Consort Rong (; 10 October 1734 – 24 May 1788), from the Uyghur minority, was a consort of

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

Life

Family background

Consort Rong was from

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

, and belonged to the Uyghur minority. She came from a line of the Makhdumzada Khoja clan, sometimes transliterated as He Zhuo (和卓) or Huo Zhuo (霍卓). She was the daughter of the Muslim Hojalai, and a descendant of Gambar, founder of the Shizu sect. She had one elder brother, Turdu.

Yongzheng era

The future Consort Rong was born on 15 September of the twelfth year of the reign of

Yongzheng Emperor , regnal name = , posthumous name = Emperor Jingtian Changyun Jianzhong Biaozhen Wenwu Yingming Kuanren Xinyi Ruisheng Daxiao Zhicheng Xian()Manchu: Temgetulehe hūwangdi () , temple name = Shizong()Manchu: Šidzung () , house = Aisin Gioro ...

, which translates to 10 October 1734 in the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

Qianlong era

Lady He Zhou entered the Forbidden City on 20 March 1760, when she was twenty six years old, and the Qianlong emperor was twenty three years older than her. She had been selected to enter the imperial palace after her older brother Turdu was honoured by the emperor with a title of his part in quelling a rebellion in his native region of Xinjiang. In 1761, she was given the title of "Noble Lady He" (和貴人), and the emperor sent a maid of honour as a wife to her older brother. In May or June 1762, Lady He Zhou was promoted to "Concubine Rong" (容嬪). In the same year, her brother was made duke of Fuguo in reward for his assistance against the rebels in southern Xinjiang. She accompanied the court when it debouched for Rehe and Mulan Hunting grounds. In 1765, she and her brother were invited to join the emperor's fourth inspection trip to southern China. In November or December 1768, Lady He Zhou was promoted to "Consort Rong" (容妃). The emperor had ordered a special hat of velvet for her because there was a shortage of Manchu court headwear. The emperor had arranged for her a Uyghur chef, and a Muslim palace with engravings of texts from the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

, called Fangwai Guan. The emperor even built a mosque for her at the

Summer Palace The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quarter ...

near Beijing. In 1771, she joined the eastern tour to Tiashan and Qufu. Lady He Zhou found such a great favour with the emperor, that in 1774, he celebrated her fortieth birthday four months ahead of time. During the autumn hunting festival that year, she was placed in second position among the imperial consorts who joined the tour. She enjoyed a high prestige in the imperial palace, a prominent seat reserved for her in banquets. At an early 1779 banquet 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 ...

, she took head of the western table. By the end of the year, she had advanced to second position at eastern table. In 1784, the emperor celebrated her fiftieth birthday. Lady He Zhou died on 24 May 1788. Her coffin was moved from West Garden to Jing'an zuang, and she was interred in October in the Yu Mausoleum of the

Eastern Qing tombs The Eastern Qing tombs (; ) are an imperial mausoleum complex of the Qing dynasty located in Zunhua, northeast of Beijing. They are the largest, most complete, and best preserved extant mausoleum complex in China. Altogether, five emperors (Shun ...

. Her tomb was opened and put in order in October 1979, and in 1983 it was opened for public. Her coffin bears an inscription from the Quran written in Arabic.

Titles

* During the reign of the

(r. 1722–1735): ** Lady He Zhuo (from 10 October 1734) * During the reign of the

(r. 1735–1796): ** Noble Lady He (; from 1761), sixth rank consort ** Concubine Rong (; from May/June 1762), fifth rank consort ** Consort Rong (; from November/December 1768乾隆三十年十月), fourth rank consort

Legacy

Her story changed over time, transforming her into a fictional character Xiang Fei (香妃; Fragrant Consort) around the early 1920s. Movies and TV series were made about the fictitious Fragrant Consort.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fei, Rong Chinese imperial consorts Consorts of the Qianlong Emperor 18th-century Chinese people Uyghurs 1734 births 1788 deaths People from Xinjiang