Aisin Gioro Yongchang （；1737-1788）was

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-spea ...

imperial prince as the eldest son of

Hongpu Hongpu (莊親王弘普; 9 August 1713 – 16 April 1743) was Qing dynasty imperial peer prince and second son of Yunlu, Prince Zhuang Ke of the First Rank. Although he never held a title of the prince of the first rank, his eldest son was select ...

and

Yunlu Yunlu (28 July 1695 – 20 March 1767), born Yinlu, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. Yunlu was born in the Aisin Gioro clan as the 16th son of the Kangxi Emperor. His mother was Consort Mi (密妃), a Han Chinese with the family n ...

's grandson. After Yunlu was adopted into

Prince Zhuang Prince Zhuang of the First Rank (Manchu: ; ''hošoi ambalinggū cin wang''), or simply Prince Zhuang, was the title of a princely peerage used in China during the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1644–1912). It was also one of the 12 "iron-cap" princel ...

peerage, his successors followed suit. Thus, Yongchang became the fifth in the line of the Prince Zhuang of the First Rank .

Life

Yongchang was born in 1737 to Hongpu's secondary consort, lady Guo, as Yongcong. In 1746, when Qianlong Emperor's seventh son, Yongcong was born, second character in his name was changed to 'chang' so as to avoid

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly r ...

, which prohibited a replication of a character in the personal name of imperial prince being direct descendant of an emperor. In 1743, Yongchang inherited his father as a duke of the second rank (辅国公). In 1768, he became the fourth Prince Zhuang of the First Rank after the death of his grandfather. At that time, promotional ceremony was organised after the sacrificial rites at the Temple of Agriculture. List of the princes promoted at the same time included

Hongzhou, Prince He Hongzhou ( Manchu:, Mölendroff: ''hungjeo''; 5 January 1712 – 2 September 1770), formally known as Prince He, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. Life Hongzhou was born in the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the fifth son of the Yo ...

of the First Rank; Hongxiao, Prince Yi of the First Rank and Guanglu; Prince Yu of the First Rank. Yongchang inherited a title of the prince of the first rank because of an incident concerning his father's implication in a rebellion organized by Hongxi, second Prince Li in 1739. After the promotion, Yongchang was appointed as a 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 was tasked with supervision of the Gioro family school (reserved exclusively for collateral clansmen). During his cadention in the Imperial Clan Court, he analysed the history of worships and created a genealogy of the

Northern Song Dynasty Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...

. During an eastern tour to the tomb of

Nurhaci Nurhaci (14 May 1559 – 30 September 1626), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Qing (), was a Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late 16th century in Manchuria. A member of the House of Aisin-Gioro, he reigned ...

and Yangguli (one of the Qing founders), Yongchang and Yongcan were ordered to make sacrifices. Due to delay in performance of the rites at Nurhaci's mausoleum, Yongchang was suspended of his salary for 5 years. Yongchang was known for his close relationship with another imperial princes, such as Prince Xin of the Second Rank, Rusong. As the princes were born on the same year, their relationship was close to brotherhood. Yongchang died in 1788 without a male heir and was posthumously granted a title of Prince Zhuangshen of the First Rank (“庄慎亲王, meaning "dignified and prudent").

Family

Yongchang was married to lady

Wanyan The Wanyan (; Manchu: ''Wanggiyan''; Jurchen script: ) clan was among the clans of the Heishui Mohe tribe living in the drainage region of the Heilong River during the time of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty. Of the Heishui Mohe, the clan was count ...

, daughter of the censor Kangyilu (亢伊禄). As he could not have a male heir, he adopted his grandnephew Mianke, a grandson of Hongrong as a successor. ----Consorts: * Primary consort, of the Wanyan clan (嫡福晋完颜氏) Issue: * ''Adopted son:'' Mianke, Prince Zhuangxiang of the First Rank

References

{{Reflist Qing dynasty imperial princes Prince Zhuang 1737 births 1788 deaths