Consort Fang (; ? – 20 September 1801), of the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

Chen clan, was a consort of the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China pr ...

. She and her brothers were inducted into a bondservant company of the

Bordered Yellow Banner The Bordered Yellow Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu people, Manchu military and society during the Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. The Bordered Yellow Banner was one of three "upper" banner armies u ...

of the Han Chinese Eight Banners since it was required for all imperial consorts of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

to belong to one of the

Eight Banners The Eight Banners (in Manchu language, Manchu: ''jakūn gūsa'', , ) were administrative and military divisions under the Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasties of China into which all Manchu people, Manchu househol ...

Life

Family background

Consort Fang was a member of

Chen clan. Her personal name wasn't recorded in history. Her ancestral home was located in

Yangzhou Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou, Jiangsu, ...

. * Father: Yanlun (延伦) * Two elder brothers: ** First elder brother: Chen Ji (陈济) ** Second elder brother: Chen Hao (陈浩), a magistrate of Yangguan (扬关任事)

Qianlong era

Consort Fang was born between 1749 and 1753. She entered the palace in 1766 after a selection, and was given the rank of first class attendant (常在) with the honorary title "ming" (明; "ming" meaning "bright"). Her residence in 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 ...

became Yongshou Palace. As a low-ranking imperial consort, she lived under the supervision of Concubine Shun and Consort Shu. In 1775, Lady Chen was promoted to noble lady (贵人). She was then accused by Empress Dowager Chongqing of harming an imperial child and demoted to "First Class Female Attendant Ming". In 1780, she was restored as "Noble Lady Ming" (明贵人). In 1794, she was promoted to concubine (嫔) with the honorary title "Fang" (芳; "fang" meaning "fragrant"), and moved to Yonghe Palace on the east side of the Forbidden City.

Jiaqing era

In 1798, the Qianlong Emperor promoted Lady Chen to the rank of consort (妃). Consort Fang died in 1801 and was interred in the Yu Mausoleum of the Eastern Qing tombs.

Titles

* During the reign of the

(r. 1735–1796): ** Lady Chen (陳氏) ** First Class Attendant Ming (; from 1766), seventh rank imperial consort ** Noble Lady Ming (; from 1775), sixth rank imperial consort ** First Class Attendant Ming (; from unknown date), seventh rank imperial consort ** Noble Lady Ming (; from 1780), sixth rank imperial consort ** Concubine Fang (; from 1794), fifth rank imperial consort * 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): ** Consort Fang (; from 1798), fourth rank imperial consort

References