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

Author

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  • Peng Liu
  • Lan Lan

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Peng Liu & Lan Lan, 2021. "Bodily Changes: Castration as Cultural and Social Practice in the Space of the Forbidden City," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:11:y:2021:i:3:p:21582440211040772
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440211040772
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lan Lan & Peng Liu, 2023. "Exhibiting fashion on the heritage site: the interrelation between body, heritage space, and fashionable clothing," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Zhiqing Zhang & Wanyi Song & Peng Liu, 2024. "Making and interpreting: digital humanities as embodied action," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.

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