in some places men still do that to girls, I just want to castrate every man who abuse little girls

Only an united eunuchs with a collective 'ball-less' rage can brought down a powerful dynasty's emperor in China long history; by the time an emperor realized what a group of ball less men are capable of doing other than not fool around with his queen and concubines , it is already too late. 😁😁

Grazie a voi per il ritmo veloce dei video. Che argomento affascinante! Fortunatamente, possiedo ancora due belle palle. Sinceramente

@jenniferschmitzer299

3 жыл бұрын

Ikr? It’s pretty cool

This one of those videos that the algorithm graces you with only once in a while

I enjoyed this doc very much and therefore subscribed. Currently, I'm hooked on watching numerous Asian shows on KZread such as, "The Legend of Fei," "The Legend of Dragon Pearl," "Word of Honor," "Condor Heros," "Sword & Brocade," "Imperial Coroner," "Chronicle of Life," "King of Blaze," "Legend of Phoenix," "Ruyis Royal Love in the Palace," etc. Let's just say I'm watching at least about 25 shows all with English subtitles. In all those shows, Eunuchs were clearly visible and played critical roles within the Palace.

@History_of_China

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed!

Next time, you should add Zhao Gao, history recorded him as the main factor lead to the collapse of the first Chinese Empire. The Qin Empire. Good video.

@AO_Rourke

3 жыл бұрын

That would be a great video

@sislertx

3 жыл бұрын

China has always been BRUTAL

@AO_Rourke

3 жыл бұрын

@@sislertx I think all ancient civilisations have a similar level of brutality but the Chinese had better records so they are the ones we read about more

@flowermagnolia4551

3 жыл бұрын

how did he do it

@RobertIIIdeOutremer

3 жыл бұрын

There is no prove of "zhao gao is a eunuch".People usually believe that,but there's no record of it.

Thank you for the informative video! Somewhere in the comments below I read that you're French! Amazing pronunciation of Chinese words.

@History_of_China

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I am half-French, half-English, but brought up in France :)

Fascinating history channel! The narrator is excellent.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Glad you enjoy :)

fun fact: an Eunuch invented paper, also, Cao Cao's adoptive grandfather was a member of the Han Ten Attendants

@arifahmedkhan9999

3 жыл бұрын

Yea, he showed it here.

Outstanding documentary. Extremely enlightening.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Captain Jack sparrow: You’re not a eunuch are you?”

I am so glad I came across this Chanel. Fantastic informative videos. Thank you!

Thank you for the video. I appreciate learning more about the history of China.

As I understand it now, eunuchs are very different compared to trans or intersex people for a number of reasons. These eunuchs remind me of the castratos in Italy. They still see themselves as men throughout their lives. Their experiences, their roles, and identities are just different compared to other cultures that historically recognize intersex bodies or trans identities like the Hijras or the Tritiya Prakriti in pre-colonial India. The Hijra do practice castration, but, unlike the Chinese eunuchs or Italian castratos, the Indian Hijra perceive and express themselves explicitly as feminine or androgynous in their 3,000 years of history. They even have Gods, Goddesses, and Deities that explicitly cross the boundaries of what is considered masculine and feminine. This is an excellent video.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Interesting! Thanks for your comment

Request video - Please do a video on Three Kingdoms - Zhu Huan and Zhu Yi. You'll see why the minute you research them. They are FULL of insane stories and crazy stuff happening and are highly underrated. Zhu Yi, in fact, his death, or rather how he was killed, essentially contributed to Wu's ultimate downfall and their biggest turmoil. It caused extreme tension, so Zhu Yi and Zhu Huan are significant figureheads in Wu that are barely even talked about!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

I'm not gonna make Three Kingdom topics for a while, but when I return to that period, I'll consider it :)

@WildWombats

3 жыл бұрын

@@History_of_China Sure thing, totally understandable! I'll leave you with one piece of a funny story. Zhu Huan, after receiving wine, said to Sun Quan, “Your minister is now to go far away, but first he would like to stroke the beard of his lord.” Zhu Huan advanced and stroked Sun Quan’s beard then said, “Now I can actually say I have stroked the tiger’s beard!” Sun Quan laughed out loud. Perhaps the first laugh out loud recorded in the texts too, assuming it's true to translation, lol!

This channel looks like a great resource for Chinese history in vid form. Lot of clips from C-dramas, C-docu-dramas. I'm looking for a list of the "best" historical vids... I mean at least based on "historical" that do not stray down too many character driven paths. For example most of the ROTK-based dramas, etc.... One outstanding I just re-watched is "1566"...excellent because it held to history as much as can be expected and was driven by the economics of the empire ... yet was filled with great drama, character acting and writing. Thank you OP for the list of video credits in the info. PS I started rewatching The Ming Dynasty, but got frustrated by the micro-details of the characters. The Towards the Republic is very good, but slow getting eng subs.

I can never understand why someone would voluntarily become a eunuch, especially because of how horrible the process is and all the effects that come after as well

@micahistory

3 жыл бұрын

@@ross6753 true but the difference is that priests weren't castrated and it had no health risks to them

@micahistory

3 жыл бұрын

@@ross6753 I would much rather fight temptation than be genitally mutilated back then but I see why people did castrate themselves

@micahistory

3 жыл бұрын

@@ross6753 yes

@bstr-ey6wl

3 жыл бұрын

because a clean strong hairline is important trough out life...

@mosesyang4222

3 жыл бұрын

@@ross6753 heh "forced" into celibacy but we all know how well THAT worked or works nowadays...priest still be sneaking around if not w/women then boys. Should've just castrated them too

Omg Varys from Game of Thrones makes much more sense now! Thank you for this awesome video!!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you liked it :)

Wow. Just wow. Say what you will, but may the last official Eunuch RIP. He was the last of a culture and way of life.

Excellent video. Very interesting, informative and worthwhile video.

@History_of_China

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Glad you liked it :)

“They were known as the 12 members” well I’m glad to know they had humor back then

Very cool mini history. Thanks for your hard work making it!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

I absolutely love China history and thank you for making it more easier for me, the way you pronounce the Chinese names so effortlessly I thought you were Chinese. Well done great video as always and you have yourself a new subscriber.

@History_of_China

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Glad you enjoy my work :)

@doreensika837

2 жыл бұрын

@@History_of_China you are most welcome

Hahaha the music in the background is from my favourite game civ5. And you also show scenes from Total war three kingdoms!!!

@History_of_China

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely! In addition to being greatly entertaining, many Civ and TW games also have fantastic music and brilliant cutscenes :)

excellent video

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

You forgot the great little tale about how the First emperor of Qin, almost was overthrown by a false eunuch Lao Ai; who had impregnated his own mum. great video otherwise, but that was one bit of 'eunuch' drama that would echo through future dramas for certain.

@cocoaorange1

3 жыл бұрын

That is messed up. He and his mom were sick.

@johnlewis3891

3 жыл бұрын

@@cocoaorange1 The First Emperor was worst. He executed his two half brothers even though they were children and he killed much more building the Great Wall and his palaces.

@namedrop721

3 жыл бұрын

Lao Ai was a servant of the emperor’s mom, not the emperor lmao. Y’all are killing me, please learn to read

@johnlewis3891

3 жыл бұрын

@@namedrop721 How does this change the fact that he was a false eunuch? Eunuchs served both the emperor and dowager empress as well as the consorts and other harem women.

@benlam204

3 жыл бұрын

its debatable whether that was his real mom or not. He is probably not the original son of the king anyway... just a replacement..

Excellently done! Just a note - Wei Zhongxian's partner-in-crime's surname is 客, but as a surname, that word is pronounced 'qie3'. So she is actually Madam Qie, not Madam Ke.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I did not know that!

Not sure why this popped up in my recommended, but glad it did. I feel educated.

Awesome video

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Another excellent documentary.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I keep meaning to bring this up, but I'm very curious about how emperors, empresses, princes, et cetera seem to have two names--their own name and their 'royal' name or similar. I think you've touched on this practice in previous videos, but I'd love a more in-depth explanation. Even a full video if there's enough depth to it. Thank you as always for the excellent content!

@Bllue

3 жыл бұрын

This happened in Europe too. It's a regnal name.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! It'll definitely be a subject for a future video. But essentially, they had their personnal name (birth name), temple name, posthumous name, at least one but possibly serveral era names as well, in addition to the traditional courtsey name and possibly art/pen name that citizens could have. They are however overall known by either their temple name (ex: Tang Taizong) or era name as from the Ming to Qing (ex: Hongwu, Kangxi)

@Archangelm127

3 жыл бұрын

@@History_of_China Good Lord. A breakdown of all of that would be rather interesting, I should think. :)

@sandrab6489

2 жыл бұрын

Ya I would be interested in this too. I guess similar to UK royal family who have multiple titles but would like to hear about it.

@700gsteak

2 жыл бұрын

Everyone had multiple names in chinese tradition. Ming, Zi, Hao. Ming was the name given to you by your parents. Zi was your scholar name when you reached adulthood and Hao was the name you picked yourself.

Excellent documentary, a most excellent channel.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoy :)

This is really good!

Nice video for such a horrific topic. Seeing how much damage the eunuchs did in Chinese history I wonder why no emperor ever thought of forbidding castration and abolishing the eunuch system altogether. Japanese shoguns had great harems too, but they didn't use eunuchs, so there was really no need for them. Here in Italy young boys were castrated to become opera singers. They were mutilated before their voice changed, so that they kept a white voice but with the powerful lungs of an adult man. These singers were extremely popular, both in opera and religious music. The practice lasted from the XVI to the XIX century, and thousands of boys, mostly from poor families, were castrated for this purpose. The most famous of these singers was Farinelli, who became an opera star and the private singer of king Philip V of Spain, a position that made him rich and powerful. There is a movie about his life, but it's not very accurate. The last castrated singer was instead Alessandro Moreschi, who died in 1922. Some records of his voice can still be found on KZread. Next time you could make a video about the imperial examination system, foot binding or about eunuchs in Korea and Vietnam. I read somewhere the creepy story of a Vietnamese emperor who paid a particularly smart boy to get castrated and become an officer.

@agathonchristianto9580

3 жыл бұрын

The eunuch was never the problem. They were often unfairly blamed for the downfall of many dynasty because the person who intend to depose their previous ruler to establish their own dynasty need to give justification for their treacherous act, and eunuch happened to be a convenient scapegoat for them. U are free to argue that castration is a big violation toward human right, but the chinese ruler invent and employ eunuch for a good reason (for them). They are the most loyal and the least likely faction to revolt because there is almost no point for them to do so (that doesnt prevent them from being a corrupt and arrogant human being). They cant have offspring, so they have no one to succeed them if they want to take the throne. For that reason the emperor often put too much favor and trust towards eunuch. Those excessive favor often made other officials, generals and/or palace attendant to grow jealousy and resentment toward them, which sometimes contribute to their downfall and tarnished their name in the history book.

@caitthecat

3 жыл бұрын

They didn't abolish the practice because the eunuchs were useful, and not just as scapegoats. Does it really make sense that they were responsible for so many problems, when they didn't have the majority of power?

@alessandrodelogu7931

3 жыл бұрын

​@@caitthecat You're right. Rulers are often forced to make dishonorable choices, whose responsability they have to delegate to someone else, someone who can be sacrificed if needed. Nicholas Cage in "Lord of War" said something like this. Eunuchs in imperial China could play this role. Plus the power of eunuchs came only from the emperor, who could make and destroy them at will. This is the same reason why the Ottoman government was entirely made of slaves.

@johnlewis3891

3 жыл бұрын

@@agathonchristianto9580 Eunuchs were kept because in part because of the Imperial harem system. Women were secluded and regular men besides the emperor were not allowed in the harem. Eunuchs were employed to serve as male servants without them being able to impregnate the consorts and concubines. Eunuchs are prevalent in societies that secluded women, like the Muslim sultanates, Hindu rajas, and even the Greeks. You mention the harems of Imperial Japan, but for a Chinese Emperor, the lifestyles of Japanese women would have encouraged the use of eunuchs. I say thus because the Heian period of Japanese history saw a lot of loose sexual behavior from Japanese noblewomen, who had more rights and weren't secluded like their Chinese counterparts. Furthermore, Japan was a feudal society with powerful lords and powerless emperor. China, throughout most of it's history, was a very centralized society with dominated by the Imperial court. The emperors and shoguns of Japan needed the support of the samurai and their daimyo lords to retain power because they did not have a standing army. Whereas the Chinese emperors had a standing army and were less dependent on their nobles. The daimyos and samurais of Japan would not have tolerated the domination of the government by low born eunuchs.

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment!

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the posts you make.

@History_of_China

9 ай бұрын

Glad to hear it! Thanks for following :)

Came across this video and really appreciated that you adapted traditional Chinese instead of simplified Chinese in the video.

Hello from France, big fan, I hope to meet you one day ♥️:p

Amazing history. Thanks!

@History_of_China

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed!

What a fabulous documentary, very detailed. In college I wrote a paper on Chinese eunuchs however there was very little written and in book form. My paper lacked so many facts. I still retain an interest in the eunuchs. Thank you for sharing your video's.

@History_of_China

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for your comment! It is a fascinating subject. Glad you enjoyed my video :)

I like reading and watching videos about Historical facts. Thank you for uploading. 🙏🌹🙏

can you make a series about the song dynasty, like the qing ?

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

I definitely will eventually, but I have set to do the Yuan and Ming dynasties first :)

It would be cool if you could do a video on the cultural revolution, love your work.

@realchinese9834

3 жыл бұрын

You may type “Mao in color”

@nelson0110

3 жыл бұрын

@@realchinese9834 oh cool, thanks!

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! For the time being, I'd rather do earlier subjects before going back to 20th century events

@nelson0110

3 жыл бұрын

@@History_of_China Ok, keep up the great work!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. This was informational.

Keep up the good work. I watched all your videos, awesome videos and really detailed. I hope you make a series of Ming Emperors

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! The Ming series will come up just after I do the Yuan dynasty :)

this is a very good video...Informative & giving a different insight into everyday Chinese Imperial life. Somehow I also find this a sad video....probably because of the complete downfall of Imperial China

@History_of_China

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked the video!