Tianyi's Tomb, Eunuch museum and cemetery in Jindingjie Subdistrict, China

Tianyi's Tomb is a Ming dynasty eunuch cemetery at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain, at No. 80 Moshikou Street. Its surviving structures include a gate tower, ornamental columns, stone statues of officials and generals, three stele pavilions, a sacrificial hall, and an underground palace. The stone carvings depict the Eight Immortals, historical stories such as Su Wu herding sheep, and auspicious motifs.

The tomb complex was built in 1605, the 33rd year of the Wanli reign, for Tian Yi, a eunuch from Huayin, Shaanxi, who entered the palace at age nine in 1534 and served under the Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli emperors. As head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, he also oversaw the wine, vinegar and noodle bureau and was once appointed to garrison Nanjing. After his death the Wanli emperor granted him a burial plot at Moshi Kou; about a dozen other Ming and Qing eunuchs were later buried here. In the Qing period the site fell into disuse until a monk obtained Kangxi's approval to build the Cixiang Nunnery next to it.

The exhibition halls show how eunuchs lived and worked in imperial society, revealing their daily roles and responsibilities at court. Visitors can see how these individuals shaped the inner workings of the palace.

The site lies at 80 Moshikou Dajie, at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain, about half a kilometre north of Fahai Temple. The tomb's underground palace is open, and the former Cixiang An halls now hold the Beijing Eunuch Culture Exhibition. The stone carvings along the spirit way and in the three stele pavilions are best examined up close, so allow time to walk the whole enclosure.

The stone carvings include scenes from folk tales and history, such as Su Wu herding sheep and Yang Xu hanging up a fish, alongside the Eight Immortals and the eight musical sounds. Look for these narrative panels on the spirit-way figures and stele pavilions.