Yixin (11January 1833– 29May 1898), better known in English as PrinceGong or Kung, was an imperial prince of the

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro is a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as chie ...

clan and an important statesman 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 ...

-led

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 ...

in China. He was a

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of the empire from 1861 to 1865 and wielded great influence at other times as well. He was one of the twelve iron cap princes of the Qing Dynasty. Yixin was a man of great talent, excelling in both literature and martial skills, and was among the most capable members of the imperial family. However, he was never favored by his father, 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 ...

, to succeed to the throne, which meant he spent his life in the role of a political aide rather than a ruler. In 1860, 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 ...

, when the British and French forces invaded Beijing, Yixin was entrusted with negotiating peace and signed the Treaty of Beijing on behalf of the Qing court. In 1861, after the death of his elder brother, the Xianfeng Emperor, Yixin, in collaboration with

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 ...

, launched the Xinyou Coup, seizing power from the eight regents appointed in the late emperor's will. He and Empress Dowager Cixi jointly took charge of the state affairs. In 1881, after the death of his supporter, Empress Dowager Ci'an, Yixin's position began to weaken. In 1884, Cixi removed him from all his positions, forcing him into political retirement. In 1894, during the First Sino-Japanese War, Yixin was called back into service, and he died four years later in 1898. Yixin was a key figure and leader of the

Self-Strengthening Movement The Self-Strengthening Movement, also known as the Westernization or Western Affairs Movement (–1895), was a period of reforms initiated during the late Qing dynasty following the military disasters of the Opium Wars and Taiping Rebellion. The ...

during the late Qing period. He supported figures like Zuo Zongtang,

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901) was a Chinese statesman, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in importan ...

, and

Zeng Guofan Zeng Guofan, Marquis Yiyong (; 26 November 1811 – 12 March 1872), birth name Zeng Zicheng, courtesy name Bohan (), was a Chinese statesman and military general of the late Qing dynasty. He is best known for raising and organizing the Xiang ...

in their efforts to modernize military industries, procure advanced weaponry, and promote the development of modern military infrastructure. He also helped establish the Zongli Yamen, which was responsible for foreign affairs, and set up Chinese embassies abroad. His diplomatic and modernization efforts gained the recognition of foreign powers. Yixin played a significant role in resolving the crises of the Second Opium War and 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 ...

, and he actively promoted modernization, which led to a brief period of political stability and revitalization for the Qing government. However, his considerable influence and abilities often made him a target of the ruling elites and conservatives, leading to repeated conflicts with Emperor Xianfeng, Emperor Tongzhi, and Empress Dowager Cixi. As a result, his political career was marked by a series of ups and downs, ultimately ending with his complete dismissal. Yixin's tomb is located in Changping District,

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 ...

. After his death, the title of Prince Gong was passed on to his eldest grandson, Puwei.

Names

Yixin is the

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' ...

romanization In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and tra ...

of the

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

pronunciation of his

name I-hin. He shared his

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

with the other members of the

Qing 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 family. His

courtesy Courtesy (from the word , from the 12th century) is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books. History The apex of European courtly culture was ...

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin Chinese), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by artists, poets and writers in the Sinosp ...

was "Master of the Yuedao Hall" or "Hall of the Way of Music". ''Kung'' is the Wade-Giles romanization of Mandarin pronunciation of the same

Chinese character Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only on ...

, now spelt ''Gōng'' in

. It is not really a name but a part of a descriptive title — " The Respectful Prince of the Blood" — previously borne by Changning, the fifth son of the

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizu of Qing, personal name Fulin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China pro ...

. The Chinese title translates literally as "king" but is usually understood as a "prince" in terms of the imperial Chinese nobility. Because Changning's rank had not been given "iron-cap" status, each generation of his descendants were reduced in rank unless they somehow proved themselves anew and earned a new title of their own. Yixin, however, was given "iron-cap" status and his direct heirs inherited his full title as well. In English, however, it is usually misunderstood as a name: PrinceKung in older sources and PrinceGong in newer ones. He was also sometimes known as the "Sixth Prince" or, less flatteringly, "Devil #6". He was posthumously known as "the Respectful and Loyal Prince of the Blood": Prince Kung-chung or Gongzhong.

Life

Early life

Yixin was born in the

clan, the imperial clan of the

-led

, as the sixth son of the

. He was the third son of his mother, Imperial Noble Consort Jing, who was from the Khorchin Mongol Borjigit clan.(孝靜成皇后，博爾濟吉特氏，刑部員外郎花良阿女。後事宣宗為靜貴人。累進靜皇貴妃。 ... 文宗即位，尊為皇考康慈皇貴太妃，居壽康宮。咸豐五年七月，太妃病篤，尊為康慈皇太后。越九日庚午，崩，年四十四。上謚，曰孝靜康慈弼天撫聖皇后，不系宣宗謚，不祔廟。葬慕陵東，曰慕東陵。 ... 子三：奕綱、奕繼、奕訢。女一，下嫁景壽。) ''Qing Shi Gao'' vol. 214. He studied in the imperial library and practised martial arts with his fourth brother, Yizhu. He created 28 ''qiang'' (spear) movements and 18 ''dao'' (sword) movements, which were respectively named "Lihua Xieli" (棣華協力) and "Bao'e Xuanwei" (寶鍔宣威) by his father. His father also gave him a White Rainbow Sword (白虹刀) as a gift. Yixin was mentored by Zhuo Bingtian (卓秉恬) and Jia Zhen (賈楨), two eminent

scholar-official The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class. Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...

s who obtained the position of ''jinshi'' (進士; successful candidate) in the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

in 1802 and 1826 respectively. In 1850, when the Daoguang Emperor became critically ill, he summoned Zaiquan (載銓), Zaiyuan, Duanhua,

Sengge Rinchen Sengge Rinchen (1811 – 18 May 1865) or Senggelinqin () was a Mongols, Mongol nobleman and general who served under the Qing dynasty during the reigns of the Daoguang Emperor, Daoguang, Xianfeng Emperor, Xianfeng and Tongzhi Emperor, Tongzhi emper ...

, Mujangga, He Rulin (何汝霖), Chen Fu'en (陳孚恩) and Ji Zhichang (季芝昌) to Shende Hall (慎德堂) in 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 ...

, where he revealed to them a secret edict he wrote previously. According to the edict, the Fourth Prince, Yizhu, would become the new emperor while Yixin, the Sixth Prince, would be made a ''qinwang'' (first-rank prince). He died on the same day. However, it is rumored that Yixin was the real successor emperor, and the secret decree have been tampered with.

Under the Xianfeng Emperor

Yizhu ascended the throne in 1850 after the death of the Daoguang Emperor and adopted the

regnal title A regnal title is the title held by a monarch while in office. Monarchs can have various titles, including king or queen, prince or princess (Sovereign Prince of Monaco), emperor or empress (Emperor of Japan, Emperor of India), or even duke or grand ...

"Xianfeng"; he is thus historically known as the Xianfeng Emperor. In accordance with their father's secret edict, the newly enthroned Xianfeng Emperor granted Yixin the title " Prince Gong of the First Rank" (恭親王) in the same year. In 1851, the Xianfeng Emperor established an office for Prince Gong, gave him permission to enter the inner imperial court, assigned him to be in charge of patrol and defence matters, and ordered him to continue carrying the White Rainbow Sword given to him by their father. In October 1853, as the Taiping rebels closed in on Jinan (畿南; the area south of the

Hai River The Hai River (海河, lit. "Sea River"), also known as the Peiho, ("White River"), or Hai Ho, is a Chinese river connecting Beijing to Tianjin and the Bohai Sea. During the Song dynasty, the main stream of the Hai River was called the lowe ...

), Prince Gong was appointed to the Grand Council, which was in charge of military affairs. The following year, he received three additional appointments: ''dutong'' (都統;

Banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

Commander), ''you zongzheng'' (右宗正; Right Director of the Imperial Clan Court) and ''zongling'' (宗令; Head of the Imperial Clan Court). He was publicly praised in May 1855 after the Taiping rebels were driven out of Jinan. When Prince Gong's mother died in August 1855, the Xianfeng Emperor reprimanded Prince Gong for failing to observe court protocol and removed him from the Grand Council and his ''zongling'' and ''dutong'' appointments. However, Prince Gong was still permitted to enter the inner imperial court and the imperial library. He was restored to his position as a ''dutong'' in June 1856, and further appointed as an Interior Minister (內大臣) in May 1859.

Second Opium War

In September 1860, during the

, as British and French forces closed in on the capital

, the Xianfeng Emperor ordered Zaiyuan and Muyin (穆廕) to negotiate for peace at Tongzhou with British and French officials. An Anglo-French delegation sent to negotiate with Chinese officials, which included Harry Smith Parkes and Henry Loch, was taken prisoner by soldiers led by Mongol general

during the negotiations. Rinchen then led mounted Mongol troops to attack a Franco-British force at the Battle of Palikao but was defeated. The Xianfeng Emperor recalled Zaiyuan and Muyin from Tongzhou, fled from Beijing with most members of his imperial court to

Rehe Province Rehe, previously romanized as Jehol, was a former Chinese special administrative region and province centered on the city of Rehe, now known as Chengde. Administration Rehe was north of the Great Wall and east of Mongolia in southwestern M ...

, and appointed Prince Gong as an Imperial Commissioner with Discretion and Full Authority (欽差便宜行事全權大臣). Prince Gong moved to Changxindian (長辛店; in present-day

Fengtai District Fengtai District ( zh, s=丰台区, p=Fēngtái Qū) is a district of the city of Beijing. It lies mostly to the southwest of the city center, extending into the city's southwestern suburbs beyond the 6th Ring Road, Sixth Ring Road, but also to th ...

, Beijing) and called for an assembly of the troops stationed there to enforce greater discipline and raise their morale. On one hand, Qinghui (慶惠) suggested to the Xianfeng Emperor to release Parkes and let Prince Gong continue negotiating. On the other hand, Yidao (義道) urged the emperor to surrender Beijing to the British and French. In the meantime, Anglo-French expeditionary forces captured the

in the northwest of Beijing, which they proceeded to sack and burn. On 24 October 1860, Prince Gong concluded the negotiations with British, French and Russian officials, signing the Convention of Peking on behalf of the Qing dynasty. He subsequently wrote a memorial to the Xianfeng Emperor, requesting to be punished for signing an

unequal treaty The unequal treaties were a series of agreements made between Asian countries—most notably Qing dynasty, Qing China, Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Japan and Joseon, Joseon Korea—and Western countries—most notably the United Kingdom of Great ...

. The emperor replied, "The responsibility assigned to Prince Gong to carry on peace negotiations is not an easy one to shoulder. I deeply understand the difficult situation he was put into. There is no need to punish him." Prince Gong settled the diplomatic affairs in Beijing by the end of 1860. In 1861, Prince Gong set up the Zongli Yamen, which functioned as the Qing government's ''de facto'' foreign affairs ministry, and placed Guiliang (桂良) and Wenxiang in charge of it. He wrote a memorial to the Xianfeng Emperor, proposing to enhance the training of Banner Troops in Beijing and let Qing troops stationed in

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

and

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

provinces train with the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

and stockpile military supplies. The generals Shengbao (勝保), Jingchun (景淳) and others were ordered to oversee training of Qing troops stationed in Beijing and

northeast China Northeast China () is a geographical region of China, consisting officially of three provinces Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The heartland of the region is the Northeast China Plain, the largest plain in China with an area of over . The regi ...

Under the Tongzhi Emperor

Xinyou Coup

Before the Xianfeng Emperor died in August 1861 in the Chengde Mountain Resort, he appointed a group of eight regents – led by Zaiyuan, Duanhua and Sushun – to assist his underage son and successor, Zaichun. Yixin's flexible attitude towards dealing with the Western powers had put him at odds with the eight regents, who were politically conservative and opposed to Western influence. Upon request, Prince Gong was granted permission to travel to Chengde to attend the funeral. In Chengde, he met the Empress Dowagers Ci'an and Cixi and told them about how the eight regents monopolised state power. When the Xianfeng Emperor's coffin arrived back in Beijing in November 1861, Prince Gong and the two empress dowagers launched a coup – historically known as the Xinyou Coup (辛酉政變) – to oust the eight regents from power. The regents were arrested and removed from their positions of power.

As Prince-Regent

Zaichun, who was enthroned as the "Tongzhi Emperor", appointed Prince Gong as Prince-Regent (議政王) and granted him some special privileges. These privileges included: "iron-cap" status awarded to the Prince Gong title/peerage; an increment in salary to twice that of a normal ''qinwang'' (first-rank prince); exemptions from having to

kowtow A kowtow () is the act of deep respect shown by prostration, that is, kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. In East Asian cultural sphere, Sinospheric culture, the kowtow is the highest sign of reverence. It w ...

in the emperor's presence and having to write his name on memorials submitted to the emperor. Prince Gong firmly declined to accept the "iron-cap" privilege, and instead sought to be concurrently appointed as ''zongling'' (宗令; Head of the Imperial Clan Court) and put in charge of the Shenjiying (a firearms-equipped unit in the Qing army). The two empress dowagers also ordered Prince Gong to supervise Hongde Hall (弘德殿; a hall 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 ...

), where the Tongzhi Emperor studied. In 1864, Qing forces finally suppressed the

after a war lasting more than a decade, and recaptured Jiangning (江寧; in present-day

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

) from the rebels. The imperial court issued a decree to praise Prince Gong for his effective leadership in the regency that led to the end of the rebellion – in addition to conferring more prestigious titles on his sons Zaicheng, Zaijun and Zaiying. As the longstanding leader of the Zongli Yamen, which he established in 1861, Prince Gong was responsible for spearheading various reforms in the early stages of the

, a series of measures and policy changes implemented by the Qing government with the aim of modernising China. He also founded the

Tongwen Guan The School of Combined Learning, or the Tongwen Guan was a government school for teaching Western languages and science, founded at Beijing in 1862, right after the conclusion of the Second Opium War, as part of the Self-Strengthening Movement. I ...

in 1862 for Chinese scholars to study technology and foreign languages.

Fall from grace

Around April 1865, an official, Cai Shouqi (蔡壽祺), accused Prince Gong of "monopolising state power, accepting bribes, practising favouritism, behaving arrogantly, and showing disrespect towards the Emperor". The Empress Dowagers Ci'an and Cixi publicly reprimanded Prince Gong and stripped him of his position as Prince-Regent. Yishen (奕脤), Yixuan, Wang Zheng (王拯), Sun Yimou (孫翼謀), Yin Zhaoyong (殷兆鏞), Pan Zuyin, Wang Weizhen (王維珍), Guangcheng (廣誠) and others pleaded with the empress dowagers to pardon Prince Gong and make him Prince-Regent again. Although the empress dowagers did not restore Prince Gong as Prince-Regent, they permitted him to remain in the inner imperial court and continue running the Zongli Yamen. Prince Gong personally thanked the empress dowagers and made a tearful apology. The empress dowagers issued a decree announcing: "The Prince practised favouritism. As we are bound by a common cause and have high expectations of him, we cannot show leniency in punishing him. He will still be allowed to oversee the Grand Council." In March 1868, as the Nian rebels approached the suburbs of Beijing, Prince Gong was tasked with mobilising troops and managing defence arrangements. He was also appointed as ''you zongzheng'' (右宗正; Right Director of the Imperial Clan Court). In 1869, An Dehai, a court

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

and close aide of Empress Dowager Cixi, was arrested and executed in Shandong Province by Ding Baozhen, the provincial governor. This was because it was a capital crime for eunuchs to travel out of the

without authorisation. The empress dowager became more suspicious of Prince Gong because she believed that he instigated Ding Baozhen to execute An Dehai.

Demotion and restoration

In October 1872, when the Tongzhi Emperor married the Jiashun Empress, he granted Prince Gong the "iron-cap" privilege again. He officially took over the reins of power from his regents in around February 1873. In the same year, Prince Gong displeased Empress Dowager Cixi when he strongly opposed her plan to rebuild the

. In August 1874, Prince Gong was reprimanded and punished again for failing to observe court protocol. This time, he was demoted from a ''qinwang'' (first-rank prince) to a ''junwang'' (second-rank prince). Zaicheng, Prince Gong's eldest son, also lost his ''beile'' title. Despite his demotion, Prince Gong was still allowed to remain in the Grand Council. The following day, the empress dowagers ordered Prince Gong and Zaicheng to be restored as a ''qinwang'' and ''beile'' respectively. Towards the end of the year, the Tongzhi Emperor increased Prince Gong's salary by more than twice that of a normal ''qinwang'', but died not long later in around December.

Under the Guangxu Emperor

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 ...

, who succeeded the Tongzhi Emperor in 1875, continued the practices of exempting Prince Gong from having to

in the emperor's presence and having to write his name on memorials submitted to the emperor. Prince Gong was also appointed as ''zongling'' (宗令; Head of the Imperial Clan Court).

Sino-French War

In 1884, when the French invaded Vietnam, Prince Gong and the members of the Grand Council were unable to arrive at a decision on whether or not to intervene in Vietnam and go to war with the French. As a consequence,

reprimanded Prince Gong and his colleagues for their dispirited and indecisive attitude towards the war, and removed them from their positions. Prince Gong stopped receiving his double salary and was ordered to retire to recuperate from illness. However, he started receiving his double salary again from November 1886 and was allowed to receive his share of the offerings from ceremonial events. He remained in Jietai Temple in western Beijing for most of the time. Prince Gong's seventh brother, Yixuan (Prince Chun), replaced him as the head of the Grand Council. Some officials such as

Baojun Baojun () is a Chinese automobile marque owned by a joint venture of General Motors (GM) and SAIC Motor, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile. The brand was created as a more affordable alternative to existing GM brands such as Chevrolet and Buick for the Ch ...

(寶鋆), Li Hongzao, Jinglian (景廉) and Weng Tonghe, who previously served in Prince Gong's administration, were also dismissed from office. The incident is known as the "Cabinet Change of Jiashen" (甲申易樞) or "Political Change of Jiashen" (甲申朝局之變) because it took place in the ''jiashen'' year according to the Chinese

sexagenary cycle The sexagenary cycle, also known as the gānzhī (干支) or stems-and-branches, is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus amounting to a total of sixty years every cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...

First Sino-Japanese War

In October 1894, after the Japanese invaded Korea and the situation became dire, Empress Dowager Cixi summoned Prince Gong back to the imperial court, and made him, along with Prince Qing, the co-head of the Zongli Yamen, the Admiralty, and the board of war operations. He was also made high commissioner of the Peking Field Force, putting him in overall command of the capital's defenses. In December 1894 Prince Gong was also made the president of the Grand Council. Although Prince Gong had been recalled to politics, Empress Dowager Cixi also decreed that since he had not yet recovered from illness, he was exempted from having to constantly attend court sessions.

Death

In 1898, Prince Gong was appointed as ''zongling'' again, but he became critically ill by the end of April. Empress Dowager Cixi visited him three times during this period of time. He eventually died at the age of 67 (by

East Asian age reckoning Traditional East Asian age reckoning covers a group of related methods for reckoning human ages practiced in the East Asian cultural sphere, where age is the number of calendar years in which a person has been alive; it starts at 1 at birth and i ...

) in May. The Guangxu Emperor personally attended Prince Gong's funeral and, as a sign of mourning, cancelled imperial court sessions for five days and ordered mourning attire to be worn for 15 days. The emperor also granted Prince Gong the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

"Zhong" (忠; literally "loyal"), gave him a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and issued an edict honouring Prince Gong as a role model of loyalty that all Qing subjects should learn from.(上再臨奠，輟朝五日，持服十五日。諡曰忠，配享太廟，並諭：「王忠誠匡弼，悉協機宜，諸臣當以王為法。」) ''Qing Shi Gao'' vol. 221.

Family

Primary Consort * Imperial Princess Consort Gongzhong, 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 (恭忠亲王妃瓜爾佳氏; 1834 – 29 June 1880) ** Princess Rongshou of the First Rank (榮壽固倫公主; 28 February 1854 – 24 December 1924), first daughter, later adopted by Empress Xiaoqinxian *** Married Zhiduan (志端; d. 1871) of the Manchu Fuca clan on 15 October 1866 ** Zaicheng, Prince Guomin of the Third Rank (果敏貝勒載澂; 12 September 1858 – 21 July 1885), first son ** ''Second daughter'' (15 March 1860 – 28 March 1864) ** ''Zaijun, Duke of the Second Rank'' (輔國公載濬; 31 July 1864 – 6 June 1866), third son Secondary Consort * Secondary consort, of the Xuegiya clan (側福晉薛佳氏) ** Zaiying, Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒載瀅; 11 March 1861 – 29 September 1909), second son * Secondary consort, of the Liugiya clan (側福晉劉佳氏) ** ''Third daughter'' (6 March 1879 – 12 June 1880) ** Lady of the First Rank (郡君; 24 July 1884 – 6 March 1909), fifth daughter * Secondary consort, of the Liugiya clan (側福晉劉佳氏) ** ''Zaihuang, Duke of the Fourth Rank'' (不入八分輔國公載潢; 11 November 1880 – 3 March 1885), fourth son * Secondary consort, of the Janggiya clan (側福晉張佳氏; 1858 – 4 October 1883) ** ''Fourth daughter'' (31 August 1881 – 8 September 1882)

Grandchildren

* First grandson Puwei 溥偉 , Prince Gong of the Second Rank, (1880–1936), * Second grandson: PuRu 溥儒, (1896–1963). *Third grandson: Puyou 溥佑, (1898- 1940). *Fourth grandson: Puhui 溥僡(1896-1963).

Descendants

Puwei ‘s Family Yulin, 毓嶙 (1905,died ) Yuyuan,毓岏 (1906,died ) YuSong,毓崧 (1907,died) Yupan, 毓岎 (1909,died) Yanzhan 毓嶦 (1923,Died) Yulv 毓嵂 (1926,died ) Yurong 毓嶸(1930, Died) Yuyong, 毓嵱 (1932, died) Hengshou 恆铄(Hakesh) Hengyan 恆鋺 (Jasmine) Hengqian 恆鈐(Cherry) Hengqin 恒钦(Cecilia) Qisong 啟鬆 (Jinon) Qining 啟寧 (jinin) PuRu’s Family Yuli 毓岦 Yucen 毓岑

Legacy

Prince Gong's former residence in

Xicheng District Xicheng () is a district of the city of Beijing. Its cover the western half of the old city (largely inside the 2nd Ring Road; the eastern half is Dongcheng District, Beijing, Dongcheng District), and has 1,106,214 inhabitants (2020 Census). It ...

is now open to the public as a museum and garden park. It was previously the residence of the notoriously corrupt official

Heshen Heshen (; ; 1 July 1750 – 22 February 1799) of the Manchu Niohuru clan, was an official of the Qing dynasty. Favored by the Qianlong Emperor, he was described as the most corrupt official in Chinese history, having acquired an estimated 1.1 ...

. In 2006, Prince Gong's life was adapted into a Chinese television series, '' Sigh of His Highness'', starring

Chen Baoguo Chen Baoguo (; born 9 March 1956) is a Chinese actor, President of the China Film Performance Society (CFPS) and a Chairman of China TV Artists Association (CTAA) Actor's Committee. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 1977 and has ...

as the prince.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gong, Prince 1833 births 1898 deaths 19th-century Chinese politicians 19th-century regents Grand Councillors of the Qing dynasty Manchu Bordered Blue Bannermen Manchu politicians People of the Second Opium War Daoguang Emperor's sons Qing dynasty regents Ministers of Zongli Yamen Prince Gong Chinese reformers