The Marquis of Extended Grace was a title held by a descendant of the imperial family of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368–1644) during the subsequent

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 ...

(1644–1912). Holders of this title were also called the Marquis of Zhu from the surname of the Ming imperial family.
http://www.forgottenbooks.com/readbook_text/Present_Day_Political_Organization_of_China_1000115601/509
https://archive.org/stream/presentdaypoliti00brun#page/494/mode/2up The marquis presided at memorial ceremonies held twice a year at the

Ming tombs The Ming tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by the emperors of the Ming dynasty of China. The first Ming emperor's tomb is located near his capital Nanjing. However, the majority of the Ming tombs are located in a cluster near Beijing a ...

near

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

. The Ming dynasty was

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 v ...

while the Qing dynasty was dominated by the

Manchus 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 ...

, a people from the northeast. Many people remained loyal to the Ming dynasty long after it collapsed. From 1644 to 1662, there were several loyalist armies based in southern China. Several Ming princes accompanied

Koxinga Zheng Chenggong, Prince of Yanping (; 27 August 1624 – 23 June 1662), better known internationally as Koxinga (), was a Ming loyalist general who resisted the Qing conquest of China in the 17th century, fighting them on China's southeastern ...

to Taiwan in 1662, including

Zhu Shugui Zhu Shugui (1617 – 21 July 1683), courtesy name Tianqiu (天球) and art name Yiyuanzi (一元子), the Prince of Changyang (長陽王; 1645–1646), later the Prince of Ningjing (寧靖王), was a royal member of the Ming and the last of t ...

and Zhu Honghuan, son of

Zhu Yihai Zhu Yihai (; 1618–1662), courtesy name Juchuan (巨川), art name Hengshan (恆山) and Changshizi (常石子), was a regent of the Southern Ming from 1645 to 1653. Early life Zhu Yihai was born in 1618, during the 46th year of the reign of th ...

, where they lived in the

Kingdom of Tungning The Kingdom of Tungning (), also known as Tywan by the British at the time, was a dynastic maritime state that ruled part of southwestern Taiwan and the Penghu islands between 1661 and 1683. It is the first predominantly Han Chinese state in ...

. Koxinga's grandson

Zheng Keshuang Zheng Keshuang, Prince of Yanping (; 13 August 1670 – 22 September 1707), courtesy name Shihong, art name Huitang, was the third and last ruler of the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan in the 17th century. He was the second son of Zheng Jing and ...

surrendered to the Qing dynasty in 1683 and was rewarded by 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 ...

with the title "Duke of Hanjun" (). The Qing then sent the 17 Ming princes still living on Taiwan back to mainland China where they spent the rest of their lives in exile, since their lives were spared and they were not executed. Zhu Honghuan was among them. The Qing government finally made peace with the Ming loyalists in 1725 when the

Yongzheng Emperor The Yongzheng Emperor (13 December 1678 – 8 October 1735), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizong of Qing, born Yinzhen, was the fourth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He reigned from ...

bestowed the title of marquis on Zhu Zhilian (Chu Chih lien), a senior descendant of the Ming imperial family.
He was posthumously promoted to Marquis of Extended Grace in 1750. The title suggests that the Qing emperors were extending their grace to a representative of a defunct dynasty. Zhu Zhilian was also inducted into the Han Chinese Plain White 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 ...

, which was one of the Three Upper Banners. It was a Chinese custom for the emperors of a new dynasty to enfeoff a member of the previous dynasty they overthrew with a noble title and give them land or a stipend to offer sacrifices at their ancestor's graves, practiced since the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty a ...

when the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

granted the fief of

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

to a descendant of the Shang royal family. This practice was referred to as () or "the two crownings and the three respects". Regardless, the marquis was not granted the privilege to practice Ming customs and rituals. In contrast to the practices of previous dynasties, the marquis served the Qing monarchy as subjects, instead of honoured guests with independent fiefdoms. Moreover, the marquis' branch is one of minority in the House of Zhu. It can thus be argued that the Qing monarchs discontinued such custom with the installation of "Marquis of the Extended Grace". During the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of ...

which led to the abdication of the Qing emperor, some advocated that a Han Chinese be installed as emperor, either the descendant of Confucius, who was the Duke Yansheng,

or the Ming imperial family descendant, the Marquis of Extended Grace. The last marquis was Zhu Yuxun. In September 1924, Zhu met Reginald Johnston, the British tutor of

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 Qing emperor. Although China had been a republic since 1912, Puyi was still holding his imperial court in the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the Zhongshan Park, the sacrifi ...

at this time. Even though Zhu was living in a hovel and had only rags to wear, Johnston described him as "still a true Chinese gentleman." The business card Zhu gave Johnston said he was a descendant of the Ming imperial family and lived in Yangguan Alley, a

hutong ''Hutong'' () are a type of narrow street or alley commonly associated with northern Chinese cities, especially Beijing. In Beijing, hutongs are alleys formed by lines of ''siheyuan'', traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods wer ...

near

Dongzhimen Dongzhimen (; lit. "East Straight Gate") was a gate in the old Beijing city fortifications. It is now a commercial center and transportation node in Beijing. Latimer D. (2014) ''The Improbable Beijing Guidebook'', Sinomaps, Beijing, , p.69 Histor ...

. After Puyi was evicted from the Forbidden City in the

Beijing Coup The Beijing Coup () refers to the October 1924 '' coup d'état'' by Feng Yuxiang against Chinese President Cao Kun, leader of the Zhili warlord faction. Feng called it the Capital Revolution (). The coup occurred at a crucial moment in the Second ...

in October, Zhu visited him at the Japanese concession 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 popu ...

. Zhu later followed Puyi to the northeast. Puyi reigned as emperor of

Manchukuo Manchukuo, officially the State of Manchuria prior to 1934 and the Empire of (Great) Manchuria after 1934, was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in Manchuria from 1932 until 1945. It was founded as a republic in 1932 after the Japanese ...

(Manchuria) from 1934 to 1945. In 1929, Zhu Yuxun petitioned the National government of the Republic of China for help since he was living in destitution and said he could no longer carry out his duties. The government abolished his title as marquis and paid him a stipend instead. In 1933, the government totally terminated all of his duties in carrying out ceremonies at the Ming tombs and totally ended his position. After that, nothing is known about what happened to Zhu Yuxun.

List of titleholders

The following is a list of title holders:''

Draft History of Qing The ''Draft History of Qing'' () is a draft of the official history of the Qing dynasty compiled and written by a team of over 100 historians led by Zhao Erxun who were hired by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China. The draft was publ ...

'', chapters 9 ("Basic Annals of Shizong" 世宗本纪), 84 ("Rituals 3 – Auspicious Rituals 3" 禮三吉禮三), 117 ("Officialdom 4" 職官四), and 169 ("Hereditary Tables of High Ministers and the Nobility" 诸臣封爵世表). Adoptions occurred between related family members. # Zhu Zhilian (朱之琏; died 1730). Based on Zhilian's imperial ancestry, the

awarded him the title of marquis in 1725. In 1750, he was posthumously awarded the title Marquis of Extended Grace by the

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 ...

. A descendant of the first Ming emperor

Zhu Yuanzhang The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts i ...

's 13th son,

Zhu Gui Zhu Gui is the name of: *Zhu Gui (prince) (1374–1446), Ming dynasty prince *Zhu Gui (printmaker) ( 1644–1717), Qing dynasty woodcarver *Zhu Gui (Water Margin) Zhu Gui is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Class ...

, Prince Jian of Dai (代簡王朱桂), through Zhu Gui's descendant, Zhu Yiting (朱彝梃), who along with his agnatic nephew (brother's son) Zhu Wenyuan (朱文元) went on an expedition against the Qing in

Liaodong The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...

during the

Chongzhen Emperor The Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), personal name Zhu Youjian (), courtesy name Deyue (),Wang Yuan (王源)，''Ju ye tang wen ji'' (《居業堂文集》), vol. 19. "聞之張景蔚親見烈皇帝神主題御諱字德� ...

's reign, since they were defeated in battle, they surrendered and defected to the Qing and were placed into the Bordered White Banner of the Eight Banners. Their descendant Zhu Zhilian was the prefectural magistrate of

Zhengding County Zhengding (), originally Zhending (), is a county in southwestern Hebei Province, North China, located approximately south of Beijing. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Shijiazhuang, the capital of the province, and h ...

as appointed by the Yongzheng Emperor # Zhu Zhen (朱震), son of Zhilian # Zhu Shaomei (朱绍美), son of Zhen # Zhu Yifeng (朱仪凤), nephew of Shaomei, inherited title in 1777 # Zhu Yurui (朱毓瑞), son of Yifeng, inherited title in 1797 # Zhu Xiuji (朱秀吉), son of Yurui # Zhu Xiuxiang (朱秀祥), brother of Xiuji, inherited title in 1828 # Zhu Yitan (朱贻坦), nephew of Xiuxiang, inherited title in 1836 # Zhu Shugui (朱书桂), granduncle of Xiuxiang, inherited title in 1836 # Zhu Heling (朱鹤龄), adopted son of Shugui # Zhu Chengrui (朱诚端), grandnephew of Heling, inherited title in 1869 # Zhu Yuxun (朱煜勋; born 1882), son of Chengrui, inherited title in 1891, followed Puyi to Manchuria

References

{{reflist, 1 Qing dynasty noble titles

List of titleholders

See also

References