Li Lianying (李莲英) was a royal eunuch during the Qing Dynasty, and was a favorite of the Empress Dowager Cixi, who was the de facto ruler of China for forty years from 1869–1909. He served as the Head Eunuch (太监总管) until getting deposed in 1908. Li Lianying was known to be dominant in court affairs, controlling everything from the actions of other eunuchs, to which officials could be granted an audience by the Empress Dowager. Such things often involved large amounts of bribery, and Li Lianying made a fortune out of it.