Yinxiang (16 November 1686 – 18 June 1730), formally known as Prince Yi, was a

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) an ...

prince of the

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 ...

. The thirteenth son of the Kangxi Emperor, Yinxiang was a major ally of his brother Yinzhen (that is, 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 ...

) during the latter's struggle for the succession of the throne. He was made a ''qinwang'' (first-grade prince) during Yongzheng's reign and became one of his closest advisors. He died eight years into the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor and was memorialized with top honours by the emperor. When he died, his title was granted "iron-cap" status and became perpetually inheritable, one of the only twelve such princes in Qing dynasty history.

Early life

Yinxiang was born in 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 ch ...

clan as the 13th son of 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 ...

. The emperor had some 55 recorded consorts. Yinxiang's mother, Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin, was the daughter of the military commander Haikuan (海寬) from the

Bordered White Banner The Bordered White Banner () was one of the Eight Banners of Manchu military and society during the Later Jin and Qing dynasty of China. It was among the lower five banners. Members * Liugiya Cuiyan (1866–1925), Secondary consort (1866–192 ...

. By the same birth mother, Yinxiang had two sisters, both of whom were younger than him. Yinxiang's mother died when he was 14, so he was raised by Consort De, the biological mother of Yinzhen (the future Yongzheng Emperor). This meant that he had an especially close relationship to Yinzhen from a young age. Yinxiang was schooled in the arts and classics by Fahai, the second son of Tong Guogang, the maternal uncle of the Kangxi Emperor. Fahai was also the imperial tutor to Yinti, the 14th prince who was born to the same mother as Yinzhen. Both of Yinxiang's sisters died young shortly after being named ''hesuo princess'' and wedded respectively to Mongol princes. Yinxiang was a favorite of Kangxi from a young age. He accompanied his father on four inspection tours to the south. However, in 1709 when Kangxi bestowed noble titles to his various sons, Yinxiang was not among the recipients; his younger brother Yinti, however, was named a ''beizi''. There is no explanation given in primary sources as to why Yinxiang was not granted a title in spite of seemingly being a favourite of his father. During the succession battle among Kangxi's sons, Yinxiang was imprisoned by the Kangxi Emperor for 10 years. The historical record makes nearly no mention of Yinxiang between 1712 and 1722. It seems like during these years he did not achieve anything remarkable, but did nonetheless conceive several children.

Yongzheng reign

When the Kangxi Emperor died in 1722, Yinzhen succeeded to the throne as the

. In the same year, Yinxiang was granted the title " Prince Yi of the First Rank" (怡親王); this Prince Yi peerage was one of the Qing dynasty's 12 "iron-cap" princely peerages. His personal name was also changed to "Yunxiang" (允祥) to avoid naming taboo because the Chinese character for "Yin" (胤) in "Yinxiang" is the same as the one in the Yongzheng Emperor's personal name "Yinzhen" (胤禛). Yunxiang was a staunch supporter of the Yongzheng Emperor, and he worked tirelessly to assist the emperor in administrating state affairs despite suffering from poor health. Soon after Yongzheng ascended the throne, Yinxiang was named overseer of the three vaults of the Ministry of Revenue. In 1725, Yunxiang was sent to oversee the water issues in

Zhili Province Zhili, alternately romanized as Chihli, was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th-century that lasted through the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty until 1911, when the region was dissolved, converted to a province, and renamed ...

, including flood control and transport. He was still constantly affected by ill health when he returned to

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 ...

later. Yunxiang died in June 1730 and was granted the posthumous name of "Zhongjingchengzhiqinshenlianmingxian" (忠敬誠直勤慎廉明賢), so his full posthumous title became Prince Yizhongjingchengzhiqinshenlianmingxian of the First Rank (和碩怡忠敬誠直勤慎廉明賢親王). The Yongzheng Emperor praised Yunxiang in his eulogy edict and declared a mourning period of three days, during which imperial court sessions were not held. In the edict, the Yongzheng Emperor also granted an exception by allowing Yunxiang's name to be reverted to "Yinxiang".(越日，復諭舉怡親王功德，命復其名上一字為「胤」，配享太廟，諡曰賢，並以「忠敬誠直勤慎廉明」八字加於諡上。) ''Qing Shi Gao'' vol. 220.

Succession of Prince Yi

Prince Yi was elevated to an "iron-cap prince" level peerage, that is, the title was to be perpetually inheritable by his successors. Yinxiang's sixth generation descendant Zaiyuan was a regent 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 Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign, from 1861 to 1875, which effectively lasted ...

and was ousted in a coup.

Family

Primary Consort * Imperial Princess Consort Yixian, of the

Joogiya Joogiya (兆佳) was a clan of Manchu nobility. Notable Figures Males * Shusai (舒赛) *Hetu (赫图) * Wengguotuo (翁果托) * Duo'ertai (多尔泰） * Saikesehe (塞克塞赫), served as third rank military official (参领) Females ...

clan (怡賢亲王福晋兆佳氏) ** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; 20 April 1707 – 4 April 1726), second daughter *** Married Fusengge (富僧額) of the Manchu

Irgen Gioro Irgen Gioro (; ) is a Manchu clan and family name, which was officially categorized as a "notable clan", and member of the eight great houses of the Manchu nobility in Qing dynasty. Sibe and Nanai people also has Irgen Gioro as their family na ...

clan in February/March 1723 ** Hongdun, Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒弘暾; 29 January 1711 – 24 August 1728), third son ** Hongjiao, Prince Ningliang of the Second Rank (寧良郡王弘晈; 17 June 1713 – 9 September 1764), fourth son ** Princess Hehui of the Second Rank (和碩和惠公主; 16 November 1714 – 2 November 1731), fourth daughter *** Married Dorji Septeng (多爾濟塞布騰; d. 1735) of the Khalkha Borjigit clan on 6 December 1729 ** ''Hongkuang'' (弘㫛; 30 January 1716 – 20 February 1722), fifth son ** Hongxiao, Prince Yixi of the First Rank (怡僖親王弘曉; 23 May 1722 – 11 May 1778), seventh son ** ''Shou'en'' (綬恩; 12 October 1725 – 27 August 1727), eighth son Secondary Consort * Secondary consort, 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 siniciz ...

clan (側福晉瓜爾佳氏) ** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; 22 August 1703 – 23 February 1776), first daughter *** Married Sakexin (薩克信) of the Jinjili (津濟里) clan in May/June 1721 ** Hongchang, Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒弘昌; 14 December 1706 – 3 June 1771), first son * Secondary consort, of the Fuca clan (側福晉富察氏) ** ''Third daughter'' (14 December 1710 – December 1711 or January 1712) * Secondary consort, of the Usun clan (側福晉烏蘇氏) ** Hongqin, Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒弘昑; 24 September 1716 – 28 February 1729), sixth son Concubine * Mistress, of the Šigiya clan (石佳氏) ** ''Second son'' (12 November 1708 – 30 March 1709) * Mistress, of the

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

clan (那拉氏) ** ''Amuhulang'' (阿穆瑚瑯; 6 May 1726 – 5 May 1727), ninth son

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Zhou Haodong in '' Legend of YungChing'' (1997) * Portrayed by Wang Hui in ''

Yongzheng Dynasty ''Yongzheng Dynasty'' is a 1999 Chinese historical television series starring Tang Guoqiang and Jiao Huang. The series, spanning 44 episodes, occupied the CCTV-1 prime time slot; after its premiere, there have been many re-runs of the show on telev ...

'' (1999), ''

Li Wei the Magistrate ''Li Wei the Magistrate'', also known as ''Li Wei Becomes an Official'', is a 2001 Chinese television historical comedy-drama starring Xu Zheng as a young Li Wei, an illiterate county magistrate who would become one of the most prominent official ...

'' (2001) and ''

Li Wei the Magistrate II Li, li, or LI may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects * Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political tec ...

'' (2004) * Portrayed by Tian Zhenwei in ''

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

'' (2011) * Portrayed by Yuan Hong in ''

Scarlet Heart ''Scarlet Heart'' (, lit. ''Startling by Each Step'') is a 2011 Chinese television series based on the novel '' Bu Bu Jing Xin'' by Tong Hua. It premiered in China on Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) on 10 September 2011. The series tells the s ...

'' (2011) * Portrayed by

Chen Xiao Chen Xiao (, born 5 July 1987) is a Chinese actor and model. He is best known for his roles in ''Swordsman'' (2013), ''Legend of Lu Zhen'' (2013), ''The Romance of the Condor Heroes'' (2014), ''Who Sleeps My Bro'' (2015), '' Nothing Gold Can St ...

in ''

The Palace ''The Palace'' is a British drama television series that aired on ITV in 2008. Produced by Company Pictures for the ITV network, it was created by Tom Grieves and follows a fictional British Royal Family in the aftermath of the death of King ...

'' (2013) *portrayed by Wang An Yu in '' Dreaming back to the Qing Dynasty (2019 series)'' (2019)

References

* *

External links

Yinxiang: How did he become involved in the fight for the throne?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yinxiang, Prince Yi 1686 births 1730 deaths Kangxi Emperor's sons Manchu politicians Qing dynasty politicians from Beijing Grand Councillors of the Qing dynasty Prince Yi(怡)