Consort Rong (; 10 October 1734 – 24 May 1788), from the

Uyghur Uyghur may refer to: * Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia (West China) ** Uyghur language, a Turkic language spoken primarily by the Uyghurs *** Old Uyghur language, a different Turkic language spoken in the Uyghur K ...

minority, was a consort of

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 ...

Family background

Consort Rong was from

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

, and belonged to the

minority. She came from a line of the Makhdumzada Khoja clan, sometimes transliterated as Hezhuo (和卓) or Huozhuo (霍卓). She was the daughter of the Muslim Hojalai, and a descendant of Gambar, founder of the Shizu sect. She had one elder brother, Turdu.

Yongzheng era

The future Consort Rong was born on 15 September of the twelfth year of the reign of

Yongzheng Emperor The Yongzheng Emperor (13 December 1678 – 8 October 1735), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizong of Qing, personal name Yinzhen, was the fourth List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the third Qing em ...

, which translates to 10 October 1734 in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

Qianlong era

Lady Hezhuo entered the Forbidden City on 20 March 1760, when she was twenty-six years old, and the Qianlong emperor was twenty-three years older than her. She had been selected to enter the imperial palace after her older brother Turdu was honoured by the emperor with a title of his part in quelling a rebellion in his native region of Xinjiang. In 1761, she was given the title of "Noble Lady He" (和貴人), and the emperor sent a maid of honour as a wife to her older brother. In May or June 1762, Lady Hezhuo was promoted to "Concubine Rong" (容嬪). In the same year, her brother was made duke of Fuguo in reward for his assistance against the rebels in southern Xinjiang. She accompanied the court when it debouched for Rehe and Mulan Hunting grounds. In 1765, she and her brother were invited to join the emperor's fourth inspection trip to southern China. In November or December 1768, Lady Hezhuo was promoted to "Consort Rong" (容妃). The emperor had ordered a special hat of velvet for her because there was a shortage of Manchu court headwear. The emperor had arranged for her a Uyghur chef, and a Muslim palace with engravings of texts from the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

, called Fangwai Guan. The emperor even built a mosque for her at the

Summer Palace The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden during the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quar ...

near Beijing. In 1771, she joined the eastern tour to Tiashan and Qufu. Lady Hezhuo found such a great favour with the emperor, that in 1774, he celebrated her fortieth birthday four months ahead of time. During the autumn hunting festival that year, she was placed in second position among the imperial consorts who joined the tour. She enjoyed a high prestige in the imperial palace, a prominent seat reserved for her in banquets. At an early 1779 banquet at the

Old Summer Palace The Old Summer Palace, also known as Yuanmingyuan () or Yuanmingyuan Park, originally called the Imperial Gardens (), and sometimes called the Winter Palace, was a complex of palaces and gardens in present-day Haidian District, Beijing, China. I ...

, she took head of the western table. By the end of the year, she had advanced to second position at eastern table. In 1784, the emperor celebrated her fiftieth birthday.

Death and burial

Lady Hezhuo died on 24 May 1788. Her coffin was moved from West Garden to Jing'an zuang, and she was interred in October in the Yu Mausoleum of the

Eastern Qing tombs The Eastern Qing tombs (; ) are an imperial mausoleum complex of the Qing dynasty located in Zunhua, northeast of Beijing. They are the largest, most complete, and best preserved extant mausoleum complex in China. Altogether, five emperors ( Sh ...

. Her tomb was opened and put in order in October 1979, and in 1983 it was opened for public. Her coffin bears an inscription from the Quran written in Arabic. Rong Fei tomb

Titles

During the reign of the

(r. 1722–1735): * Lady Hezhuo (from 10 October 1734) During the reign of the

(r. 1735–1796): * Noble Lady He (; from 1761), sixth rank consort * Concubine Rong (; from May/June 1762), fifth rank consort * Consort Rong (; from November/December 1768乾隆三十年十月), fourth rank consort

Legacy

Her story changed over time, transforming her into a fictional character Xiang Fei (香妃; Fragrant Consort) around the early 1920s. Movies and TV series were made about the fictitious Fragrant Consort.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fei, Rong Chinese imperial consorts Consorts of the Qianlong Emperor 18th-century Chinese people Uyghur people 1734 births 1788 deaths People from Xinjiang Qing dynasty Muslims