| Tian Yi | |
| Birth Date: | 1534 |
| Birth Place: | Shaanxi Province |
| Death Date: | 1605 (aged 72) |
| Death Place: | Beijing |
| Nationality: | Ming Empire |
| Known For: | respected for his character and ethics |
| Occupation: | Imperial court eunuch |
Tian Yi (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]) 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]
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.[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.