Liu Jin

Liu Jin was a powerful eunuch of the late imperial China who became, through bribery and embezzlement, a wealthiest man of his time.

Born in Xingping, Shaanxi, Liu Jin was adopted by eunuch at the age of 6, castrated and sent into service of the inner palace of the court of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty which ruled China between 1358 and 1644 was notorious for the corruption of its officials. After several decades of service, Liu was appointed to serve the prince Zhengde who later became the emperor of China. When that occurred, Liu Jin was promoted as the head eunuch in charge of the most important state affairs. He surrounded himself with a large body of suitable and loyal persons who were appointed on important government posts. In order to entertain the emperor and keep his favor, Liu Jin arranged exotic animals, acrobats, dancing girls and various other diversions.

At his initiative, all provincial administrators were required to send silver from the local treasuries to the court and more than three hundred imperial estates were established near the capital to raise state income necessary for covering the expenses of the inner palace. These decisions were motivated by his personal gain and not the national.

Liu Jin reached the peak of personal wealth shortly before his death. A major source of his wealth came from bribes. Almost all officials visiting capital for annual audience were obliged to send him “gift money” ranging from several hundred to 5 thousand taels of silver. Those who didn’t have such sums had to get loans, popularly known as “capital debts”. Another source of his wealth was the sale of positions.

After he was charged by some eunuchs to plot against the emperor, he lost the emperor’s favor and was executed publicly. All of his assets were confiscated. It was said that his total wealth exceeded 330 tons of gold and 8,050 tons of silver. This amount was the equivalent of forty times the annual income of the Ming government in 1664.

Liu Jin is regarded as one of the wealthiest persons in the history of the world.