An Dehai (Chinese: 安德海; pinyin: Ān Déhǎi; Wade–Giles: An Te-hai, 1844 – 12 September 1869) was a palace eunuch at the imperial court of the Qing dynasty.
[3] When An and his entourage reached Shandong Province, the governor Ding Baozhen reported his behaviour back to the Forbidden City.
[3] According to one explanation, Empress Dowager Cixi was attending a performance of Beijing opera at the time that the decision was taken and had requested not to be disturbed.
The other members of An's group, including his female relatives and a few musicians,[1] were made slaves and banished to Heilongjiang in the far northeastern corner of the Qing Empire.
[1] It has been suggested by historians including Stephen Haw[3] and Jung Chang[1] that An's execution was part of, and exacerbated, a broader power struggle between Empress Dowager Cixi and Prince Chun.