Beijing Eunuch Culture Exhibition Hall

　　The Beijing Eunuch Culture Exhibition Hall (Tian Yi’s Tomb), also known as Cixiang An or Shixianglu An, is situated at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain in Beijing's Shijingshan District, at No. 80 Moshikou Street. It lies to the north of Panlong Mountain and is about one li from Fahai Temple. It is currently the only well-preserved, highest-standard, and most exquisitely carved Ming Dynasty eunuch tomb in China. Constructed during the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, the site covers an area of approximately 4,000 square meters and is now a district-level cultural relics protection unit.

　　The Tian Yi Tomb also houses the Beijing Eunuch Culture Exhibition Hall, which uses text and images to introduce the emergence and development of China’s eunuch system, showcases this unique phenomenon of eunuchs, and reveals the personal humiliation and historical tragedy they endured. This is China’s first thematic exhibition hall dedicated to eunuch culture. Eunuchs likely existed as early as the Shang Dynasty. To protect the emperor’s interests by preventing contact between palace women and men, while still requiring male attendants, the role of the eunuch was created. Initially, most came from war captives and criminals subjected to castration, but later sources included recruitment and tributes from various regions. Some voluntarily underwent castration out of poverty in hopes of rising in status. The descriptions of the castration process are horrifying, truly inhumane. Eunuchs wielded significant power — they had access to the emperor and imperial concubines internally, colluded with powerful ministers externally, and could even hold external offices or local government positions (such as prefects or provincial governors).

　　Famous eunuchs in history include virtuous figures such as Zheng He, who promoted cultural exchange on his voyages to the Western Seas, and infamous ones like Wei Zhongxian and Li Lianying, who brought disaster to the nation. The life of eunuchs included “duishi” (mutual support relationships with palace maids), nominal marriages, adopted sons for old-age support, group councils for retirement, temple-building, and mass burials. “In the western outskirts of Beijing, three hundred and seventy temples — most were built by eunuchs.” The fate of the eunuch group was pitiful and tragic, and the eunuch system was a distorted product of feudalism that stifled human nature. The fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 marked the end of this system; in 1996, the last eunuch, Sun Yaoting, passed away, and eunuchs finally disappeared from China.