Eastern Depot

Eastern Depot
Agency overview
東廠
Eastern Depot's emblem
Formed	1420

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

History

After the Yongle Emperor usurped the throne in 1402 from his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor, he attempted to retain the officials who served in Jianwen's court, but some of them opposed him. In 1420, in order to suppress political opposition, Yongle decided to create the Eastern Depot (named as such because it was located east of the imperial palace), a spy and secret police agency run by eunuchs. They were responsible for spying on officials of any rank, including military officers, scholars, rebels and the general populace. The Eastern Depot would investigate and arrest suspects, and then hand them over to 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.^[2]

Famous Eastern Depot Chief

Reference

↑ Cambridge History of China, Vol 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, Part 1 (edited by Frederick W. Mote and Twitchett), February 1988. ISBN 978-0-521-24332-2.
↑ "Origin of Dong Chang".

Ming dynasty topics

History	Red Turban Rebellion Ming conquest of Yunnan Ming military campaign against Naghachu Battle of Buyur Lake Jingnan Campaign Treasure voyages Ming–Turpan conflict Ming–Hồ War Ming–Kotte War Lam Sơn uprising Yongle Emperor's campaigns against the Mongols Rule of Ren and Xuan Luchuan–Pingmian campaigns Tumu Crisis Rebellion of Cao Qin Miao Rebellions Prince of Anhua rebellion Prince of Ning rebellion Malayan–Portuguese war Japanese missions to Ming China Ningbo Incident Great Rites Controversy Jiajing wokou raids Single whip law Japanese invasions of Korea Donglin movement Sino-Dutch conflicts Battle of Beijing Qing conquest of the Ming Battle of Shanhai Pass Southern Ming

Government & Military	Emperor List Family tree Grand Secretariat Eastern Depot Imperial Clan Court Imperial Commissioner Grand coordinator Military conquests of the Ming dynasty Manchuria under Ming rule Fourth Chinese domination of Vietnam Nine Garrisons of the Ming dynasty Shenjiying Jinyiwei

Compilations & Documents	History of Yuan The Hundred-word Eulogy Huang Ming Zu Xun Yongle Encyclopedia Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty Ming Shilu Luso-Chinese agreement (1554)

Palaces and Mausoleums	Forbidden City Chaotian Palace Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum Ming Ancestors Mausoleum Ming tombs Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Society & Culture	Ming poetry Ming dynasty painting Four Masters of the Ming dynasty Wu School Zhe school Chinese lacquerware table Ming presentation porcelain Covered jar with carp design Yongning Temple Stele Economy of the Ming dynasty Ming dynasty Tai history Islam during the Ming dynasty Tale of the Pipa Huolongjing Xingcha Shenglan Yingyai Shenglan Liao-Fan's Four Lessons Romance of the Three Kingdoms Journey to the West supplement The Three Sui Quash the Demons' Revolt Compendium of Materia Medica A Book to Burn Caigentan Sancai Tuhui The Peony Pavilion Zihui Zhifang Waiji

Other topics	House of Zhu History of Ming Ming official headwear Ming Great Wall Sino-Tibetan relations during the Ming dynasty Wokou

Xia → Shang → Zhou → Qin → Han → 3 Kingdoms → Jìn / 16 Kingdoms → N. & S. Dynasties → Sui → Tang → 5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms → Liao / Song / W. Xia / Jīn → Yuan → Ming → Qing → Modern China

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, March 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.