How were boys and men castracted in imperial China and the castratis in Europe?

The practice of castration has its roots before recorded human history.[1] Castration was frequently used in certain cultures of Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa and China, for religious or social reasons. Castrated men — eunuchs — were often admitted to special social classes and were used particularly to staff bureaucracies and palace households: in particular, the harem.





In ancient times, castration often involved the total removal of all the male genitalia. This involved great danger of death due to bleeding or infection and, in some states, such as the Byzantine Empire, was seen as the same as a death sentence. Removal of only the testicles had much less risk.





In China, male castration of a person who entered the caste of eunuchs during imperial times involved the removal of the whole genitalia, that is, the removal of the testes, penis, and scrotum. The removed organs were returned to the eunuch to be interred with him when he died so that, upon rebirth, he could become a whole man again. The penis, testicles and scrotum were euphemistically termed bǎo (寶) in Mandarin Chinese, which literally means 'precious treasure'. These were preserved in alcohol and kept in a pottery jar by the eunuch.





The golden age of castrati lasted for two centuries, from the beginning of the 17th Century to the dawn of the 19th Century. Officially admitted into the Papal choir from 1599, they performed in all large towns throughout Italy. First, they sang exclusively in religious choirs, however, they soon became used in musical dramas. In the 18th Century, a musical form known as "Opera Seria" was created for them. The last castrato, Alessandro Moreschi died in 1922.





The usual explanation given to justify the use of castrati was that women were forbidden to sing in church choirs or theatres in the papal states. However, their vocal supremacy was the real reason for their extraordinary popularity. They were frequently described as having the 'voice of angels'. This was no doubt due to the combination of a child's fresh voice with the vocal power of a man, and the high register of a woman. However, their particular brilliance, their unusual degree of expression, flexibility, purity and the ease with which they moved from one register to another, was unquestionably, the result of many hours of hard work with famous teachers such as Porpora, in the Conservatoires.





The whole of Europe was infatuated with castrati. They were adored where ever they performed. In Austria, England, Germany, Poland and Russia they were received as deliriously at the courts of Emperors and Tsars as at public theatres. They were idolized as much as today's androgynous rock stars such as Michael Jackson, David Bowie or Prince who, two centuries later, have the same international notoriety and delight crowds around the world.





* The Castratis', a group of men who were castrated in order to preserve there boy like quality in their voice, were a very popular breed of Opera singers. One of the most famous castrati's includes Farinelli, who was one the last Castratis'.





Unlike the eunuchs of China, the castrati of Europe ordinarily only had the testes removed.





gatita_63109

How were boys and men castracted in imperial China and the castratis in Europe?
How? Testicles were removed.





For further information, go to this web site:


http://www.circumstitions.com/Castrati.h...
Reply:I seem to remember from History class that their testes were tied off with tight cord and then left to shrivel slowly.