Eight Tigers

The Eight Tigers (), sometimes referred to as the Gang of Eight (八黨), were a powerful group of eunuchs that controlled the Chinese imperial court during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor (r. 1505–1521) of the Ming dynasty.

Led by Liu Jin, the remaining members of the coterie were Ma Yongcheng (馬永成), Gao Feng (高鳳), Luo Xiang (羅祥), Wei Bin (魏彬), Qiu Ju (丘聚), Gu Dayong (谷大用), and Zhang Yong (張永).

Background

Eunuchs in China

Eunuchs are castrated men who have often been used as servants in imperial and noble households, due to the understanding that they would not be distracted by, or be a danger to, women. Eunuchs were often utilized in the imperial household as harem guards and attendants. The harems were considered necessary in order to help produce a male heir, and the eunuchs were trusted protectors.

Before the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs had long been a powerful political force in China. In the Tang dynasty, from 821 until the dynasty's end, eunuchs were "the real power holders". They controlled the Imperial Guard and the Palace Secretariat, chose seven out of eight emperors, and possibly killed two emperors.

The first Ming emperor, Hongwu (1328-1398), was worried about the power of the eunuchs. He erected a tablet that said, "Eunuchs must have nothing to do with administration", and he worked to disempower them. He warned, "Anyone using eunuchs as his eyes and ears will be blind and deaf". Despite these measures, many of emperors who followed Hongwu were more willing to leave ruling to the eunuchs, and the Ming Dynasty became the peak of eunuch influence. By the end of the 15th century, there were 10,000 eunuchs working in the palace.

In addition to close access to the emperor and his wives and concubines, they were often trusted with imperial sons. Oftentimes, this trust extended to eunuchs being given command as palace guards, military commanders, or imperial inspectors. They controlled the court's luxury workshops and managed the tributes from the provinces and foreign countries, and they were often made the heads of official missions abroad. This power gave the eunuchs many chances to become rich through graft. They also eventually controlled the secret police, which meant they could control the nation through blackmail and corruption.

The rise to power of the Eight Tigers

Emperor Zhengde ascended to the imperial throne in 1505, aged 14, after the death of his father.

From the early days of his rule, it was clear that the young emperor distrusted government officials and was partial to eunuchs who took an active role in raising him. The emperor's inner circle consisted of 8 eunuchs who served him when he was still heir apparent and became his personal staff shortly after Zhengde began his reign. Shortly after the emperor's ascension to the throne, the Eight Tigers swiftly took control of important positions not only in the imperial court but also in the secret service and the army. In addition to this, they appointed their relatives to influential ranks and roles in the dynasty.

One of the eunuchs, Liu Jin, who would emerge as the leader of the group, was put in charge of palace music in early 1506, putting him in a position of control over the emperor's entertainment. He excelled in this role, coming up with ideas for pastimes that proved to be much to the emperor's liking.

Several groups within the imperial elites were alarmed with Liu Jin's promotion and the group's apparent influence over the young ruler, and so they began plotting against the Eight Tigers.

Three grand secretaries, inherited from the emperor's father and supported by the ministers, demanded the group's execution, while senior eunuchs insisted on banishment as a punishment that the Emperor would be more likely to consider. A joint plan was finally agreed upon and set in motion with a direct petition to the emperor, asking for Liu Jin's execution and banishment of the other members of the group from the imperial court.

Liu Jin was notified of the plot by one of his agents and led seven other eunuchs to ask for mercy before Emperor Zhengde on October 27, 1506.

The emperor heeded their plea, and on the following day it was announced that he would decide upon their fate at his leisure. All but one of the grand secretaries resigned immediately upon hearing the news and a number of senior officials followed suit.

The plot was averted and most checks on the eunuchs' power eliminated with it.

Liu Jin proceeded to retaliate against those who spoke out against him, leading to a string of dismissals, incidents of torture, and imprisonments of a number of high government figures.

In February 1507, twenty-one officials who had protested the dismissal of the senior grand secretaries were beaten and reduced to the status of commoners.

By the end of 1507, very few in the palace were willing to challenge the reign of terror of Liu Jin, who was known to many at the time as "Emperor Liu", and his fellow eunuchs.

Members

Liu Jin 劉瑾 (1451-1510)

Liu Jin was from the area of Xingping, Shaanxi. He was born on February 28, 1451, into the Tan family. His original name was Tan Jin. He considered himself very eloquent, so he decided to become a eunuch, as he considered that his best path to success. After becoming a eunuch, he was adopted by another eunuch named Liu, and changed his name to Liu Jin.

He began working in the imperial palace in the 1480s, where he began to consolidate the group that later became the Eight Tigers. In 1492, he was removed from his post at the Chenghua emperor's tomb to serve the new heir apparent, the future Zhengde emperor. Liu became a favorite of his, and he became the head of the bureau of bells and drums after Zhengde's rise to the throne in 1505. From there, Liu Jin gradually gained more power and influence, and became known as the leader of the Eight Tigers.

Most Ming and modern historians regard Liu Jin's rise to power as tyrannic and describe him as "rapacious, cruel, and wily".Robinson, David M. ''Banditry and Rebellion in the Capital Region during the Mid-Ming (1450-1525)''. Dissertation, Princeton University, 1995. UMI, 9528935. He became the Head of the Directorate of Ceremonies, in which role he was notorious for altering rescripts in transit to and from the emperor. This meant he essentially controlled what the emperor knew and what the emperor approved.Tong, James W. ''Collective Violence in a Premodern Society: Rebellions and Banditry in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)''. Dissertation, University of Michigan, 1985. Later, he became the chief of the imperial staff, and became known for taking bribes from senior officials. For example, he required the thirteen provincial administration officials to pay him 20,000 tael