Zaize (17 March 1868 – June 1929), born Zaijiao,

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China China, officially the People's R ...

Yinping, was a

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and Q ...

noble of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. He is best known for supporting reforms and advocating the adoption of a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies di ...

system in the final years of the Qing dynasty.

Life and service under the Qing dynasty

Zaize was born in the

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro was 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 chi ...

clan as a descendant of Yunxu (允禑), the 15th son of the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to ...

. His father, Yicheng (奕棖), held the title of a second class ''fuguo jiangjun''. Yixun (奕詢; 1849–1871), the fourth son of Mianyu (綿愉; 1814–1865), had no male heir to succeed him, hence he adopted Zaize as his son, belonged to the

Plain Yellow Banner The Plain Yellow Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. The Plain Yellow Banner was one of three "upper" banner armies under the direct command of the emperor himself, ...

In 1877, Zaize inherited his adoptive father's title as a ''feng'en fuguo gong''. In 1894, he married Jingrong (靜榮) of the Yehenara clan. Jingrong was the eldest daughter of Guixiang (桂祥), a younger brother of

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu people, Manchu Nara (clan)#Yehe Nara, Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese nob ...

. Jingrong's younger sister, Jingfen, married the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, w ...

. After his marriage, Zaize was promoted from ''feng'en fuguo gong'' to ''feng'en zhenguo gong''. In 1901, Zaize was appointed as the ''dutong'' (都統; commander) of the Plain Blue Banner of the

Eight Banners The Eight Banners (in Manchu: ''jakūn gūsa'', ) were administrative and military divisions under the Later Jin and Qing dynasties of China into which all Manchu households were placed. In war, the Eight Banners functioned as armies, but the ...

. In 1905, Zaize,

Xu Shichang Xu Shichang (Hsu Shih-chang; ; courtesy name: Juren (Chu-jen; 菊人); October 20, 1855 – June 5, 1939) was the President of the Republic of China, in Beijing, from 10 October 1918 to 2 June 1922. The only permanent president of the Beiyang ...

, Duanfang,

Dai Hongci Dai may refer to: Names * Dai (given name), a Welsh or Japanese masculine given name * Dai (surname) (戴), a Chinese surname Places and regimes * Dai Commandery, a commandery of the state of Zhao and in early imperial China * Dai County, in ...

(戴鴻慈) and Shaoying (紹英) were commissioned by the Qing government to visit Europe, Japan and the United States to learn more about their political systems. Before leaving China, he was injured in an assassination attempt by Wu Yue (吳樾), a revolutionary, at the

Beijing railway station Beijing railway station (), or simply Beijing station (), is a passenger railway station in Dongcheng District, Beijing. The station is located just southeast of the city centre inside the Second Ring Road with Beijing Station Street to the nor ...

, hence his trip was delayed. When he returned to China a year later, he wrote a memorial to the imperial court, proposing that they follow in the footsteps of Japan and Germany by converting the Qing Empire into a

. In 1907, he was appointed as the ''shangshu'' (尚書; Secretary) of the Ministry of Finance (度支部). A year later, he was made an acting ''beizi'' even though nominally he remained as a ''feng'en zhenguo gong''. Zaize served as Minister in Charge of Naval Affairs (籌辦海軍事務大臣) in 1909. A year later, he was reassigned to be Minister in Charge of Drafting Constitutional Law (纂擬憲法大臣). In 1911, he was appointed to the newly established Imperial Cabinet headed by its first

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Prince Qing Prince Qing of the First Rank (Manchu: ; ''hošoi fengšen cin wang''), or simply Prince Qing, was the title of a princely peerage used in China during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1636–1912). It was also one of the 12 "iron-cap" princely pee ...

. He served as Minister of Finance (度支部大臣) and Minister of Salt Policy (鹽政大臣) in the Imperial Cabinet. However, he was not on good terms with Prince Qing. He also actively urged the Qing government to execute the general

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 1859 – 6 June 1916) was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China. ...

Life after the Qing dynasty

Zaize resigned from his ministerial appointments when the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty, the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of Chi ...

broke out in October 1911. Even after the revolution overthrew the Qing dynasty and established the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northea ...

, Zaize still secretly plotted with some former nobles and others to restore the monarchy. In 1917, he supported the general Zhang Xun, who tried to put

Puyi Aisin-Gioro Puyi (; 7 February 1906 – 17 October 1967), courtesy name Yaozhi (曜之), was the last emperor of China as the eleventh and final Qing dynasty monarch. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate on 1 ...

, the Last Emperor who abdicated in 1912, back on the throne. In July 1928, the warlord

Sun Dianying Sun Dianying (; 1889–1948) was a Chinese bandit leader, warlord, and National Revolutionary Army commander who fought in the Warlord Era, Second Sino-Japanese War, and Chinese Civil War, earning notoriety for changing sides multiple times in c ...

looted the Eastern Mausoleum, where the tomb of

was located. Zaize, acting on behalf of the former Qing dynasty nobles, visited the empress dowager's tomb and tried to restore it. He died in poverty and misery in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

in June 1929. Zaize's former residence, the ''Ze Gong Fu'' (澤公府; "Residence of Lord (Zai)Ze"), is located at 89

Di'anmen Di'anmen () or Bei'anmen was an imperial gate in Beijing, China. The gate was first built in the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty, and served as the main northern gate to the Imperial City (the southern gate is the much more famed Tiananmen). T ...

East Street in

References

* Jiang, Guohua (2008)
A Hundred Year's Celebration of the Constitutional Practices in the Late Qing Dynasty (a discussion of the political compromise of the Constitutional Practice in the Late Qing Dynasty)
''Historia Constitucional''. {{Authority control Manchu politicians Qing dynasty imperial princes Qing dynasty politicians from Beijing 1868 births 1929 deaths Bannermen Prince Hui (first rank)

Life and service under the Qing dynasty

Life after the Qing dynasty

See also

References