Wei Zhongxian

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Wei Zhongxian (traditional Chinese: 魏忠賢) (1568 – October 19, 1627) is considered by most historians as the most powerful and notorious eunuch in Chinese history.^{[citation needed]} He was a hoodlum and gambler, initially named Li Jinzhong who made himself a eunuch and entred the palace to escape from his debtors. Entering the palace, he managed to get into the service of the wet-nurse Madam Ke (客氏) of the future Ming emperor. The couple began manipulating the Tianqi Emperor, who renamed him Wei Zhongxian and the emperor's favour later gave Wei absolute power over the court.

Wei persecuted anyone who opposed his decisions, resulting in the death and imprisonment of many loyal officials. He later proclaimed himself to be Nine-Thousand Years(九千歲) which meant that he was symbolically the second most important person in the country, just after the emperor, who is called the Ten-Thousand Years (萬歲). Wei also built many shrines(生祠) and erected god-like statues of himself in them. In 1627, his control of the court ended with the death of the Tianqi Emperor, whose brother and successor promptly eliminated him. He was forced to commit suicide (some sources say executed by strangulation) and his corpse was disembowelled.