89 replies to this topic

[pgyeoh]

I watched Zheng He and his Treasure Fleet over National Geographic recently. It was both educational and entertaining. Zheng He was portrayed as very masculine - and if I heard it right - he was about 7 ft tall. He was also a eunuch. He was circumsized when he was a boy.

Lacking the hormone testostrone, he would had difficulties to maintain muscle mass and strength, and also body density and strength. However he was portrayed otherwise.

Are there historical records that show eunuchs as strong, muscular individuals? If so, who were they? Is the perception of eunuchs as "weaker" (less muscular) men correct?

Thanks and have a good day

[naruwan]

I watched Zheng He and his Treasure Fleet over National Geographic recently. It was both educational and entertaining. Zheng He was portrayed as very masculine - and if I heard it right - he was about 7 ft tall. He was also a eunuch. He was circumsized when he was a boy.

Lacking the hormone testostrone, he would had difficulties to maintain muscle mass and strength, and also body density and strength. However he was portrayed otherwise.

Are there historical records that show eunuchs as strong, muscular individuals? If so, who were they? Is the perception of eunuchs as "weaker" (less muscular) men correct?

Thanks and have a good day

unless he simply had his we-we chopped off leaving his balls intacted.

[Yun]

unless he simply had his we-we chopped off leaving his balls intacted.

That is one theory I've seen for explaining how Zheng He could have a loud clear voice "like a bell" when eunuchs normally had thin high-pitched voices. But I've also read elsewhere that leaving the balls intact was never done - in some cases, the balls were crushed or emptied, leaving the 'we-we' behind, but usually everything was removed.

[Sung]

Anybody knows if 1chi = 1ft = 12 inches during the Ming Dynasty? I ask because I have seen articles – all in English – that put Zheng He’s height at 8 ft. I was just wondering if the writers have got it wrong by assuming that the Ming chi was equivalent to the present day 1 ft or 12 inches. Could it be the chi was about 9-10 inches during the Ming period? It was mentioned somewhere in this forum that the chi was not always equivalent to 12 inches in China’s past. If so, Zheng He’s height should be about 6 ft tall (8 chi) which still makes him tall but not abnormally so. Was his height given in any Chinese records to suggest he was really that tall? Even 7ft is still abnormally tall, maybe not so for basketball players.

What year did the Chinese records say he showed up in Malacca? The books and articles I’ve read have different years – 1405, 1407, 1409. Which is right?

[naruwan]

Anybody knows if 1chi = 1ft = 12 inches during the Ming Dynasty? I ask because I have seen articles – all in English – that put Zheng He’s height at 8 ft. I was just wondering if the writers have got it wrong by assuming that the Ming chi was equivalent to the present day 1 ft or 12 inches. Could it be the chi was about 9-10 inches during the Ming period? It was mentioned somewhere in this forum that the chi was not always equivalent to 12 inches in China’s past. If so, Zheng He’s height should be about 6 ft tall (8 chi) which still makes him tall but not abnormally so. Was his height given in any Chinese records to suggest he was really that tall? Even 7ft is still abnormally tall, maybe not so for basketball players.

What year did the Chinese records say he showed up in Malacca? The books and articles I’ve read have different years – 1405, 1407, 1409. Which is right?

He went to Malaca more than once.

[Sephodwyrm]

Castration performed at childhood is complete removal.
Castration performed at adulthood leaves the phallus.

Btw, we-we sounds childish.

[Sung]

He went to Malaca more than once.

I need the year when he first landed in Malacca. I guess that would be when he offered protection and the Malaccan prince gladly accepted the chance to be a vassal of China because the Siamese were making constant attacks on the entrepot.

Zheng He left China in 1405 for his first voyage but to take four years to arrive in Malacca would be rather long, even with stops in places like Bintan, and other Indonesian islands, etc. I’m sure Zheng He’s junks would have stopped in Malacca many times considering there were seven mega voyages made in his lifetime.

[pgyeoh]

Other than Zheng He, who were the famous Chinese eunuchs?

[jiangji]

Other than Zheng He, who were the famous Chinese eunuchs?

There are many famous bad eunuchs.

[pgyeoh]

There are many famous bad eunuchs.

Can we get a list of the "famous good" ones and the "bad notorious" eunuchs? Anyone compiled it before?

[jiangji]

Can we get a list of the "famous good" ones and the "bad notorious" eunuchs? Anyone compiled it before?

I can't think of any good one except zheng He. There are ways too many for bad eunuchs. Ming dynasty are famous for having many bad eunuchs. Below are several famous one but mostly bad one

Qin dynasty -- Zhao Gao
Eastern Han Dynasty -- Zhang Rang
Three kingdom -- Huang Hao
Tang dynasty -- Li Fuguo
Song dynasty -- Tong Guan
Ming dynasty --- Wang Chen, Wang Zhi, Liu Jin, Wei Zong xian, Wang Chen En
Qing dynasty --- Li Lianying

[pgyeoh]

Interesting page to visit for those interested.

http://www.olemiss.e...mingvoyages.pdf

[jiangji]

Thanks for the website

[wuTao]

I've merged pgyeoh's new thread on Zheng He with a previous thread discussing Zheng He.

[DuncanHead]

This week's Economist reports on a new map that - if genuine! - may show that Zheng He did reach the Americas after all.

http://tinyurl.com/as3vb for story with a picture of the map.

To me, it looks too good to be true: it would have taken an awful lot of voyaging to get that complete a picture of the coast of the Americas, so I suspect the 1763 copy is not an entirely faithful copy of the 1418 map, but has been updated at some point in the 17th-18th centuries. But we shall see....

cheers,
Duncan