Work

Bodily Changes: Castration as Cultural and Social Practice in the Space of the Forbidden City

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: This article examines the Chinese imperial body as “simultaneously part of nature and part of culture” and considers the interactions between the cultural body and physical body in sociological terms. The examination elaborates on the physical body as the manifestation of the demands of society mediated by cultural meanings. Bodily changes, such as castration, which Peng Liu argue is a trade between the physical body and cultural body in meeting the demands of Imperial Chinese society, affect the cultural embodiment of the body. This article examines the bodily actions of head eunuchs and how they interact with the emperor in the space of the Forbidden City during Imperial China. Eunuchs have undertaken an invasive physical operation to not only survive but thrive in imperial society. This reflects the constraints, struggles, and disciplining of the physically castrated and culturally embodied being.

Source: SAGE Open

DOI: 10.1177/21582440211040772

Authors: Peng Liu, Lan Lan

Institutions: Macau University of Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology

Language: English

Topic: Chinese history and philosophy

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,200

Funder: Macau University of Science and Technology Foundation