Consort Chang (31 December 1808 – 10 May 1860), of the Manchu

Hešeri Hešeri (; Manchu: ''Hešeri''), is a clan of Manchu nobility with Jianzhou Jurchens roots, originally hailing from the area which is now the modern Chinese provinces of Jilin and Liaoning. It was once one of the most important and powerful nobl ...

clan belonging to the

Bordered Blue Banner The Bordered Blue Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. It was one of the lower five banners. According to the general annals of the Eight Banners, the Bordered Blue ...

, was a consort of the

Daoguang Emperor The Daoguang Emperor (16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanzong of Qing, personal name Mianning, was the seventh List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing e ...

Life

Family background

Consort Chang's personal name wasn't recorded in history. She was a member of a prominent Manchu

clan belonging to the

. Father: Ronghai (), a third rank military official * Paternal grandfather: Shanqing, a magistrate of Lizhou, Yingzhou, Huizhou * Paternal grandmother: Lady Gioro Mother: Lady Irgen Gioro * Maternal grandfather: Qiming () Two younger brothers: * First younger brother: Rushan (如山; b.1811), a jinshi of 1838 and third rank literary official in Sichuan * Second younger brother: Longshan (隆山) Two elder sisters * First elder sister: Wife of Nianchang'a (), an examiner (员外郎, pinyin: yuanwailang) of the

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

* Second elder sister: Wife of Linxiang (), a second rank military official (, pinyin:zongbin) and Grand Minister of Internal Affairs of the

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

Plain White Banner The Plain White Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. It was one of the three "upper" banners (Plain Yellow Banner, Bordered Yellow Banner, and Plain White Banner) d ...

Jiaqing era

Lady Hesheri was born in the 9th day of the 12th lunar month of the 12th year of Jiaqing era, which translates to 31 December 1808 in the Gregorian calendar.

Daoguang era

Lady Hesheri entered the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is the Chinese Empire, imperial Chinese palace, palace complex in the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasty L ...

between 1822 and 1825. Upon the entry, she was granted a title "Noble Lady Zhen" (珍贵人; "zhen" meaning "pearl", "precious"). Noble Lady Zhen was promoted to "Concubine Zhen" (珍嫔) in May 1825. and to "Consort Zhen" (珍妃) in September 1825. She was demoted to "Concubine Zhen" (珍嫔) during her visit in Yuanmingyuan in 1826 because her Yanxi palace used a coach with four horses. Concubine Zhen didn't reflect herself well after her first demotion, so she was demoted to "Noble Lady Chang" in 1830 (常贵人, "chang" meaning "ordinary", "common"), and moved to Xianfu Palace on the western side of the Forbidden City. She remained childless during the Daoguang era. The

died on 26 February 1850.

Xianfeng era

After the enthronement of

Xianfeng Emperor The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), also known by his temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing, personal name Yizhu, was the eighth emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper. During his re ...

, Lady Hesheri was restored as "Concubine Chang" (常嫔). She lived in Shoukang palace in the western part of the Forbidden City. She died on 10 May 1860 in the Garden of Elegant Spring in Yuanmingyuan. She was posthumously granted a title "Consort Chang" (常妃) by the

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), also known by his temple name Emperor Muzong of Qing, personal name Zaichun, was the ninth emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, w ...

, the son of the

Titles

* During the reign of the

Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, personal name Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He was ...

(r. 1796–1820): ** Lady Hesheri (from 31 December 1808) * During the reign of the

(r. 1820–1850): ** Noble Lady Zhen (; from 1822), sixth rank consort ** Concubine Zhen (; from May 1825), fifth rank consort ** Consort Zhen (; from September 1825), fourth rank consort ** Concubine Zhen (; from 1826), fifth rank consort ** Noble Lady Chang (; from 1830), sixth rank consort * During the reign of the

(r. 1850–1861): ** Concubine Chang (; from unknown date), fifth rank consort ** ''Consort Chang'' (; from 1860)

References

{{reflist Chinese imperial consorts Consorts of the Daoguang Emperor