The Rise of a Controversial Eunuch

In the annals of Qing Dynasty history, few eunuchs achieved the notoriety of An Dehai. Born around 1844 in Hebei, An entered the Forbidden City as a castrated servant at age eight or nine, rising through the ranks under Emperor Xianfeng. His defining moment came during the 1861 Xinyou Coup, when he acted as a crucial messenger between Empress Dowager Cixi and Prince Gong (Yixin), helping orchestrate the overthrow of the “Eight Regent Ministers.” This service earned him Cixi’s unwavering trust, elevating him to the powerful position of Chief Eunuch by his early twenties.

An’s rapid ascent typified the dangerous intersection of palace intrigue and imperial politics. Unlike the Ming Dynasty’s notorious eunuch dictators, Qing rulers had instituted strict controls on宦官 (huanguan, palace eunuchs), forbidding them from leaving Beijing without permission. Yet An Dehai, emboldened by Cixi’s patronage, would spectacularly violate this prohibition—with fatal consequences.

The Fateful Journey South

In August 1869, the 25-year-old An embarked on an unauthorized expedition down the Grand Canal, ostensibly to procure dragon robes for the 14-year-old Emperor Tongzhi’s upcoming wedding. His procession—two lavish boats with “Imperial Commissioner” banners and a controversial “Three-Legged Crow” flag (symbolizing service to the “Western Queen Mother,” a nod to Cixi)—flouted Qing protocols at every turn. At a birthday celebration in Shandong, An even displayed imperial robes for public veneration, an act bordering on treason.

This brazen display caught the attention of Ding Baozhen, the principled Shandong governor. A seasoned administrator known for standing up to the powerful (including the Mongol prince Sengge Rinchen), Ding recognized an opportunity. He dispatched urgent memorials to Beijing arguing that:
1. No precedent existed for eunuch procurement missions
2. Imperial workshops traditionally handled robe production
3. An carried no proper credentials
4. His ostentation violated sumptuary laws

The Beijing Conspiracy

Behind Ding’s actions lay a covert alliance between three powerful figures:
– Emperor Tongzhi: The adolescent ruler reportedly loathed An for spying on him at Cixi’s behest, once mutilating clay figurines while declaring, “I’m killing Little An!”
– Empress Dowager Ci’an: The ostensibly gentle senior regent had reasons to curb Cixi’s influence
– Prince Gong: Still resentful after being stripped of his “Prince-Regent” title in 1865, partly due to An’s machinations

When An’s case reached Beijing in September 1869, Cixi conveniently lay ill, allowing Ci’an and Tongzhi to authorize immediate execution. Ding, having already detained An in Tai’an (where the magistrate had personal grievances against the eunuch), carried out the sentence on September 16. The public beheading included the symbolic exposure of An’s corpse—possibly to quash rumors about his incomplete castration and alleged affair with Cixi.

Political Repercussions

The aftermath revealed Cixi’s political acumen. Though privately furious, she:
1. Executed An’s entourage to demonstrate impartiality
2. Compiled case documents into legal precedents
3. Later promoted Ding to Sichuan governor (1876), where he distinguished himself with salt reforms and flood control projects

This calculated response transformed a humiliation into an image-boosting display of “rule of law.” Meanwhile, Ding’s reputation soared—even critics like Li Hongzhang praised his courage, while Zeng Guofan called him a “heroic scholar.”

Cultural Legacy

The episode became a cultural touchstone, celebrated in:
– Opera and Folklore: Casting Ding as the clever official outwitting corrupt courtiers
– Historical Discourse: Symbolizing Confucian ideals of remonstrance against misrule
– Gender Studies: Highlighting eunuchs’ precarious position as both empowered and vulnerable

Modern historians debate whether An was truly a rogue actor or a pawn in broader power struggles. His execution marked the last major eunuch political intervention until Li Lianying decades later, reinforcing Qing prohibitions against宦官干政 (eunuch interference in governance).

Conclusion

The 1869 An Dehai affair encapsulates late Qing political dynamics—factional rivalries, regency tensions, and the precarious balance between imperial authority and bureaucratic norms. More than a simple morality tale about an arrogant eunuch, it reveals how even absolute monarchies required consensus-building and legal pretexts. Ding Baozhen’s calculated gamble and Cixi’s damage control both demonstrate that in Qing politics, the appearance of propriety often mattered as much as raw power—a lesson with enduring relevance in understanding authoritarian systems.