Hongchun (弘春; 11 October 1703 – 3 March 1739) was a

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 ...

imperial prince; the eldest son of Yunti, the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

's 14th son by

Empress Xiaogongren Empress Xiaogongren (28 April 1660 – 25 June 1723), of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner Uya clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the consort of Xuanye, the Kangxi Emperor and mother of Yinzhen, the Yongzheng Emperor. She was honoured as Em ...

, and

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 ...

's cousin. Hongchun was granted a title of Prince Tai of the Second Rank in 1731 and held it until 1735, when he was stripped of his privileges together with future descendants. Unlike other imperial princes whose lineages became extinct, Hongchun's lineage survived till the end of the Qing dynasty. As Prince Tai of the Second Rank peerage was not granted perpetual inheritability, each successive bearer would hold diminished ranks vis-a-vis his predecessor.

Life of Hongchun

Hongchun was born on 11 October 1703 to lady

Šušu Gioro Šušu Gioro (，pinyin: Shushu Jueluo) was a clan of Manchu nobility belonging to the Gioro Hala . The other families belonging to the Gioro family were: Aisin Gioro, the ruling clan from 1644 to 1912, Irgen Gioro and Sirin Gioro. The clan des ...

, Yunti's secondary consort. In his childhood, Hongchun was described as a filial and intelligent child, which resulted in a close relationship with father. In 1723, Hongchun was granted a title of the prince of the fourth rank, but was later stripped of his title after it was discovered that Yunti had been a member of "The Party of Eighth Lord" (八爷党) which unsuccessfully supported

Yunsi Yunsi (29 March 1680 – 5 October 1726), born as Yinsi, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty in China. The eighth son of the Kangxi Emperor, Yunsi was a pivotal figure in the power struggle over the succession to his father's throne. Y ...

's ascension to the imperial throne. As a result, Yunsi was banished from the imperial clan and renamed "Akina" (阿其那, meaning "frozen fish"). Yunti was placed under the house arrest in the Hall of Imperial Longevity (寿皇殿) in the

Jingshan Park Jingshan Park is an imperial park covering immediately north of the Forbidden City in the Imperial City area of Beijing, China. The focal point is the artificial hill Jingshan (, ). Formerly a private imperial garden attached to the grounds of ...

in 1726. Hongchun took care of his father during the confinement, which aided his career by bestowal of the title of grace defender duke on him. In 1728, Hongchun was promoted to the prince of the third rank. In 1731, he was granted the title Prince Tai of the Second Rank (泰郡王, meaning "peaceful"). Prior to ascension of the

, Hongchun was blamed for misusing the annual stipend, especially embezzlement of 1000

tael Tael ( ),"Tael" entry
at 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 ...

accused him of blasphemy against Buddha. Hongchun was stripped of his title and his property was arrested by

Embroidered Uniform Guard The Embroidered Uniform Guard () was the imperial secret police that served the emperors of the Ming dynasty in China. The guard was founded by the Hongwu Emperor, founding emperor of Ming, in 1368 to serve as his personal bodyguards. In 1369, ...

s, Qing dynasty secret police known as "luanyiwei" (銮仪卫) at that time. Hongchun died on 3 March 1739 and did not receive posthumous honours. His descendants became minor clansmen (闲散宗室,

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: xiansan zongshi), hence being recorded in imperial genealogy.

Family of Hongchun

Hongchun was married to lady Guwalgiya, daughter of viscount Qingde (庆德). His secondary consort, lady Usun, was demoted to mistress shortly after he was stripped of his princely title. ----Consorts and issue: * Primary consort, of the

Gūwalgiya Gūwalgiya was one of the most powerful Manchu clans. It is often listed by historians as the first of the eight prominent Manchu clans of the Qing dynasty. After the demise of the dynasty, some of its descendants sinicized their clan name to th ...

clan (嫡妻瓜尔佳氏)
** Yongxin (永信, 1720–1806), first son ** ''Chang'anbao'' (常安保, 1721–1727), second son ** Yongyu (永豫, 1723–1781), third son ** Yongshuo (永朔, 1724–1773), fifth son * Mistress, of the Usun clan (妾乌苏氏)
** Yongta (永塔; 1735–1749), seventh son * Mistress, of the Wang clan (妾王氏) ** Leader of imperial guards Yongjin (头等侍卫永晋;1729–1775), sixth son * Mistress, of the Cui clan (妾崔氏) ** Changqingbao (常庆保；1723–1729), fourth son

Members of Prince Tai of the Second Rank peerage

* Hongchun (1703–1739) ** Yongxin (永信, 1720–1806), first son *** Mianshun (绵顺,1743–1748), Yongxin's son who died prematurely **** Yizhang (奕彰,1768–1836), Miandai's second son by lady Feimo adopted as a posthumous successor of Mianshun ***** Zaifen (载芬 1821–1867), Yizhang's son ****** Puyong (溥雍, 1843–1883), Zaifen's son ******* Yuduan (毓鍴, 1887-?), Puyong's adoptive son and Pugang's biological son ******** Hengji (恒纪, 1907-?), Yuduan's son ** Yongjin (永晋), Hongchun's sixth son *** Miandai (绵代), Yongjin's eldest son **** Yihou (奕厚,1773–1856), Miandai's first son **** Yizhang, adopted as Mianshun's son **** Yiduan (奕短), died prematurely ***Mianbing (绵炳,1764-1790), Yongjin's son **** Yiju (奕炬,1788-1845), Mianbing's son *****Zaidou (载豆,1831-1891), Yiju's son ******Pugang (溥岗,1855-?), Zaidou's son *******Yuduan, adopted by Puyong *** Mianbei (绵備), Yongjin's son **** Yishan (1790–1878), Mianbei's eldest son, held the title of a first class ''zhenguo jiangjun'' from 1847 to 1878 ***** Zaizhuo (载鷟), Yishan's second son, held the title of a third class ''fuguo jiangjun'' from 1851 to 1876 ****** Puhan (溥翰), Zaizhuo's eldest son, held the title of a third class ''fengguo jiangjun'' from 1857 to 1878, held the title of a third class ''fuguo jiangjun'' from 1878 to 1886 ******* Yuzhao (毓照), Puhan's third son, held the title of a third class ''fuguo jiangjun'' from 1887

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hongchun Qing dynasty imperial princes 1703 births 1739 deaths Prince Tai Manchu Bordered Blue Bannermen Chinese people who died in prison custody