In Chinese history, the Ming Dynasty is famous for its splendor that lasted more than 270 years. But besides the glory, the Ming Dynasty also left behind a shocking number, about 100,000 eunuchs serving in the royal court. One question is why does a dynasty need such a huge number of eunuchs in one king's life? Where did they come from, what did they do, and why did the presence of eunuchs contribute to pushing the Ming Dynasty down the path of decline?
Why did the Ming Dynasty have many eunuchs?
To understand why the Ming Dynasty had up to 100,000 eunuchs, it is first necessary to clarify the role of eunuchs in ancient Chinese society. The tradition of using eunuchs has existed since the Han Dynasty, even before that. But it was during the Ming Dynasty that the scale and influence of eunuchs reached an unprecedented peak. Eunuchs are not just servants, they are special characters living in a contradictory world, both socially inferior and able to hold great power.
Because he has no family or children, eunuchs are said to be absolutely loyal to the emperor, not influenced by family interests like mandarins. This made them ideal tools for the emperor to use in managing the royal court, supervising officials, and even participating in political and military activities. During the Ming Dynasty, the role of eunuchs expanded far beyond normal service work and this led to a rapid increase in the number of eunuchs.
But why did the Ming Dynasty need so many eunuchs?
Because the Ming Dynasty was founded by Chu Nguyen Truong, a character who came from a poor peasant class. Having gone through the years of war and witnessing the decay of the Yuan Dynasty, Chu Nguyen Truong harbored suspicion towards mandarins and the aristocracy. He believes that it was the corruption and betrayal of the elite that caused the Yuan Dynasty to collapse and he is determined to not let that happen again to keep his dynasty. To consolidate power, Chu Nguyen Truong built a strict control system in which eunuchs acted as loyal eyes and ears of the emperor.
Unlike previous dynasties, the Ming Dynasty promoted the use of eunuchs in the management apparatus. Chu Nguyen Truong was initially quite cautious with them, even ordering to limit the power of eunuchs to avoid repeating the mistakes of the Tang dynasty when eunuchs used to manipulate court processes. However, he still assigned them important tasks such as supervising officials and managing the harem. After Zhou Yuanzhang's death, successive emperors, especially Zhu Di, began to relax these restrictions.
Eunuchs gradually became an indispensable force not only in the royal court but also in fields such as military, diplomacy and intelligence. This expansion of the role led to an increasing need for eunuchs, laying the foundation for the number of 100,000 by the end of the dynasty. One of the main reasons why the Ming Dynasty had a huge number of eunuchs was the scale of the aftermath.
From Cam Thanh, the Ming Dynasty's power center was a large palace complex with thousands of rooms and hundreds of separate areas for the emperor, queen, concubines, and maids. Under emperors such as Wanli, the harem could accommodate thousands of women from concubines to servants. Maintaining such a large harem required a huge workforce to handle daily tasks. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, managing jewelry, silk, and property.
Eunuchs were the only choice for these jobs because they were allowed to enter and leave the harem without causing security or moral concerns. Each concubine, princess or small palace needs its own team of eunuchs to serve. According to historical records at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Forbidden City alone had about 70,000 eunuchs, not including those working in other palaces across the country. This number reached 100,000 thousand people and this number reflected not only the size of the harem but also the increasing dependence of the court and eunuchs working in the operation of the royal apparatus. They are not just servants but also irreplaceable butlers who take on every aspect of royal life.
Another important factor contributing to the huge number of eunuchs was the social situation of Ming Dynasty worship. In the 14th and 15th centuries, China's population increased sharply but arable land was limited. Many farmer families fall into poverty and cannot afford to raise their children. In that context, making a son a eunuch becomes a harsh but very realistic choice for many families. Although physically painful, becoming a eunuch brings the opportunity to change your life, enter the palace, have a place to live, have food and if you are lucky, you can advance in the royal system.
Some people even volunteered to become eunuchs. This may sound unbelievable but it shows the desperation of poor people at that time. Becoming a eunuch is not only a way to escape poverty but also a way to get ahead in society, where studying and taking exams to become a mandarin is unthinkable for the majority of people. The success stories of famous eunuchs such as Zheng He, who went from being a boy forced to be a eunuch to becoming a great navigator further aroused hope in many people. It was the combination of poverty and opportunity for advancement that created a constant stream of people joining the ranks of eunuchs, pushing the number to record highs.
During the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs not only participated in normal activities but they also had high authority even though their positions were not important. One of the most powerful agencies of the Ming Dynasty was the Jinyiwei, a secret police force controlled by the emperor. Eunuchs were often assigned the task of running Cam Y Ve, supervising mandarins and arresting those suspected of treason. They became the emperor's eyes and ears, penetrating every corner of the state apparatus. Some eunuchs were also assigned greater responsibilities such as commanding the army or serving as diplomatic envoys. Zheng He is a typical example when he led the Ming dynasty's fleet on voyages throughout Asia and Africa, affirming the power of the dynasty. *
But the greater the power, the easier it is for the eunuch to fall into corruption. Many people took advantage of their close position with the emperor to receive bribes, form factions, and manipulate the government. One infamous figure was Wei Zhongxian, the most powerful eunuch of the Ming Dynasty. Nguyen Trung Hien virtually controlled the entire court, eliminating rival mandarins and building an extensive network of henchmen. The abuse of him and other eunuchs caused chaos in the court, laying the foundation for later crises. It can be seen that the presence of all 100,000 eunuchs at the end of the Ming Dynasty was not only a symbol of luxury but also a factor contributing to the decline of the Ming Dynasty faster.
As the number of eunuchs increased, their power also expanded beyond their original role as servants. They became political forces, interfering in every aspect of the court, appointing officials, and managing finances. The manipulation of names like Nguyen Trung Hien also weakened the Ming bureaucracy, sidelining talented officials and replacing them with loyal but incompetent ones. Corruption is widespread from the royal court to villages and localities, making people even more dissatisfied. Besides, maintaining 100,000 eunuchs is a huge economic burden.
They needed salaries, accommodation, clothes, and many other expenses, consuming a large part of the enemy's budget. Meanwhile, the Ming Dynasty faced a series of natural disasters, floods, droughts and wars. Money was wasted and eunuchs left the court without enough resources to relieve famine, recruit troops or reinforce the border. This imbalance depleted the Ming economy, creating conditions for peasant uprisings, typically the uprising of Ly Tu Thanh.
The eunuch also caused serious division in the royal court. Eunuchs often clashed with mandarins, creating opposing factions. Mandarins saw eunuchs as a threat while eunuchs saw mandarins as competitors. This discord made the court disunited and unable to make effective decisions to deal with the crisis. By the last years of the Ming Dynasty, when the Manchus invaded from the North and Ly Tu Thanh entered Beijing, many eunuchs chose to flee or betray rather than protect the court. Emperor Sung Trinh in despair ended up curled up on a hill near Cam Thanh, marking the end of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty collapsed not only because of eunuchs but also because of a combination of many factors of corruption, natural disasters, war, and economic crisis. But the 100,000 eunuchs are symbols of a system gone out of control where those who serve become the rulers and loyalty is replaced by personal ambition.