Imperial Noble Consort Wenjing, also known as Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Duankang (6 October 1873 – 24 September 1924), 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 Red Banner The Bordered Red Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of the Manchu military and society among the lower five banners during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China.General annals of the Eight Banners.vol 30 Members * Cuigiya Lianyuan * Co ...

Tatara clan, was a consort 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 ...

Life

Family background

Imperial Noble Consort Wenjing's personal name was not recorded in history. * Father: Changxu (), served as the Right Vice Minister of Revenue ** Paternal grandfather: Yutai (), served as the

Viceroy of Shaan-Gan The Viceroy of Shaan-Gan was one of eight regional viceroys in the Qing dynasty. The Viceroy of Shaan-Gan had jurisdiction over Shaanxi and Gansu provinces as well as western Inner Mongolia. Name The name Shaan-Gan is derived by taking t ...

in 1851 ** Paternal grandmother: Lady

Gūwalgiya 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 ...

* Mother: Lady Zhao * Three brothers : Youngest brother : Tatara Zhaoxu Issue : Tan Yuling, Noble Consort Mingxian. Marries Aisin Gioro Puyi, Xuantong Emperor. * Three elder sisters and one younger sister ** Fifth younger sister: Imperial Noble Consort Keshun (1876–1900)

Tongzhi era

The future Imperial Noble Consort Wenjing was born on the 15th day of the eighth

lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

month in the 12th year of 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 ...

, which translates to 6 October 1873 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 ...

Guangxu era

On 26 February 1889, Lady Tatara entered the Forbidden City and was granted the title "Concubine Jin". Her younger sister, the future Imperial Noble Consort Keshun, entered the Forbidden City at the same time and was granted the title "Concubine Zhen". The

Jadeite Cabbage The Jadeite Cabbage () or Jadeite Cabbage with Insects is a piece of jadeite carved into the shape of a Chinese cabbage head, and with a locust and katydid camouflaged in the leaves. It is part of the collection of the National Palace Museum in Ta ...

sculpture, which is now on display in Taiwan's

National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Kwet-li̍p kù-kiung pok-vu̍t-yèn), is a museum in Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan). It has a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts and artworks, many of which wer ...

, is believed to be part of the dowry settlement.Leslie Hook
"The Jade Cabbage"
''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2010. The Guangxu Emperor did not really like her and instead favoured her younger sister. On 6 February 1894, Lady Tatara was elevated to "Consort Jin". In November 1894, Consort Jin's younger sister, Consort Zhen, was discovered to have abused her influence over the Guangxu Emperor by interfering in civil appointments. On 26 November 1894, Consort Jin was implicated and demoted along with her sister by

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 ...

. The empress dowager also ordered the execution of a palace eunuch who collaborated with Consort Zhen. Zhirui, a cousin of the two consorts who served as an official, was banished from Beijing. On 29 May 1895, the two sisters were restored to their positions. However, Consort Zhen was placed under house arrest. When the

Eight-Nation Alliance The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded northern China in 1900 with the stated aim of relieving the foreign legations in Beijing, then besieged by the popular Boxer militia, who were determined to remove fo ...

invaded Beijing in 1900, the imperial court fled from the Forbidden City to

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

. They apparently forgot about Consort Jin and left her behind, but she was saved by a noble and brought to Xi'an later. Consort Zhen, on the other hand, died after being thrown into a well, allegedly on Empress Dowager Cixi's order. When the imperial court returned to Beijing in 1902, the Qing dynasty had lost its influence.

Xuantong era

The Guangxu Emperor died on 14 November 1908, followed by Empress Dowager Cixi, who died one day after the emperor. Before her death, Cixi named

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 ...

's son,

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 ...

, as the new emperor. On 18 November 1908, Lady Tatara was elevated to Dowager Noble Consort Jin. Puyi, the Last Emperor, had five other adoptive mothers in addition to his own biological mother,

Youlan Youlan may refer to: * Youlan is a Chinese name, usually used for females. Youlan may refer to: * Youlan (noble) (幼蘭), mother of China's last emperor Puyi and princess consort of Zaifeng, Prince Chun * Jieshi Diao Youlan (碣石調幽蘭), ancie ...

. Among the five,

Empress Dowager Longyu Jingfen (; 28 January 1868 – 22 February 1913), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Yehe Nara clan, was the wife and empress consort of Zaitian, the Guangxu Emperor. She was Empress consort of Qing from 1889 until her husband's death in 19 ...

ranked the highest while Dowager Noble Consort Jin ranked second. The other three, Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Zhuanghe, Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Jingyi and Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Ronghui were former consorts of the Tongzhi Emperor, the Guangxu Emperor's cousin and predecessor.

Republican era

In 1911, Empress Dowager Longyu signed the abdication documents on behalf of Puyi, bringing an end to the Qing dynasty. The empress dowager died on 22 February 1913, and Lady Tatara became the highest ranked woman in the palace. On 12 March 1913, Lady Tatara was elevated to "Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Duankang". In 1921, Puyi's birth mother, Youlan, committed suicide by swallowing opium after being publicly reprimanded by Lady Tatara for her son's misbehaviour. Puyi wrote in his autobiography that Lady Tatara saw Empress Dowager Cixi as a role model even though Cixi was responsible for the death of her younger sister. Lady Tatara's strictness often angered the young emperor Puyi, but she softened her approach towards him after his birth mother died. When the time came for Puyi to marry, Lady Tatara and Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Jingyi had an argument over who should be the empress. Consort Wenjing favoured Wanrong while Jingyi preferred

Wenxiu Wenxiu (20 December 1909 – 17 September 1953), also known as Consort Shu (hanzi: 淑妃) and Ailian (愛蓮), was a consort of Puyi, the last Emperor of China and final ruler of the Qing dynasty. She was from the Mongol Erdet (額爾德特) Clan ...

. In Lady Tatara's opinion, Wenxiu was not beautiful enough to be empress and she came from a lesser family background as compared to Wanrong. Despite so, Puyi's first choice was Wenxiu, and this frustrated Lady Tatara. She held a discussion with other nobles and officials in the imperial court, and they succeeded in persuading Puyi to select Wanrong as his empress and to name Wenxiu as a consort. Lady Tatara died on 24 September 1924 just before Puyi was forced to leave the Forbidden City.

Titles

* During the reign of the

(r. 1861–1875): ** Lady Tatara (from 6 October 1873) * During the reign of the

(r. 1875–1908): ** Concubine Jin (; from 26 February 1889), fifth rank consort ** Consort Jin (; from 6 February 1894), fourth rank consort ** Noble Lady Jin (; from 26 November 1894), sixth rank consort ** Consort Jin (; from 29 May 1895), fourth rank consort * During the reign of the

Xuantong Emperor 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 ...

(r. 1908–1912): ** Noble Consort Jin (; from 18 November 1908光緒三十四年十月二十五日), third rank consort * During the years of the

Republic of China (1912–1949) The Republic of China (ROC), between 1912 and 1949, was a sovereign state recognised as the official designation of China when it was based on Mainland China, prior to the Retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan, relocat ...

: ** Imperial Noble Consort Duankang (; from 12 March 1913), second rank consort ** ''Imperial Noble Consort Wenjing'' (; from 1924)

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Chen Ping in '' The Last Tempest'' (1976) * Portrayed by Liu Jun in ''

The Last Emperor ''The Last Emperor'' ( it, L'ultimo imperatore) is a 1987 epic biographical drama film about the life of Puyi, the final Emperor of China. It is directed by Bernardo Bertolucci from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Peploe, which was adapted ...

'' (1987) * Portrayed by Ching Lan in ''

The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty ''The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty'' is a long-running four part television series about the history of the Qing dynasty. The series was produced by Hong Kong's ATV and was aired on ATV Home from September 1987 to May 1992.Yesasia.com.Yesasia.co ...

'' (1992) * Portrayed by Wang Zi in ''

Princess Der Ling Lizzie Yu Der Ling ( zh, t=裕德齡, w=Yü Tê-ling, p=Yù Délíng; 8 June 188122 November 1944), better known as "Princess" Der Ling, and also known as Elisabeth Antoinette White after her marriage to Thaddeus C. White, was a Hanjun bannerwom ...

'' (2006) * Portrayed by

Liu Tao Liu Tao (, born 12 July 1978) is a Chinese actress from Nanchang, Jiangxi. She is known for her roles in ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' (2003), ''Madame White Snake'' (2006), ''Mazu'' (2012), ''To Elderly With Love'' (2013), ''Nirvana in Fire'' ...

in ''

The Founding of a Party ''The Founding of a Party'', alternatively titled in English ''Beginning of the Great Revival'' for its international release,Patrick Frater, 21 May 2011Party becomes Revival for int'l release, Film Business Asia is a Chinese propaganda film relea ...

'' (2011) * Portrayed by

Lee Yee-man Lee Yee-man ( born October 18, 1984 in Hong Kong) is a Hong Kong actress and host. She won the 2001 ATV actress competition, and began her acting career at ATV. Later, in 2007 she began acting for TVB. ATV Series TVB Series Film * ''Shock W ...

in ''

The Last Healer in Forbidden City ''The Last Healer in Forbidden City'' (; literally "The Last Imperial Physician") is a 2016 Hong Kong historical fiction television drama produced by TVB, starring Roger Kwok and Tavia Yeung as the main leads, produced by Nelson Cheung. It premi ...

'' (2016)

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jin, Consort 1873 births 1924 deaths Qing dynasty imperial consorts Manchu people Consorts of the Guangxu Emperor