The Last Eunuch of China-The Life of Sun Yaoting

As the last eunuch in Chinese history I have lived for over ninety years.All sorts of feelings welled up in my mind as I look back on the past.

I was born in western Shuangtang of Jinghai County in Tianjin on the30th day of the 1 lth month in the 28th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign.I was castrated at eight and came to Beijing at fifteen, dreaming of richesand honors. I served Prince Zai Tao in his residence for some time beforeentering the Forbidden City the following year. I first waited on chief eunuchRen Dexiang, then went to work at the Accounting Office. Afterward Ibecame an attendant of High Consort Duankang and Empress Wanrong andcame into close contact with the abdicated Emperor, Pu Yi. All these peopleremain fresh in my memory as if it all happened only yesterday. I saw withmy own eyes many behind-the-scenes occurrences in Pu Yi's little court andwitnessed the episode when he was driven out of the Forbidden City.

After a short time in the Northern Mansion I went to stay at theTemple of Prosperity, where a lot of eunuchs lived. I also came into contactwith Xiaode Zhang. When Pu Yi proclaimed himself Emperor of the puppetstate Manchukuo, I went to Changchun to serve him. Much of what I sawand heard there was unknown to the public. I returned to Beijing on accountof illness and stayed along with other eunuchs in various places such as theTemple of Prosperity and the Temple of Mounted Lord Guan. I have spentmost of my life in the company of my eunuch friends. I have tasted bothjoys and sorrows. After the founding of New China I bgan to work for thegovernment and became a religious cadre.

Jia Yinghua, a researcher of late Qing history, has been a friend of minefor many years. We feel close in spite of our age difference and often bare ourhearts to each other. Over a long period of time I disclosed to him, for thevery first time, a lot about the secret life of eunuchs. Based on my accountand his research, he has completed this book about my life. Though manypeople have written about me, this is the most reliable and best-researchedbook yet. It is a truthful history free of fabrications or farfetched conclusions.q'herefore I have composed this foreword in my own handwriting.

Life was hard for Sun Huaibao and his family. The room whereLiujin was born was built entirely of sun-dried mud bricks and had onlythree beams for support. The furniture consisted of a stove, a water tank,an unpainted wooden chest for storing flour, a table, a broken chair and abench.
Liujin grew up to be a sensible child. One day when he was quite small,he worked all morning in the flourmill driving the donkey. After lunch heput down the rice bowl and left the table at once. "Where are you going？"asked his father.
"I'm going to put in some hay for the donkey!" he answered.
His parents could not help feeling proud of their young son. Like otherchildren in poor families, he had a precocious ability to share life's burdenswith his parents.
At the approach of winter Liujin and his elder brothers had to go outcollecting firewood. They always managed to gather two big piles. In spiteof their poverty Liujin was a cheerful boy who seldom complained aboutanything.
One day his father took him to a village fair. "Dad, the corn cones arenot dry yet," Liujin said. "Let's buy some sorghum instead."
"Don't you worry about it, my boy," his father replied.
Back home Sun Huaibao praised Liujin to his wife. "He's a good boy！ He surely knows sorghum is cheaper but does not taste as good as corn！"
From his grandfather Liujin learned something about his ancestry. One day Grandpa called him over and told him to take off his shoes.
"What for？" asked Liujin.
"Take a look. Does the little toe of your left foot tilt outward？"
Liujin looked carefully. "Yes, it does！"
"Now look again. Is the little toe much shorter than other ones？"
"Yes, Grandpa！"
"Remember, everyone who has such toes comes from a big willow tree in Shanxi."
Liujin took Grandpa at his word. Later he learned that the so-called "big willow tree" referred to Hongdong County of Shanxi Province.