Yixin (11January 1833– 29May 1898), better known in English as PrinceKung or Gong, was an imperial prince of 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 c ...

clan and an important statesman 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 ...

-led

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 ...

in China. He was a

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the empire from 1861 to 1865 and wielded great influence at other times as well. At a young age, Yixin was already noted for his brilliance and was once considered by his father 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 ...

as a potential heir. However, his older half-brother Yizhu eventually inherited the throne as the

Xianfeng Emperor The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), or by temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing (), given name Yizhu (), was the eighth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigned from 1850 t ...

. During the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...

in 1860, Prince Gong negotiated with the British, French and Russians, signing the Convention of Beijing on behalf of the Qing Empire. Following the death of the Xianfeng Emperor, Prince Gong launched the

Xinyou Coup Xinyou Coup () was a palace coup instigated by Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci'an, and Prince Gong to seize power after the death of the Xianfeng Emperor. Before he died the previous emperor had appointed group of eight regents, led by Sushun, wh ...

in 1861 with the aid of the Empress Dowagers Ci'an and

Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese noblewoman, concubine and later regent who effectively controlled ...

and seized power from a group of eight regents appointed by the Xianfeng Emperor on his deathbed to assist his young son and successor, the

Tongzhi Emperor The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), born Zaichun of the Aisin Gioro clan, was the ninth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, from 1861 to 1875, which effectively laste ...

. After the coup, he served as

Prince-Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...

from 1861–65 and presided over the reforms implemented during the

Tongzhi Restoration The Tongzhi Restoration (; c. 1860–1874) was an attempt to arrest the dynastic decline of the Qing dynasty by restoring the traditional order. The harsh realities of the Opium War, the unequal treaties, and the mid-century mass uprisings of the ...

(1860–74). Despite his demotions in 1865 and 1874 for alleged corruption and disrespect towards the Emperor, Prince Gong continued to lead the Grand Council and remain a highly influential figure in the Qing government. The final decades of Prince Gong's career, under the reign of his nephew 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 ...

, were marred by his conflict with conservative elements in the Qing imperial court – In particular, his conflict with his former ally, Cixi, deepened his disillusionment with the court, and eventually opted to withdraw from politics and live in seclusion in the temple. Having established in 1861 the

Zongli Yamen The ''Zongli Yamen'' (), short for Office for the General Management of Affairs Concerning the Various Countries (), also known as Prime Minister's Office, Office of General Management, was the government body in charge of foreign policy in imp ...

, the Qing government's ''de facto'' foreign affairs ministry, Prince Gong is best remembered for advocating greater constructive engagement between the Qing Empire and the

great power A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power inf ...

s of that era, as well as for his attempts to modernise China in the late 19th century. His former residence, "

Prince Gong's Mansion Prince Gong's Mansion, also known as the Prince Kung Mansion, is a museum and tourist attraction located in Xicheng District, Beijing, just north of the Shichahai Lake. It consists of large siheyuan-style mansions and gardens. Originally c ...

", is now one of

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 ...

's few AAAAA-rated tourist attractions.

Names

Yixin is the

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

romanisation Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

of the

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

pronunciation of his

name I-hin. He shared his

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

with the other members of the

Qing 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-speaki ...

imperial family. His

courtesy Courtesy (from the word ''courteis'', from the 12th century) is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books. History The apex of European courtly c ...

art name An art name (pseudonym or pen name), also known by its native names ''hào'' (in Mandarin), ''gō'' (in Japanese), ''ho'' (in Korean), and ''tên hiệu'' (in Vietnamese), is a professional name used by East Asian artists, poets and writers. The ...

was "Master of the Yuedao Hall" or "Hall of the Way of Music". ''Kung'' is the Wade-Giles romanisation of Mandarin pronunciation of the same

Chinese character Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the Written Chinese, writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are k ...

, now spelt ''Gōng'' in

. It is not really a name but a part of a descriptive title — " The Respectful Prince of the Blood" — previously borne by Changning, the fifth son of the

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661) was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1644 to 1661. A Deliberative Council of Prince ...

. The Chinese title translates literally as "king" but is usually understood as a "prince" in terms of the imperial Chinese nobility. Because Changning's rank had not been given "iron-cap" status, each generation of his descendants were reduced in rank unless they somehow proved themselves anew and earned a new title of their own. Yixin, however, was given "iron-cap" status and his direct heirs inherited his full title as well. In English, however, it is usually misunderstood as a name: PrinceKung in older sources and PrinceGong in newer ones. He was also sometimes known as the "Sixth Prince" or, less flatteringly, "Devil #6". He was posthumously known as "the Respectful and Loyal Prince of the Blood": Prince Kung-chung or Gongzhong.

Life

Early life

Yixin was born in the

clan, the imperial clan of the

-led

, as the sixth son of the

. He was the third son of his mother, Imperial Noble Consort Jing, who was from the

Khorchin Mongol The Khorchin ( mn, Хорчин, ''Horçin''; ''Qorčin''; ) are a subgroup of the Mongols that speak the Khorchin dialect of Mongolian and predominantly live in northeastern Inner Mongolia of China. History The Ming dynasty gave Borjigin pr ...

Borjigit clan.(孝靜成皇后，博爾濟吉特氏，刑部員外郎花良阿女。後事宣宗為靜貴人。累進靜皇貴妃。 ... 文宗即位，尊為皇考康慈皇貴太妃，居壽康宮。咸豐五年七月，太妃病篤，尊為康慈皇太后。越九日庚午，崩，年四十四。上謚，曰孝靜康慈弼天撫聖皇后，不系宣宗謚，不祔廟。葬慕陵東，曰慕東陵。 ... 子三：奕綱、奕繼、奕訢。女一，下嫁景壽。) ''Qing Shi Gao'' vol. 214. He studied in the imperial library and practised martial arts with his fourth brother,

Yizhu The Xianfeng Emperor (17 July 1831 – 22 August 1861), or by temple name Emperor Wenzong of Qing (), given name Yizhu (), was the eighth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigned from 1850 ...

. He created 28 ''qiang'' (spear) movements and 18 ''dao'' (sword) movements, which were respectively named "Lihua Xieli" (棣華協力) and "Bao'e Xuanwei" (寶鍔宣威) by his father. His father also gave him a White Rainbow Sword (白虹刀) as a gift. Yixin was mentored by

Zhuo Bingtian Zhuo () is the Mandarin pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname written in Chinese character. It is romanized Cho in Wade–Giles, Cheuk or Cherk or Chak in Cantonese, and Toh or Tok in Teochew and Hokkien. Zhuo is listed 277th in the Song d ...

(卓秉恬) and Jia Zhen (賈楨), two eminent

scholar-official The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class. Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...

s who obtained the position of ''jinshi'' (進士; successful candidate) in the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

in 1802 and 1826 respectively. In 1850, when the Daoguang Emperor became critically ill, he summoned Zaiquan (載銓),

Zaiyuan Zaiyuan (1816–1861), formally known as Prince Yi (怡), Prince Yi, was a Manchu people, Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. He was one of the eight regents appointed by the Xianfeng Emperor to assist his successor, the Tongzhi Emperor. Life Zai ...

Duanhua Duanhua (Manchu: ''Duwanhūwa''; 1807 – 1861) was a Manchu prince and regent of the Qing dynasty. Life Duanhua was born in the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the third son of Ulgungga (烏爾恭阿), a descendant of Jirgalang, a nephew of N ...

Sengge Rinchen Sengge Rinchen (1811 – 18 May 1865) or Senggelinqin ( mn, Сэнгэринчен, ᠰᠡᠩᠭᠡᠷᠢᠨᠴᠢᠨ) was a Mongol nobleman and general who served under the Qing dynasty during the reigns of the Daoguang, Xianfeng and Tongzhi em ...

Mujangga Mujangga (; ; 1782–1856) was a Manchu statesman of the late Qing dynasty, belonging to the Gogiya (郭佳) clan. He belonged under the Bordered Blue Banner in the Eight Banners. In 1805, he was awarded the jinshi degree, the highest level in th ...

, He Rulin (何汝霖), Chen Fu'en (陳孚恩) and Ji Zhichang (季芝昌) to Shende Hall (慎德堂) in 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 ...

, where he revealed to them a secret edict he wrote previously. According to the edict, the Fourth Prince, Yizhu, would become the new emperor while Yixin, the Sixth Prince, would be made a ''qinwang'' (first-rank prince). He died on the same day. However, it is rumored that Yixin was the real successor emperor, and the secret decree have been tampered with.

Under the Xianfeng Emperor

ascended the throne in 1850 after the death of the Daoguang Emperor and adopted the

regnal title A regnal title is the title held by a monarch while in office. Monarchs can have various titles, including king or queen, prince or princess (Sovereign Prince of Monaco), emperor or empress (Emperor of Japan, Emperor of India), or even duke or gran ...

"Xianfeng"; he is thus historically known as the Xianfeng Emperor. In accordance with their father's secret edict, the newly enthroned Xianfeng Emperor granted Yixin the title " Prince Gong of the First Rank" (恭親王) in the same year. In 1851, the Xianfeng Emperor established an office for Prince Gong, gave him permission to enter the inner imperial court, assigned him to be in charge of patrol and defence matters, and ordered him to continue carrying the White Rainbow Sword given to him by their father. In October 1853, as the Taiping rebels closed in on Jinan (畿南; the area south of the

Hai River The Hai River (海河, lit. "Sea River"), also known as the Peiho, ("White River"), or Hai Ho, is a Chinese river connecting Beijing to Tianjin and the Bohai Sea. The Hai River at Tianjin is formed by the confluence of five watercourses: the S ...

), Prince Gong was appointed to the Grand Council, which was in charge of military affairs. The following year, he received three additional appointments: ''dutong'' (都統;

Banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

Commander), ''you zongzheng'' (右宗正; Right Director of the

Imperial Clan Court The Imperial Clan Court or Court of the Imperial Clan was an institution responsible for all matters pertaining to the imperial family under the Ming and Qing dynasties of imperial China. This institution also existed under the Nguyễn dynasty o ...

) and ''zongling'' (宗令; Head of the

). He was publicly praised in May 1855 after the Taiping rebels were driven out of Jinan. When Prince Gong's mother died in August 1855, the Xianfeng Emperor reprimanded Prince Gong for failing to observe court protocol and removed him from the Grand Council and his ''zongling'' and ''dutong'' appointments. However, Prince Gong was still permitted to enter the inner imperial court and the imperial library. He was restored to his position as a ''dutong'' in June 1856, and further appointed as an Interior Minister (內大臣) in May 1859.

Second Opium War

In September 1860, during the

, as the Anglo-French forces closed in on the capital

, the Xianfeng Emperor ordered

and Muyin (穆廕) to negotiate for peace at Tongzhou with the enemy. The Anglo-French delegation, which included

Harry Smith Parkes Sir Harry Smith Parkes (24 February 1828 – 22 March 1885) was a British diplomat who served as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary and Consul General of the United Kingdom to the Empire of Japan from 1865 to 1883 and the Chinese ...

and Henry Loch, were taken prisoner by the Mongol general

during the negotiations. Sengge Rinchen then led his elite Mongol cavalry to attack the Anglo-French forces at the Battle of Baliqiao but was defeated. The Xianfeng Emperor recalled Zaiyuan and Muyin from Tongzhou, fled with most of his imperial court to

Rehe Province Rehe (), also romanized as Jehol, was a former Chinese special administrative region and province. Administration Rehe was north of the Great Wall, west of Manchuria, and east of Mongolia. Its capital and largest city was Chengde. The second ...

, and appointed Prince Gong as an Imperial Commissioner with Discretion and Full Authority (欽差便宜行事全權大臣). Prince Gong moved to Changxindian (長辛店; in present-day

Fengtai District Fengtai District () is a district of the municipality of Beijing. It lies mostly to the southwest of the city center, extending into the city's southwestern suburbs beyond the 6th Ring Road, Sixth Ring Road, but also to the south and, to a smaller ...

, Beijing) and called for an assembly of the troops stationed there to enforce greater discipline and raise their morale. On one hand, Qinghui (慶惠) suggested to the Xianfeng Emperor to release Harry Smith Parkes and let Prince Gong continue negotiating. On the other hand, Yidao (義道) urged the emperor to surrender Beijing to the enemy. In the meantime, the British and French looted and burnt down the

in the northwest of Beijing. On 24 October 1860, Prince Gong concluded the negotiations with the British, French and Russians, and signed the Convention of Beijing on behalf of the Qing Empire. He then wrote a memorial to the Xianfeng Emperor, requesting to be punished for signing the

unequal treaty Unequal treaty is the name given by the Chinese to a series of treaties signed during the 19th and early 20th centuries, between China (mostly referring to the Qing dynasty) and various Western powers (specifically the British Empire, France, the ...

. The emperor replied, "The responsibility assigned to Prince Gong to carry on peace negotiations is not an easy one to shoulder. I deeply understand the difficult situation he was put into. There is no need to punish him." Prince Gong settled the diplomatic affairs in Beijing by the end of 1860. In 1861, Prince Gong set up the

, which functioned as the Qing government's ''de facto'' foreign affairs ministry, and placed Guiliang (桂良) and

Wenxiang Wenxiang (, ; born October 16, 1818, in Liaoyang, died May 26, 1876) was an ethnic Manchu statesman of the Qing dynasty of China. Wenxiang hailed from the Gūwalgiya clan and belonged to the Plain Red Banner in the Eight Banners in Mukden. In 1 ...

in charge of it. He wrote a memorial to the Xianfeng Emperor, proposing to enhance the training of Banner Troops in Beijing and let the Qing troops stationed in

Jilin Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea (Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...

and

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...

provinces train with the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

's forces and stockpile military supplies. The generals Shengbao (勝保), Jingchun (景淳) and others were ordered to train the troops in Beijing and

northeast China Northeast China or Northeastern China () is a geographical region of China, which is often referred to as "Manchuria" or "Inner Manchuria" by surrounding countries and the West. It usually corresponds specifically to the three provinces east of t ...

Under the Tongzhi Emperor

Xinyou Coup

Before the

died in August 1861 in the

Chengde Mountain Resort Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde (; Manchu: ''Halhūn be jailara gurung''), is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens situated in the Shuangqiao District of Chengde in northeastern Hebei province, northern China, about 225 km northea ...

, he appointed a group of eight regents – led by

and Sushun – to assist his underage son and successor, Zaichun. Yixin's flexible attitude towards dealing with the Western powers had put him at odds with the eight regents, who were politically conservative and opposed to Western influence. Upon request, Prince Gong was granted permission to travel to Chengde to attend the funeral. In Chengde, he met the Empress Dowagers Ci'an and

and told them about how the eight regents monopolised state power. When the Xianfeng Emperor's coffin arrived back in Beijing in November 1861, Prince Gong and the two empress dowagers launched a coup – historically known as the

(辛酉政變) – to oust the eight regents from power. The regents were arrested and removed from their positions of power.

As Prince-Regent

Zaichun, who was enthroned as the "Tongzhi Emperor", appointed Prince Gong as

(議政王) and granted him some special privileges. These privileges included: "iron-cap" status awarded to the Prince Gong title/peerage; an increment in salary to twice that of a normal ''qinwang'' (first-rank prince); exemptions from having to

kowtow A kowtow is the act of deep respect shown by prostration, that is, kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. In Sinospheric culture, the kowtow is the highest sign of reverence. It was widely used to show reverence ...

in the emperor's presence and having to write his name on memorials submitted to the emperor. Prince Gong firmly declined to accept the "iron-cap" privilege, and instead sought to be concurrently appointed as ''zongling'' (宗令; Head of the

) and put in charge of the

Shenjiying The Shenjiying (), which directly translates to "Divine Machine Battalion", was one of Ming dynasty's three elite military divisions stationed around Beijing collectively called the "Three Big Battalions" ( zh, t=三大營, p=Sān Dà Yíng, label ...

(a firearms-equipped unit in the Qing army). The two empress dowagers also ordered Prince Gong to supervise Hongde Hall (弘德殿; a hall in the

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

), where the Tongzhi Emperor studied. In 1864, Qing forces finally suppressed the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted fr ...

after a war lasting more than a decade, and recaptured Jiangning (江寧; in present-day

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

) from the rebels. The imperial court issued a decree to praise Prince Gong for his effective leadership in the regency that led to the end of the rebellion – in addition to conferring more prestigious titles on his sons Zaicheng, Zaijun and Zaiying. As the longstanding leader of the

, which he established in 1861, Prince Gong was responsible for spearheading various reforms in the early stages of the

Self-Strengthening Movement The Self-Strengthening Movement, also known as the Westernization or Western Affairs Movement (–1895), was a period of radical institutional reforms initiated in China during the late Qing dynasty following the military disasters of the Opium ...

, a series of measures and policy changes implemented by the Qing government with the aim of modernising China. He also founded the

Tongwen Guan The School of Combined Learning, or the Tongwen Guan () was a government school for teaching Languages of Europe, Western languages (and later scientific subjects), founded at Peking (Beijing), China in 1862 during the late-Qing dynasty, right af ...

in 1862 for Chinese scholars to study technology and foreign languages.

Fall from grace

Around April 1865, an official, Cai Shouqi (蔡壽祺), accused Prince Gong of "monopolising state power, accepting bribes, practising favouritism, behaving arrogantly, and showing disrespect towards the Emperor". The Empress Dowagers Ci'an and Cixi publicly reprimanded Prince Gong and stripped him of his position as Prince-Regent. Yishen (奕脤), Yixuan, Wang Zheng (王拯), Sun Yimou (孫翼謀), Yin Zhaoyong (殷兆鏞),

Pan Zuyin Pan Zuyin (1830–1890) was a high-ranking Qing dynasty mandarin and a major art collector. He was president of the Board of Works ( ), president of Board of War ( ), and grand councilor ( ). In 1860, Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885), the Viceroy of S ...

, Wang Weizhen (王維珍), Guangcheng (廣誠) and others pleaded with the empress dowagers to pardon Prince Gong and make him Prince-Regent again. Although the empress dowagers did not restore Prince Gong as Prince-Regent, they permitted him to remain in the inner imperial court and continue running the

. Prince Gong personally thanked the empress dowagers and made a tearful apology. The empress dowagers issued a decree announcing: "The Prince practised favouritism. As we are bound by a common cause and have high expectations of him, we cannot show leniency in punishing him. He will still be allowed to oversee the Grand Council." In March 1868, as the Nian rebels approached the suburbs of Beijing, Prince Gong was tasked with mobilising troops and managing defence arrangements. He was also appointed as ''you zongzheng'' (右宗正; Right Director of the

). In 1869,

An Dehai An Dehai (, 1844 – 12 September 1869) was a palace eunuch at the imperial court of the Qing dynasty. In the 1860s, he became the confidant and favourite of Empress Dowager Cixi and was subsequently executed as part of a power struggle betwe ...

, a court

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

and close aide of Empress Dowager Cixi, was arrested and executed in

Shandong Province Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizatio ...

by Ding Baozhen, the provincial governor. This was because it was a capital crime for eunuchs to travel out of the

without authorisation. The empress dowager became more suspicious of Prince Gong because she believed that he instigated Ding Baozhen to execute An Dehai.

Demotion and restoration

In October 1872, when the Tongzhi Emperor married the Jiashun Empress, he granted Prince Gong the "iron-cap" privilege again. He officially took over the reins of power from his regents in around February 1873. In the same year, Prince Gong displeased Empress Dowager Cixi when he strongly opposed her plan to rebuild the

. In August 1874, Prince Gong was reprimanded and punished again for failing to observe court protocol. This time, he was demoted from a ''qinwang'' (first-rank prince) to a ''junwang'' (second-rank prince). Zaicheng, Prince Gong's eldest son, also lost his ''beile'' title. Despite his demotion, Prince Gong was still allowed to remain in the Grand Council. The following day, the empress dowagers ordered Prince Gong and Zaicheng to be restored as a ''qinwang'' and ''beile'' respectively. Towards the end of the year, the Tongzhi Emperor increased Prince Gong's salary by more than twice that of a normal ''qinwang'', but died not long later in around December.

Under the Guangxu Emperor

The

, who succeeded the Tongzhi Emperor in 1875, continued the practices of exempting Prince Gong from having to

in the emperor's presence and having to write his name on memorials submitted to the emperor. Prince Gong was also appointed as ''zongling'' (宗令; Head of the

Sino-French War

In 1884, when the French invaded Vietnam, Prince Gong and the members of the Grand Council were unable to arrive at a decision on whether or not to intervene in Vietnam and go to war with the French. As a consequence,

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 ...

reprimanded Prince Gong and his colleagues for their dispirited and indecisive attitude towards the war, and removed them from their positions. Prince Gong stopped receiving his double salary and was ordered to retire to recuperate from illness. However, he started receiving his double salary again from November 1886 and was allowed to receive his share of the offerings from ceremonial events. He remained in Jietai Temple in western Beijing for most of the time. Prince Gong's seventh brother, Yixuan (Prince Chun), replaced him as the head of the Grand Council. Some officials such as

Baojun Baojun () is a Chinese automobile marque owned by a joint venture of General Motors and SAIC Motor, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile. History The Baojun marque was established in 2010 as a cheaper alternative to existing GM brands Chevrolet and Buick ...

(寶鋆), Li Hongzao, Jinglian (景廉) and

Weng Tonghe Weng Tonghe (; 1830–1904), courtesy name Shuping (), was a Chinese Confucian scholar and imperial tutor who lived in the Qing dynasty. In 1856, he obtained the position of ''zhuangyuan'' (or top scholar) in the imperial examination and was subs ...

, who previously served in Prince Gong's administration, were also dismissed from office. The incident is known as the "Cabinet Change of Jiashen" (甲申易樞) or "Political Change of Jiashen" (甲申朝局之變) because it took place in the ''jiashen'' year according to the Chinese

sexagenary cycle The sexagenary cycle, also known as the Stems-and-Branches or ganzhi ( zh, 干支, gānzhī), is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus a total of sixty years for one cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...

First Sino-Japanese War

In 1894, when the Japanese invaded Korea and the situation became dire, Empress Dowager Cixi summoned Prince Gong back to the imperial court, placed him in charge of the

again, and tasked him with supervising the

Beiyang Fleet The Beiyang Fleet (Pei-yang Fleet; , alternatively Northern Seas Fleet) was one of the four modernized Chinese navies in the late Qing dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hongzhang, one of the most trust ...

(the Qing navy) and military affairs. Although Prince Gong had been recalled to politics, Empress Dowager Cixi also decreed that since he had not yet recovered from illness, he was exempted from having to constantly attend court sessions.

Death

In 1898, Prince Gong was appointed as ''zongling'' again, but he became critically ill by the end of April. Empress Dowager Cixi visited him thrice during this period of time. He eventually died at the age of 67 (by

East Asian age reckoning Countries in the East Asian cultural sphere (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and their diasporas) have traditionally used specific methods of reckoning a person's numerical age based not on their birthday but the calendar year, and what age one is ...

) in May. The Guangxu Emperor personally attended Prince Gong's funeral and, as a sign of mourning, cancelled imperial court sessions for five days and ordered mourning attire to be worn for 15 days. The emperor also granted Prince Gong the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

"Zhong" (忠; literally "loyal"), gave him a place in the

Imperial Ancestral Temple The Imperial Ancestral Temple, or Taimiao () of Beijing, is a historic site in the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City, just outside the Forbidden City, where during both the Ming Dynasty, Ming and Qing Dynasty, Qing Dynasties, sacrificial cere ...

, and issued an edict honouring Prince Gong as a role model of loyalty that all Qing subjects should learn from.(上再臨奠，輟朝五日，持服十五日。諡曰忠，配享太廟，並諭：「王忠誠匡弼，悉協機宜，諸臣當以王為法。」) ''Qing Shi Gao'' vol. 221.

Family

Primary Consort * Imperial Princess Consort Gongzhong, of the

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 ...

clan (恭忠亲王妃瓜爾佳氏; 1834 – 29 June 1880) **

Princess Rongshou of the First Rank Princess Rongshou of the First Rank (1854 – 1924), was a Chinese princess, daughter of Prince Gong and Lady Gūwalgiya.Evelyn S. Rawski, The Last Emperors: A Social History of Qing Imperial Institutions, 2001 In 1865, she became the adoptive da ...

(榮壽固倫公主; 28 February 1854 – 24 December 1924), first daughter, later adopted by Empress Xiaoqinxian *** Married Zhiduan (志端; d. 1871) of the Manchu Fuca clan on 15 October 1866 ** Zaicheng, Prince Guomin of the Third Rank (果敏貝勒載澂; 12 September 1858 – 21 July 1885), first son ** ''Second daughter'' (15 March 1860 – 28 March 1864) ** ''Zaijun, Duke of the Second Rank'' (輔國公載濬; 31 July 1864 – 6 June 1866), third son Secondary Consort * Secondary consort, of the Xuegiya clan (側福晉薛佳氏) ** Zaiying, Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒載瀅; 11 March 1861 – 29 September 1909), second son * Secondary consort, of the Liugiya clan (側福晉劉佳氏) ** ''Third daughter'' (6 March 1879 – 12 June 1880) ** Lady of the First Rank (郡君; 24 July 1884 – 6 March 1909), fifth daughter * Secondary consort, of the Liugiya clan (側福晉劉佳氏) ** ''Zaihuang, Duke of the Fourth Rank'' (不入八分輔國公載潢; 11 November 1880 – 3 March 1885), fourth son * Secondary consort, of the Janggiya clan (側福晉張佳氏; 1858 – 4 October 1883) ** ''Fourth daughter'' (31 August 1881 – 8 September 1882)

Grandchildren

* First grandson Puwei 溥偉 , Prince Gong of the First Rank , (1880-Died), * Second grandson:

PuRu Puru refer to: *Puru (Vedic tribe), a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigveda *King Puru, a Hindu king in the Rigveda and Mahabharata *King Porus, a king of northwest India in the time of Alexander the Great *Puru ( ...

溥儒, (1896 - Died). *Third grandson: Puyou 溥佑, (1898- Died). *Fourth grandson: Puhui 溥僡(1896-Died).

Descendants

Puwei ‘s Family Yulin, 毓嶙 (1905,died ) Yuyuan,毓岏 (1906,died ) YuSong,毓崧 (1907,died) Yupan, 毓岎 (1909,died) Yanzhan 毓嶦 (1923,died) Yulv 毓嵂 (1926,died ) Yurong 毓嶸（1930, died ) Yuyong, 毓嵱 (1932, died) Hengshou 恆铄(Hakesh) Hengyan 恆鋺 (Jasmine) Hengqian 恆鈐(Cherry) Hengqin 恆欽(Cecilia) Qisong 啟鬆（Jinon) Qining 啟寧 (jinin)

’s Family Yuli 毓岦 Yucen 毓岑 PuYou’s Family Yujunyan 毓君彥 QiHui 啟芸 (Jinun) PuHui’s Family Yuhuan 毓峘 Qiyuan 啟芫(Jinan) Qien 啟恩(Jinen)

Ancestry

Legacy

Prince Gong's former residence in

Xicheng District Xicheng District () is a district of Beijing. Xicheng District spans , covering the western half of the old city (largely inside the 2nd Ring Road - the eastern half is Dongcheng District, Beijing, Dongcheng District), and has 706,691 inhabitant ...

is now open to the public as a museum and garden park. It was previously the residence of the notoriously corrupt official

Heshen Heshen (; ; 1 July 1750 – 22 February 1799) of the Manchu Niohuru clan, was an official of the Qing dynasty favored by the Qianlong Emperor and called the most corrupt official in Chinese history. After the death of Qianlong, the Jiaqing ...

. In 2006, Prince Gong's life was adapted into a Chinese television series, ''

Sigh of His Highness ''Sigh of His Highness'' is a Chinese historical television series based on the life of Prince Gong, an influential Manchu prince and statesman of the late Qing dynasty. The series was directed by Li Wenlong and starred Chen Baoguo as Prince Gong. ...

'', starring

Chen Baoguo Chen Baoguo (; born 9 March 1956) is a Chinese actor. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, Erjia in 1977 and has since acted in many films and television series, including ''The Emperor in Han Dynasty'', ''Da Zhai Men'' and ''Rob-B-Hoo ...

as the prince.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gong, Prince 1833 births 1898 deaths 19th-century Chinese people 19th-century viceregal rulers Grand Councillors of the Qing dynasty Manchu Bordered Blue Bannermen Manchu politicians People of the Second Opium War Daoguang Emperor's sons Qing dynasty politicians from Beijing Qing dynasty regents Ministers of Zongli Yamen Prince Gong Chinese reformers