Sun was born in a poor peasant family in Tianjin in A.D. 1902. When he was born, his family was unable to make ends meet, and later he added two younger brothers. Fortunately, his parents have been working in a private school. Although Sun's family was poor, he was given the opportunity to study for free. However, in such a precarious living environment, his mother lost her job of cooking for Mr. Xue after family changes.
In this desperate life, I saw a eunuch "returning home with clothes on" and generously invited the villagers to drink and eat. Even the leftovers were delicious food that poor families dared not expect at that time, which is why Sun wanted to be a eunuch in the palace. In the later days, as life became more and more poor, this idea became stronger and stronger. When his parents learned of his thoughts, they did not strongly stop him. Under the pressure of life, I was slowly acquiesced.
Old photos of little eunuchs in Qing Dynasty
On the way to the palace, the first thing to face is the problem of "purification". At that time, there were people who specialized in this line, which not only made people more relaxed in the process of "cleaning", but also did not have to worry about their own lives. However, they need to charge a certain fee, which is "sky-high" for Sun and Sun's family. They are already poor and take eunuchs as their way out. After they couldn't pay the high "cleaning" fee, they chose. My uncle helped me. These are two people who have no professional knowledge and no operating experience. Due to improper operation, Sun was in a coma for three days and could not walk until two months later. However, the sequelae of "cleaning" are also very serious. Sun Yaoting, who has purulent lower body, may be an act of god or luck. There happened to be an old eunuch who went back to his hometown to help him alleviate the sequelae of the "big cleaning", but he still had the problem of enuresis, and it itched when it rained.
Sun, who suffered from "great sin", did not wait for his ideal life, because in 19 12, the Qing Dynasty fell and the emperor abdicated. Not to mention the new eunuch, even the old eunuch was dismissed, which also indicates the beginning of the Republic of China. But this result is a bolt from the blue for Sun. After all, what he suffered is irreparable. Fortunately, after the abdication of Emperor Xuan Tong at that time, he still enjoyed special treatment and could continue some feudal bad habits. After learning this, Sun finally found his way through many twists and turns and entered Baylor's mansion.
Sun yaoting
It was here that Sun slowly learned the "rules" of slaves. Because of several years of reading foundation, Sun's mind is very flexible and he learns quickly. In addition to learning the rules, he not only learned how to serve his master, but also learned how to read and listen, and how to please his master. At that time, opera was very popular with the nobles. Sun tried to learn and even learned to play tricks. This matter soon won the love of his masters and the emperor at that time. Emperor Fu Yi also resigned from Baylor House, and officially changed from a little eunuch who was neglected to a queen and imperial concubine of Baylor House, and became a eunuch with status and name in the power center. At the same time, due to the status of eunuchs, they not only serve their masters in their daily lives, but also in personal work such as bathing and washing.
In Sun's later memories, we can fully understand that in the feudal period, the "royal family" at the center of the dynasty, in addition to the major events recorded in history, saw more vivid and comprehensive figures. When no one was around, they vented their anger by beating and cursing, even sometimes for no reason. As a superior person, it is ugly to face people who are not as good as themselves, but even if
They are so easy to satisfy, and their material life has not lasted long. 1924, Feng Yuxiang entered the palace, and the last emperor of China, Puyi, was forced to leave the Forbidden City, and those maids-in-waiting eunuchs who served them daily were also forced to leave with him. Because eunuchs' job is to serve the people, they have no corresponding survival skills, so Sun chose eunuchs again after staying in his hometown for two years.
A few years later, Puyi became emperor again. When Sun got the news, he left, but he was found to be ill and had to leave, so Sun was completely away from the center of kingship. In the days that followed, Sun, who was physically disabled and unskilled, began to run around the streets, picking up garbage and briquettes, and his life was very difficult.
New China, new life.
With the disintegration of feudalism and the establishment of new China, people's thoughts are slowly changing. Sun and eunuchs with the same fate once again returned to live in Wanshou Xinglong Temple, where they finally stayed away from people's exploration and began a stable life. Among them, Sun, as the most educated eunuch, became the manager of palace examination and received 30 yuan's salary every month. During this period, I also worked in finance, and my monthly salary reached 35 yuan.
After a special period of time, Sun moved from Xinglong Temple to Guanghua Temple, where he wrote the most important book in his life, The Last Eunuch of China, telling the story of him as a bystander in the historical center and witnessing the final luxury and disappearance of the imperial court. This book was adapted into The Last Eunuch of China in 1988. With the film and television of his autobiography, people began to really understand the eunuch group, and more intuitively felt the rise and fall of the last dynasty. In Sun's 94 years of life, he slowly enjoyed his dignity as a human being.
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In the development of the times, there are always old things eliminated and new things born. However, there are always some people or things that become embarrassed when the old and the new turn. When we look at them, we should look at them with tolerance and understand them. As the inevitable product of the times, they just happen to exist.
By the last eunuch Sun, they were all ordinary people except "eunuchs". They didn't become superpowers like Zheng He, and they didn't become hateful people like Wei Zhongxian and Zhao Gao. They can't influence the fate of a country or change the pace of an era. They are just witnesses in the torrent, witnessing the rise and fall of the times.