The Daoguang Emperor (16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...

Emperor Xuanzong of Qing, personal name Mianning, was the seventh

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

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 ...

, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over

China proper China proper, also called Inner China, are terms used primarily in the West in reference to the traditional "core" regions of China centered in the southeast. The term was first used by Westerners during the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dyn ...

. His reign was marked by "external disaster and internal rebellion". These include the

First Opium War The First Opium War ( zh, t=第一次鴉片戰爭, p=Dìyīcì yāpiàn zhànzhēng), also known as the Anglo-Chinese War, was a series of military engagements fought between the British Empire and the Chinese Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1 ...

and the beginning of the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a civil war in China between the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The conflict lasted 14 years, from its outbreak in 1850 until the fall of ...

which nearly brought down the dynasty. The historian

Jonathan Spence Jonathan Dermot Spence (11 August 1936 – 25 December 2021) was a British-American historian, Sinology, sinologist, and author specialised in History of China, Chinese history. He was Sterling Professor of History at Yale University from 199 ...

characterizes the Daoguang Emperor as a "well meaning but ineffective man" who promoted officials who "presented a purist view even if they had nothing to say about the domestic and foreign problems surrounding the dynasty".

Early years

The Daoguang Emperor was born 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 ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, in 1782, and was given the name Mianning (). It was later changed to Minning () when he became emperor. The first character of his private name was changed from ''Mian'' to ''Min'' to avoid the relatively common character ''Mian''. This novelty was introduced by his grandfather, the reigning

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 ...

, who thought it was inappropriate to use a common character in the emperor's private name due to the longstanding practice of

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly ...

. Mianning was the second son of Prince Yongyan, the 15th son and heir of the

. Even though he was Yongyan's second son, he was first in line after Prince Yongyan to his grandfather's throne. This was because according to the ''dishu'' system, his mother, Lady Hitara, was Yongyan's primary spouse whereas his elder brother was born to Yongyan's concubine. Mianning was favored by his grandfather, the Qianlong Emperor. He frequently accompanied his grandfather on hunting trips. On one such trip, at the age of nine, Mianning successfully hunted a deer, which greatly amused the Qianlong Emperor. The emperor would abdicate five years after that incident, in 1796, when Mianning was 14. Mianning’s father Prince Yongyan was then enthroned as the Jiaqing Emperor, after which he made Lady Hitara (Mianning's mother) his empress consort. The elderly Qianlong would live three more years in retirement before dying in 1799, aged 87, when Mianning was 17. In 1813, while he was still a prince, Mianning also played a vital role in repelling and killing Eight Trigrams invaders who stormed the

Reign

Khoja rebellion in Xinjiang

In September 1820, at the age of 38, Mianning inherited the throne after the Jiaqing Emperor died suddenly of unknown causes. He became the first Qing emperor who was the eldest legitimate son of his father. Now known as the Daoguang Emperor, he inherited a declining empire with Westerners encroaching upon the borders of China. His

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...

, "Daoguang", means "radiant path". The Daoguang Emperor had been ruling for six years when the exiled heir to the Khojas, Jahangir Khoja, attacked

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' ...

from Kokand in the

Afaqi Khoja revolts In 1759, the Qing dynasty of China defeated the Dzungar Khanate and completed the conquest of Dzungaria. Concurrent with this conquest, the Qing occupied the Altishahr region in modern southern Xinjiang, which had been settled by Muslims who foll ...

. By the end of 1826, the former Qing cities of

Kashgar Kashgar () or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is a city in the Tarim Basin region of southern Xinjiang, China. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the country's border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. For over 2,000 years, Kashgar ...

Yarkand Yarkant County,, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also Shache County,, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also SASM/GNC ro ...

Khotan Hotan (also known by #Etymology, other names) is a major oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region in Northwestern China. The city proper of Hotan broke off from the larger Hotan County to become an ...

, and Yangihissar had all fallen to the rebels. After a friend betrayed him in March 1827, Khoja was sent to Beijing in an iron litter and subsequently executed, while the Qing Empire regained control of their lost territory. 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 ...

Muslim

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

and

Naqshbandi Naqshbandi (Persian: نقشبندیه) is a major Sufi order within Sunni Islam, named after its 14th-century founder, Baha' al-Din Naqshband. Practitioners, known as Naqshbandis, trace their spiritual lineage (silsila) directly to the Prophet ...

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

rebel of the Afaqi suborder, Jahangir Khoja was sliced to death (Lingchi) in 1828 by the Manchus for leading a rebellion against the Qing.

First Opium War

During the Daoguang Emperor's reign, China experienced major problems with

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 ...

, which was imported into China by British merchants. Opium had started to trickle into China during the reign of the

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 ...

, but was limited to approximately 200 chests annually. By the time of the Qianlong era, this amount had increased to 1,000 chests, 4,000 chests by the Jiaqing era and more than 30,000 chests during the Daoguang era. The Daoguang Emperor issued many imperial edicts banning opium in the 1820s and 1830s, which were carried out by

Lin Zexu Lin Zexu (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), courtesy name Yuanfu, was a Chinese political philosopher and politician. He was a head of state (Viceroy), Governor General, scholar-official, and under the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynasty ...

, whom he appointed as an Imperial Commissioner to Canton. Lin Zexu's efforts to halt the spread of opium in China led directly to the

. With China losing the war, Lin Zexu was made a scapegoat. The Daoguang Emperor removed his authority and banished him to Yili. During the war, the Daoguang Emperor ordered 187 British and Indian prisoners of war held captive in Taiwan Prefecture to be summarily executed in 1842 in retaliation for the Chinese defeat at the Battle of Ningpo; the executions were carried out on 10 August by Chinese officials. The Chinese defeat in the war exposed Qing China's technological and military inferiority to European powers, which led China in being forced to cede Hong Kong to the British in the Treaty of Nanjing in August 1842, and also pay a hefty indemnity which left the treasury desperate for funds. Meanwhile, in the Himalayas, the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...

attempted an occupation of Tibet but was defeated in the Sino-Sikh war (1841–1842).

Anti-Christianity

In 1811, a clause sentencing Europeans to death for spreading

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

had been added to the statute called "Prohibitions Concerning Sorcerers and Sorceresses" (禁止師巫邪術) in the

Great Qing Legal Code The Great Qing Legal Code (or Great Ching Legal Code), also known as the Qing Code (Ching Code) or, in Hong Kong law, as the ''Ta Tsing Leu Lee'' (), was the legal code of the Qing empire (1644–1912). The code was based on the Ming legal code, ...

. Protestants hoped that the Qing government would discriminate between

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and Catholicism, since the law mentioned the latter by name, but after Protestant

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

gave Christian books to Chinese people in 1835 and 1836, the Daoguang Emperor demanded to know who were the "traitorous natives" in

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

who had supplied them with books.

Noble titles

The Qing Dynasty Dao-Guang Emperor of China

The Daoguang Emperor granted the title of "Wujing Boshi" () to the descendants of Ran Qiu.

Death and legacy

The Daoguang Emperor died on 26 February 1850 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 ...

, 8 km/5 miles northwest of

, being the last Qing emperor to pass away in that Palace before it was burnt down by Anglo-French troops during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

, a decade later. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Yizhu, who was later enthroned as the Xianfeng Emperor. The Daoguang Emperor failed to understand the intention or determination of the Europeans, or the basic economics of a war on drugs. Although the Europeans were outnumbered and thousands of miles away from logistical support in their native countries, they could bring far superior firepower to bear at any point of contact along the Chinese coast. The Qing government was highly dependent on the continued flow of taxes from southern China via the Grand Canal, which the British expeditionary force easily cut off at

Zhenjiang Zhenjiang, alternately romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou (to its north) and ...

. The Daoguang Emperor ultimately had a poor understanding of the British and the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

that Britain and Western Europe had undergone, preferring to turn a blind eye to the rest of the world, though the distance from China to Europe most likely played a part. It was said that the emperor did not even know where Britain was located in the world. His 30-year reign saw rising economic tensions, sectarian instability and foreign interventions which would eventually lead to the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911. The Daoguang Emperor was interred in the Mu (慕; lit. "Longing" or "Admiration") mausoleum complex, which is part of the Western Qing Tombs, 120 km southwest of Beijing.

Family

Empress * Empress Xiaomucheng (孝穆成皇后) of the Niohuru clan (鈕祜祿氏; 1781 – 17 February 1808) * Empress Xiaoshencheng (孝慎成皇后) of the Tunggiya clan (佟佳氏; 5 July 1792 – 16 June 1833) ** Princess Duanmin of the First Rank (端憫固倫公主; 29 July 1813 – 7 December 1819), first daughter * Empress Xiaoquancheng (孝全成皇后) of the Niohuru clan (鈕祜祿氏; 24 March 1808 – 13 February 1840) ** ''Miscarriage'' (2 January 1824) ** Princess Duanshun of the First Rank (端順固倫公主; 8 April 1825 – 27 December 1835), third daughter ** Princess Shou'an of the First Rank (壽安固倫公主; 12 May 1826 – 24 March 1860), fourth daughter *** Married Demchüghjab (德穆楚克扎布; ? – 1865) of the Mongol Naiman Borjigin clan on 15 November 1841 ** Yizhu (奕詝), the Xianfeng Emperor (咸豐帝; 17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), fourth son * Empress Xiaojingcheng (孝靜成皇后) of the Khorchin Borjigin clan (博爾濟吉特氏; 19 June 1812 – 21 August 1855) ** Yigang (奕綱), Prince Shunhe of the Second Rank (順和郡王; 22 November 1826 – 5 March 1827), second son ** ''Miscarriage at four months'' (28 June 1828) ** Yiji (奕繼), Prince Huizhi of the Second Rank (慧質郡王; 2 December 1829 – 22 January 1830), third son ** Princess Shou'en of the First Rank (壽恩固倫公主; 20 January 1831 – 15 May 1859), sixth daughter *** Married Jingshou (景壽; 1829–1889) of the Manchu

Fuca clan Fuca (Manchu: ; ) was a clan of Manchu nobility. After the demise of the dynasty, some of its descendants sinicized their clan name to the Chinese surnames '' Fu'' (富/傅) or '' Li'' (李). Notable figures Males * Arantai (; d. 1699), serve ...

in May/June 1845 and had issue ** Yixin (奕䜣), Prince Gongzhong of the First Rank (恭忠親王; 11 January 1833 – 29 May 1898), sixth son Imperial Noble Consort * Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangshun (莊順皇貴妃) of the Uya clan (烏雅氏; 29 November 1822 – 13 December 1866) ** Yixuan (奕譞), Prince Chunxian of the First Rank (醇賢親王; 16 October 1840 – 1 January 1891), seventh son ** Princess Shouzhuang of the First Rank (壽莊固倫公主; 24 March 1842 – 11 March 1884), ninth daughter *** Married Dehui (德徽) of the Manchu Bolod clan in December 1859/January 1860 and had issue (one daughter) ** Yihe (奕詥), Prince Zhongduan of the Second Rank (鐘端郡王; 14 March 1844 – 17 December 1868), eighth son ** Yihui (奕譓), Prince Fujing of the Second Rank (孚敬郡王; 15 November 1845 – 22 March 1877), ninth son ** ''Miscarriage'' (1848) Noble Consort * Noble Consort Tong (彤貴妃) of the Šumuru clan (舒穆魯氏; 3 June 1817 – 9 November 1875) ** ''Seventh daughter'' (30 July 1840 – 27 January 1845) ** Princess Shouxi of the Second Rank (壽禧和碩公主; 7 January 1842 – 10 September 1866), eighth daughter *** Married Jalafungga (扎拉豐阿; ? – 1898) of the Manchu Niohuru clan in November/December 1863 ** ''Tenth daughter'' (4 May 1844 – 26 February 1845) * Noble Consort Jia (佳貴妃) of the Gogiya clan (郭佳氏; 21 November 1816 – 24 May 1890) * Noble Consort Cheng (成貴妃) of the Niohuru clan (鈕祜祿氏; 10 March 1813 – 10 May 1888) Consort * Consort He (和妃) of the Hoifa-Nara clan (輝發那拉氏; ? – 18 May 1836) ** Yiwei (奕緯), Prince Yinzhi of the Second Rank (隱志郡王; 16 May 1808 – 23 May 1831), first son * Consort Xiang (祥妃) of the Niohuru clan (鈕祜祿氏; 9 February 1808 – 15 February 1861) ** ''Second daughter'' (2 March 1825 – 27 August 1825) ** Princess Shouzang of the Second Rank (壽臧和碩公主; 15 November 1829 – 9 August 1856), fifth daughter *** Married Enchong (恩崇; ? – 1864) of the Manchu Namdulu clan on 3 January 1843 ** Yicong (奕誴), Prince Dunqin of the First Rank (惇勤親王; 23 July 1831 – 18 February 1889), fifth son * Consort Chang (常妃) of the Hešeri clan (赫舍里氏; 31 December 1808 – 10 May 1860) Concubine * Concubine Tian (恬嬪) of the

(富察氏; 15 April 1789 – 21 August 1845) * Concubine Shun (順嬪) of the Hoifa-Nara clan (那拉氏; 21 March 1809 – 11 April 1868) * Concubine Yu (豫嬪) of the Shang clan (尚氏; 20 December 1816 – 24 September 1897) * Concubine Heng (恆嬪) of the Cai clan (蔡氏; ? – 28 May 1876) Noble Lady * Noble Lady Ping (平貴人) of the Zhao clan (趙氏; ? – 5 May 1823) * Noble Lady (貴人) of the Li clan (李氏; 25 November 1827 – 26 March 1872) * Noble Lady Na (那貴人) of the Hoifa-Nara clan (輝發那拉氏; 5 August 1825 – 9 September 1865) * Noble Lady Ding (定貴人) of the Sun clan (孫氏; ? – 24 January 1843) Second Class Attendant * Second Class Attendant Mu (睦答應) of the Hešeri clan (赫舍里氏; ? – 2 June 1832) Lady-in-waiting * Lady-in-waiting (劉官女子) of the Liu clan (劉氏; ? – 1843)

Popular culture

* Portrayed by Lo Chun-shun in '' The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty'' (1988) * Portrayed by Du Zhiguo in '' Sigh of His Highness'' (2006) * Portrayed by

Sunny Chan Sunny Chan Kam-hung (born 1 January 1967) is a Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, H ...

in '' Curse of the Royal Harem'' (2011) * Portrayed by Nono Yeung in '' Succession War'' (2018)

References

Citations

Sources

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daoguang Emperor 1782 births 1850 deaths Emperors of the Qing dynasty 19th-century Chinese monarchs 1820s in China 1830s in China 1840s in China Jiaqing Emperor's sons People from Beijing