Tian Yi (traditional Chinese: 田義; simplified Chinese: 田义; pinyin: Tián Yì, 1534 - 1605) 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[1]
and eventually rose to a high position in the court, overseeing the
Directorate of Ceremonial ("Master of the Seal in charge of rituals[2][self-published source?]
) which ranked first among the twelve eunuch directorates.[3]
By the time of this death, he had become the favorite eunuch of the Wanli Emperor.[4]
Tian Yi was born in Shaanxi Province[3] and was
castrated at age 9.[1] He entered the imperial court
immediately afterwards.[1] When he died in 1605, the
Wanli Emperor ordered three days of mourning[1][4] and the construction of a tomb with many features of
an imperial mausoleum to commemorate him.[1][4]
Tomb
Tian Yi's tomb (Chinese: 田義墓; pinyin: Tián Yì Mù) 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.[3] Four eunuchs, who lived
at the tomb as monks during the Qing dynasty are buried next to
Tian Yi.[3]
The tomb is particularly rich in stone carvings.[1][3] The masonry artworks include
three gates (front gate, Lingxing gate, and the graveyard gate), sculptures
that line the spirit way, steles, ceremonial vessels, and stone altars
for sacrifices.[3] The names of 259 eunuchs who
participated in his funeral are also inscribed at the tomb.[1] Notably, the stone statues of the guards before the tomb both wear the uniforms of officials of the first rank, a sign of exceptional favour from the Emperor.
The tomb was looted during the period of the Republic of China.[4] Today, it houses the Eunuch Museum, the
address is 80 Moshikou Street, Shijingshan district, Beijing.
