GB Times - Jinyiwei, literally meaning brocade-clad guard, was the name given to the imperial military guards responsible for the emperor’s personal security, as well as serving as his secret police, throughout the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) in China.

An Ignoble Start

The Jinyiwei was an institution established by the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang. His intention in creating this force was to wipe out all those who initially helped him to ascend the emperor’s throne for fear of them eventually attempting to oust and eliminate his own bloodline and assume a top post for themselves after he passed away.

Although he disbanded the Jinyiwei a decade after he established it, the organization was reassembled and taken to new heights once his fourth son, Zhu Di, usurped the reign of Zhu Yunwen, his nephew, and made himself emperor in 1402.

As Zhu Di was both paranoid and ruthless, he was anxious to protect his power at all costs from those who found his rule illegitimate. The head of Jinyiwei was further empowered to become one of the top players in the Ming court. The institution was again dismantled only when rebel Li Zicheng overthrew the Ming Dynasty in 1644.

Jinyiwei were marked by their impressive physical appearance, as they were the cream of the crop of fighters. Their uniforms were made of rich brocade, hence the name. To signify their high status, top ranking Jinyiwei wore a robe with the pattern of a boa constrictor, an animal similar to the dragon – a symbol of the king.

Secret Agents

Throughout their existence of nearly three centuries, the Jinyiwei supervised documentation of all their cases and conducted secret reconnaissance, investigations, trials, sentencing, intelligence collection. They also developed military strategies and weaponry, all done independently from related government departments.

In the case of the Japanese invasions of Korea between 1592 and 1598, in which the Ming army successfully defended Korea from Japan’s aggression, the Jinyiwei also served as secret agents gathering vast amount of intelligence about Japan.

The general image of the Jinyiwei is rather negative, and many stories have been told about their corruption and abuse of power. The famous Lan Yu case during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang had General Lan Yu, a key help in the founding of the Ming Dynasty, executed on trumped up charges of plotting a rebellion against the emperor. About 15,000 people were implicated and executed along with him. The Jinyiwei were believed to be behind the conspiracy at the order of the emperor, and exploited the chance to kill people they didn’t like.

They had an infamous reputation for torturing suspects in illegal ways. As they had direct access to the emperor, they inspired fear among court officials. However, in most cases, they only targeted people serving the imperial court. Common people usually were left off their radar. Yet, it was true that they had special authority granted by the emperor and tended to abuse it to amass wealth and influence for themselves. It is said that the Jinyiwei was one of the causes of the Ming Dynasty’s downfall.