Cuiyan (1866–1925), 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 ...

Bordered White Banner Liugiya clan, was a consort of Yixuan. She was 26 years his junior.

Life

Family background

Lady Liu was a

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 ...

Booi Aha by birth. * Father: Deqing (), served as a fifth rank official ()

Life

Lady Liu was born in 1867, during the reign of 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 ...

. She became a lady-in-waiting, and then secondary consort, of Yixuan, the seventh son 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 ...

, during the reign of the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), also known by his temple name Emperor Dezong of Qing, personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China ...

. The Guangxu Emperor is Lady Liu's step son and born to Yixuan's primary consort

Yehenara Wanzhen Wanzhen (13 September 1841 – 17 June 1896), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Yehe Nara clan, was a consort of Yixuan. She was one year his junior and the younger sister of Empress Cixi and the mother of Emperor Guangxu. Life Family backg ...

. Yehenara Wanzhen is the younger sister of Yehenara Xingzhen, also known as

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 ...

. She gave birth on 12 February 1883 to Yixuan's fifth son, Zaifeng, on 20 May 1885 to his sixth son, Zaixun, and on 23 June 1887 to his seventh son,

Zaitao Zaitao (23 June 1887 – 2 September 1970), courtesy name Shuyuan, art name Yeyun, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. He was a half-brother of the Guangxu Emperor and an uncle of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. Biography Zaitao was bor ...

. Her husband Yixuan died when Cuiyan was 23 years old. After the death of Yehenara Wanzhen, Liu Cuiyan became the lady of the

Prince Chun Mansion Prince Chun's Mansion (), also known as the Northern Mansion (北府; ''Běifǔ''), is a large residence in the ''siheyuan'' style with lavish private garden located near the Shichahai neighborhood in central Beijing. The grounds had been part of ...

. She was 28 years old when she took on the role. Her youngest son

was selected by Empress Dowager Cixi to inherit the title of Yihe, Prince Zhong of the Second Rank, as Yihe's adopted son because Yihe had no son to succeed him. As a result, Lady Liu suffered from madness at the age of 29. In the 27th year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, her son Zaifeng married Gūwalgiya Youlan. Lady Liu originally planned for him to marry another woman, but Empress Dowager Cixi objected. She was 34 years old. After Emperor Guangxu died, Empress Dowager Cixi chose Lady Liu's grandson

Puyi Puyi (7 February 190617 October 1967) was the final emperor of China, reigning as the eleventh monarch of the Qing dynasty from 1908 to 1912. When the Guangxu Emperor died without an heir, Empress Dowager Cixi picked his nephew Puyi, aged tw ...

to inherit the throne. The 41 year old Lady Liu fainted when she heard the news and her symptoms of madness worsened. She visited the palace with her daughter-in-law Youlan when Puyi turned 10 years old. In 1921, Puyi and Consort Dowager Duankang had an argument. Consort Dowager Duankang was angered and reprimanded Cuiyan and Youlan, causing Cuiyan to become disabled from fear. Youlan felt angry for being publicly reprimanded and committed suicide by swallowing

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

. Lady Liu was 54 years old. In 1925, when Puyi arrived in

Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...

, Liugiya Cuiyan died at the age of 58.

Titles

* During the reign of the

(r. 1861–1875): ** Lady Liu (from 1866) * During the reign of the

(r. 1875–1908): ** Secondary consort ()

Issue

* As secondary consort: ** Zaifeng (; 12 February 1883 – 3 February 1951), Yixuan's fifth son, inherited the title Prince Chun of the First Rank in 1891 ***married Gūwalgiya Youlan ****Puyi, Emperor Xuantong ****

Pujie Pujie (; 16 April 1907 – 28 February 1994) was a Qing dynasty imperial prince of the Aisin-Gioro. Pujie was the younger brother of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. After the fall of the Qing dynasty, Pujie went to Japan, where he was educated ...

****Yunying (韞瑛) ****Yunhe (韞和) **** Yunying (韞穎) ** Zaixun (; 20 May 1885 – 1949), Yixuan's sixth son **

(; 23 June 1887 – 2 September 1970), Yixuan's seventh son ** Yixuan's second daughter

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lady Liugiya 1866 births 1925 deaths Qing dynasty princesses consorts