Introduction

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. List of Illustrations ix
4. Acknowledgments xi
5. Preface xv
6. Conventions xxi
7. Conversions xxii
8. Qing Reigns xxiii
9. Introduction 1
10. 1. “A Time of Pure Yin”: Forging the Seventeenth–Century Consensus on the Nature of Ming Eunuch Power 27
11. 2. The Shunzhi Emperor and His Eunuchs: Echoes of the Ming 43
12. 3. “To Guard against Their Subtle Encroachments”: The Kangxi Emperor’s Regulation of Rank–and–File Eunuchs 68
13. 4. The Influence of Eunuchs in Kangxi’s Inner Circle 83
14. 5. Eunuch Loyalties in the Yongzheng Emperor’s Troubled Succession 108
15. 6. Yongzheng’s Innovative Rules for Regulating Eunuchs 125
16. 7. The Qianlong Emperor: Shifting the Arc of History 144
17. 8. Qianlong’s Flawed System of Oversight 173
18. 9. The World Created by Qianlong and His Eunuchs 199
19. Conclusion 227
20. Notes 237
21. Selected Bibliography 289
22. Glossary-Index 301