Cuiyan (1866–1925), of the

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 ...

Bordered White Banner Liugiya clan, was a consort of Yixuan. She was 26 years his junior.

Life

Family background

Lady Liu was a

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

Booi Aha Booi Aha (Manchu: (''booi niyalma'') for male, (''booi hehe'') for female; Chinese transliteration: 包衣阿哈) is a Manchu word literally meaning "household person", referring to hereditarily servile people in 17th-century Qing China. It ...

by birth. * Father: Deqing (), served as a fifth rank official ()

Life

Lady Liu was born in 1867, during the reign of the

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), born Zaichun of the Aisin Gioro clan, was the ninth List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, from 1 ...

. She became a lady-in-waiting, and then secondary consort, of Yixuan, the seventh son of the

Daoguang Emperor The Daoguang Emperor (; 16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanxong of Qing, born Mianning, was the seventh Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning ...

, during the reign of 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, wi ...

. The Guangxu Emperor is Lady Liu's step son and born to Yixuan's primary consort

Yehenara Wanzhen Wanzhen (13 September 1841 – 17 June 1896), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Yehe Nara clan, was a consort of Yixuan. She was one year his junior and the younger sister of Empress Cixi and the mother of Emperor Guangxu. Life Family backgro ...

. Yehenara Wanzhen is the younger sister of Yehenara Xingzhen, also known as

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 ...

. She gave birth on 12 February 1883 to Yixuan's fifth son,

Zaifeng Zaifeng (12 February 1883 – 3 February 1951), also known as Tsai Feng, Prince of Ch'ün, formally known by his title Prince Chun, was a Manchu prince and regent of the late Qing dynasty. He was a son of Yixuan, the seventh son of the Da ...

, on 20 May 1885 to his sixth son, Zaixun, and on 23 June 1887 to his seventh son,

Zaitao Zaitao (23 June 1887 – 2 September 1970), courtesy name Shuyuan, art name Yeyun, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. He was a half-brother of the Guangxu Emperor and an uncle of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. Biography Zaitao was born ...

. Her husband Yixuan died when Cuiyan was 23 years old. After the death of Yehenara Wanzhen, Liu Cuiyan became the lady of the

Prince Chun Mansion The Prince Chun Mansion (), also known as the Northern Mansion (北府, ''Běifǔ''), is a large residence in the siheyuan style with lavish private garden located near the Shichahai neighborhood in central Beijing. The grounds had been part of a ...

. She was 28 years old when she took on the role. Her youngest son

was selected by Empress Dowager Cixi to inherit the title of Yihe, Prince Zhong of the Second Rank, as Yihe's adopted son because Yihe had no son to succeed him. As a result, Lady Liu suffered from madness at the age of 29. In the 27th year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, her son

married

Gūwalgiya Youlan Gūwalgiya (Manchu Chinese: ; ) 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 ...

. Lady Liu originally planned for him to marry another woman, but Empress Dowager Cixi objected. She was 34 years old. After Emperor Guangxu died, Empress Dowager Cixi chose Lady Liu's grandson

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 ...

to inherit the throne. The 41 year old Lady Liu fainted when she heard the news and her symptoms of madness worsened. She visited the palace with her daughter-in-law Youlan when Puyi turned 10 years old. In 1921, Puyi and Consort Dowager Duankang had an argument. Consort Dowager Duankang was angered and reprimanded Cuiyan and Youlan, causing Cuiyan to become disabled from fear. Youlan felt angry for being publicly reprimanded and committed suicide by swallowing

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

. Lady Liu was 54 years old. In 1925, when Puyi arrived in

Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...

, Liugiya Cuiyan died at the age of 58.

Titles

* During the reign of the

(r. 1861–1875): ** Lady Liu (from 1866) * During the reign of the

(r. 1875–1908): ** Secondary consort ()

Issue

* As secondary consort: **

(; 12 February 1883 – 3 February 1951), Yixuan's fifth son, inherited the title Prince Chun of the First Rank in 1891 ***married

****Puyi,

Emperor Xuantong 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 ...

****

Pujie Pujie (; 16 April 1907 – 28 February 1994) was a Qing dynasty Aisin Gioro, imperial prince of the Aisin-Gioro. Pujie was the younger brother of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. After the fall of the Qing dynasty, Pujie went to Japan, where he ...

****Yunying (韞瑛) ****Yunhe (韞和) **** Yunying (韞穎) ** Zaixun (; 20 May 1885 – 1949), Yixuan's sixth son **

(; 23 June 1887 – 2 September 1970), Yixuan's seventh son ** Yixuan's second daughter

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lady Liugiya 1866 births 1925 deaths Qing dynasty princesses consorts