Shang Yi, a senior eunuch within the Ming Directorate for Imperial Accoutrements (Yuyongjian), presided over the construction of Qutan Temple in Ledu, Qinghai. He also supervised the final phase of the Dabaoen Temple project in Nanjing and led the renovation of three imperial sites in Beijing—Dagongde Temple, Daxinglong Temple, and Dalongfu Temple. He was a talented planner and designer with good taste and a skilled craftsman. This paper investigates not only several of his major projects and explains his good deeds (e.g. donating money for temple construction; encouraging the appreciation and production of art; guarding the capital); but, through analysis of his social background and career, the paper also demonstrates that Shang Yi’ s life is a concrete reflection of the national and social development in the early Ming dynasty.