Eastern Depot

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Eastern Depot
東廠
Agency overview
Formed1420
Dissolved1644

Eastern Depot or Eastern Bureau (traditional Chinese: 東廠; simplified Chinese: 东厂; pinyin: Dōng Chǎng; Wade–Giles: Tung Ch'ang) was a Ming dynasty spy and secret police agency run by eunuchs.[1] It was created by the Yongle Emperor.[2]

History

After the

Jinyiwei for interrogation. In the late Ming dynasty, the Eastern Depot had its own tactical forces and prisons, and became so powerful that even officials were ordered to kowtow to the Depot's leaders.[citation needed] The Eastern Depot lasted to 1644, the end of the Ming Dynasty.[3]

There was also a government department called the Western Depot (Xichang) established by the Chenghua Emperor in 1477, originally to search for witches, but became a rival to the Eastern Depot. It was in operation until 1510, except for an interval from 1482 to 1506.[4] A third security apparatus, created to counter the two depots and the Jinyiwei, was called the Inner Branch Depot (Neixingchang) and lasted from about 1505 (during Zhengde Emperor's reign) until 1510 as well.[5] The Inner Branch Depot was briefly re-established sometime during the long reign of the Wanli Emperor.

Famous chiefs of the Eastern Depot

References

  1. ISBN 0-7914-2687-4
    . Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  2. ISBN 978-0-521-24332-2
    .
  3. ^ Shih-shan Henry Tsai (1996), p. 114
  4. ^ Shih-shan Henry Tsai (1996), p. 118
  5. ^ Shih-shan Henry Tsai (1996), p. 104

See also

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