Tian Yi


Tian Yi was a eunuch serving at the imperial court of the Ming Dynasty. He served under the Jiajing, the Longqing, and the Wanli emperors for a total of 63 years
and eventually rose to a high position in the court, overseeing the
Directorate of Ceremonies which ranked first among the twelve eunuch directorates.
By the time of this death, he had become the favorite eunuch of the Wanli emperor.
Tian Yi was born in Shaanxi Province and was
castrated at age 9. He entered the imperial court
immediately afterwards. When he died in 1605, the
Wanli Emperor ordered three days of mourning and the construction of a tomb with many features of
an imperial mausoleum to commemorate him.

Tomb

Tian Yi's tomb has a traditional layout in which a spirit way serves as a central axis and a division
between a front portion used by visitors to pay their respects and a
closed off back portion. Four eunuchs, who lived
at the tomb as monks during the Qing dynasty are buried next to
Tian Yi.
The tomb is particularly rich in stone carvings. The masonry artworks include
three gates, sculptures
that line the spirit way, steles, ceremonial vessels, and stone altars
for sacrifices. The names of 259 eunuchs who
participated in his funeral are also inscribed at the tomb.
The tomb was looted during the period of the Republic of China. Today, it houses the Eunuch Museum, the
address is 80 Moshikou Street, Shijingshan district, Beijing.