The "Brocade-Clad Guard" ("Embroidered-Uniform Guard"), or Jinyiwei, served under the Ming dynasty for 262 years in Imperial China and were founded by the Hongwu Emperor in 1368. Like so many other agencies, the Jinyiwei evolved from the emperor's bodyguards to become his eyes and ears around the whole empire in the form of the secret police. Their role was simply to keep the emperor on the throne by nullifying - and eliminating if necessary - political opponents, and their trademarks included brutal torture and interrogation. General Lan Yu was one particular Chinese citizen who felt the full force of the Jinyiwei in 1393. With the order fearing Lan Yu was plotting a rebellion, they remorselessly executed close to 40,000 on largely fabricated charges. As a result of this ruthless episode, the Hongwu Emperor reduced their duties for fear of a recurrence. However, the Jinyiwei remained in a lesser capacity until the Ming dynasty was overthrown in the 17th Century.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
