Prince Gong of the First Rank (

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 ...

: ; ''hošoi gungnecuke cin wang''), or simply Prince Gong, was the title of a princely peerage used in China during the

-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 ...

(1644–1912). It was passed down over two different family lines within 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. The first bearer of the Prince Gong title in the first family line was Changning (1657–1703), 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 ...

. He was awarded the title in 1671 by his brother, 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 1 ...

. As the Prince Gong peerage was not awarded "iron-cap" status, this meant that each successive bearer of the title would normally start off with a title downgraded by one rank ''vis-à-vis'' that held by his predecessor. However, the title would generally not be downgraded to any lower than a ''feng'en fuguo gong'' except under special circumstances. It was passed down over ten generations and held by ten persons. The first bearer of the Prince Gong title in the second family line was Yixin (1833–1898), the sixth 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 ...

. He was awarded the title in 1850 by his father. In 1872, 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 ...

, the second Prince Gong peerage, unlike the earlier one, was granted "iron-cap" status. This meant that the title could be passed down without being downgraded. The title was passed down over four generations and held by three persons.

Members of the Prince Gong peerage

Changning's line (non-"iron-cap")

* Changning (1657–1703), the

's fifth son, held the title Prince Gong of the First Rank from 1671 to 1703 ** Haishan (海善; 1676–1743), Changning's third son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1695 to 1703, promoted to ''beile'' in 1703, stripped of his title in 1712, restored as a ''beile'' in 1732, posthumously honoured as Ximin Beile (僖敏貝勒) ** Manduhu (滿都護; 1674–1731), Changning's second son, held the title of a ''beile'' from 1712 to 1731, demoted to ''beizi'' and then to ''feng'en zhenguo gong'' in 1726 *** Lumubu (祿穆布; 1700–1729), Haishan's son **** Feisu (斐蘇; 1731–1763), Lumubu's eldest son, held the title of a ''beile'' from 1731 to 1763 ***** Mingshao (明韶; 1742–1787), Feisu's second son, held the title of a ''beizi'' from 1763 to 1787 ****** Jinchang (晉昌; 1759–1828), Mingshao's eldest son, held the title of a ''feng'en zhenguo gong'' from 1788 to 1803, stripped of his title in 1803, restored as a ''feng'en fuguo gong'' from 1817 to 1828 ****** Jinlong (晉隆; 1761–1819), Mingshao's second son, held the title of a ''feng'en fuguo gong'' from 1803 to 1817, stripped of his title in 1817 ******* Yucai (玉彩), Jinlong's eldest son, held the title of a third class ''fuguo jiangjun'' from 1805 to 1833 ******* Xianglin (祥林; 1791–1848), Jinchang's second son, held the title of a ''buru bafen zhenguo gong'' from 1828 to 1834 ******** Chengxi (承熙; 1832–1891), Xianglin's eldest son, held the title of a ''buru bafen zhenguo gong'' from 1834 to 1891 ********* Chonglue (崇略; 1850–1894), Chengxi's eldest son, held the title of a ''buru bafen zhenguo gong'' from 1892 to 1894 ********** Deyin (德蔭; 1868–1895), Chonglue's eldest son, held the title of a ''buru bafen zhenguo gong'' from 1894 to 1895 ********** Demao (德茂; 1882–?), Chonglue's second son, held the title of a ''buru bafen zhenguo gong'' from 1895–? ***** Minggong (明恭), Feisu's fifth son, held the title of a second class ''fuguo jiangjun'' from 1765 to 1796 ****** Jiapei (嘉培), Minggong's second son, held the title of a third class ''fengguo jiangjun'' from 1797 to 1817 ******* Lianxi (連喜), Jiapei's second son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1818 to 1836, stripped of his title in 1836 ***** Mingpei (明佩), Feisu's sixth son, held the title of a second class ''fuguo jiangjun'' from 1765 to 1825 ****** Chungu (純嘏), Mingpei's son ******* Qinglin (慶琳), Chungu's eldest son, held the title of a ''fengguo jiangjun'' from 1825 to 1845 ******** Lingrui (靈瑞), Qinglin's second son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1845 to 1857, had no male heir ***** Mingzuan (明纘), Feisu's tenth son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1775 to 1794 ****** Yigui (宜貴), Mingzuan's eldest son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1795 to 1847 ******* Guanrui (官瑞), Yigui's eldest son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1848 to 1857 ***** Minggai (明該), Feisu's 11th son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1775 to 1792 ****** Yuxian (玉顯), Minggai's eldest son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1794 to 1810, had no male heir ***** Mingfan (明範), Feisu's 12th son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1784 to 1815 ***** Mingkun (明昆), Feisu's 14th son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1784 to 1813 ****** Hengchun (恆春), Mingkun's second son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1814 to 1844 ******* Rongxiu (榮秀), Hengchun's eldest son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1844 to 1883 ** Yongshou (永綬; 1671–1686), Changning's eldest son, held the title of a third class ''fuguo jiangjun'' from 1685 to 1686, had no male heir ** Duiqing'e (對清額; 1681–1742), Changning's fourth son, held the title of a third class ''fuguo jiangjun'' from 1700 to 1740 *** Ailong'a (愛隆阿), Duiqing'e's fourth son, held the title of a ''fengguo jiangjun'' from 1740 to 1744 **** Anchuhang'a (安楚杭阿), Ailong'a's third son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1744 to 1745, had no male heir *** Fuge (福格), Duiqing'e's eighth son, held the title of a ''feng'en jiangjun'' from 1757 to 1777, had no male heir *** Qichen (奇臣), Duiqing'e's ninth son, held the title of a third class ''fengguo jiangjun'' from 1757 to 1807, stripped of his title in 1807 ** Zhuotai (卓泰; 1683–1705), Changning's fifth son, held the title of a third class ''fuguo jiangjun'' from 1702 to 1705, had no male heir

Yixin's line ("iron-cap")

* Yixin (1833–1898), the

's sixth son, held the title Prince Gong of the First Rank from 1850 to 1898, posthumously honoured as Prince Gongzhong of the First Rank (恭忠親王) ** Zaicheng (載澂; 1858–1885), Yixin's eldest son, initially a ''feng'en fuguo gong'' from 1860 to 1868, promoted to ''beile'' in 1868, awarded ''junwang'' status but not a ''junwang'' title in 1872, posthumously honoured as Guomin Beile (果敏貝勒) ** Zaiying (載瀅; 1861–1909), Yixin's second son, held the title of a ''buru bafen zhenguo gong'' from 1864 to 1868, adopted into the Prince Zhong peerage as a ''beile'' in 1868, stripped of his title in 1900 *** Puwei (溥偉; 1880–1936), Zaiying's eldest son, held the title Prince Gong of the First Rank from 1898 to 1936, posthumously honoured as Prince Gongxian of the First Rank (恭賢親王) ****

Yuzhan Yuzhan (28 November 1923 – 8 July 2016), courtesy name Jungu, was a Chinese calligrapher of Manchu descent. He was a member of the Aisin Gioro clan, the imperial clan of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. He was also the seventh son of Puwei () and ...

(1923–2016), Puwei's seventh son, held the title Prince Gong of the First Rank from 1936 to 1945 ** Zaijun (載濬; 1864–1866), Yixin's third son, held the title of a ''feng'en fuguo gong'' from 1864 to 1866, had no male heir ** Zaihuang (載潢; 1880–1885), Yixin's fourth son, held the title of a ''buru bafen fuguo gong'' from 1881 to 1885, had no male heir

Members of the Prince Gong peerage

Changning's line (non-"iron-cap")

Yixin's line ("iron-cap")

Family trees

Changning's line

Yixin's line

See also

References