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Liu Jin

Type Figure Region China Time c. 1451–1510 Also known as Eunuch Liu、Head of the Eight Tigers

Liu Jin (c. 1451–1510) was a powerful eunuch of the mid-Ming from Xingping, Shaanxi, surnamed Tan at birth, who castrated himself as a child to enter…

Timeline

  1. c. 1460–1487Forbidden City, Beijing · BeijingLiu Jin castrated himself and entered the palace during the Jingtai era, taking the surname Liu by attaching himself to a eunuch surnamed Liu. In the Chenghua era he headed the Music Bureau and gradually gained favor; early in Hongwu he was implicated in a crime and should have been executed, but was pardoned and banished to tend the Maoling tomb, then transferred to the Eastern Palace.
  2. 1491–1505Eastern Palace, Beijing · BeijingIn the middle and later Hongwu era Liu Jin served crown prince Zhu Houzhao in the Eastern Palace, winning the prince's favor with comic antics and forming a clique with eunuchs Gu Dayong, Zhang Yong and others; his power was still restrained under Emperor Hongzhi, but the groundwork was laid for his later dominance under Zhengde.
  3. 1506–1510Beijing · BeijingAfter Zhengde's accession Liu Jin headed the Directorate of Ceremonial, monopolizing power with the 'Eight Tigers', reviewing memorials and attacking court officials, establishing the Inner Investigation Bureau with power above the Grand Secretariat; in Zhengde 5 the Prince of Anhua's rebellion proclamation exposed his crimes, Zhang Yong secretly reported on his return to the capital, and the emperor ordered his arrest, execution by lingchi in the market, and confiscation of his property.

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