Yunli (24 March 1697 – 21 March 1738), born Yinli, formally known as Prince Guo, 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) and ...

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 ...

Life

Yinli 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 chi ...

clan as the 17th 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 1 ...

. His mother was Consort Qin (勤妃), a

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 ...

with the family name Chen. Yinli excelled in academics since childhood. Unlike most of his brothers, he was never involved in any of the struggles for succession to the throne. He was intelligent and cautious, and had his share of political achievements. He was also good in

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as " ...

and

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...

. He also enjoyed touring the country and had visited almost all the famous mountains in

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

. In 1722, Yinli's fourth brother, Yinzhen, ascended the throne after the death of their father, and became historically known as the

Yongzheng Emperor , regnal name = , posthumous name = Emperor Jingtian Changyun Jianzhong Biaozhen Wenwu Yingming Kuanren Xinyi Ruisheng Daxiao Zhicheng Xian()Manchu: Temgetulehe hūwangdi () , temple name = Shizong()Manchu: Šidzung () , house = Aisin Gioro ...

. Yinli changed his name to "Yunli" (允禮) 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 ...

because the Chinese character for "Yin" (胤) in "Yinli" is the same as the one in the Yongzheng Emperor's personal name, Yinzhen (胤禛). In April that year, Yunli was granted the title " Prince Guo of the Second Rank" (多羅果郡王) and placed in charge of administrating the institution of scholars. In 1725, Yunli was awarded a higher allowance for honesty and diligence. In February 1728, he was promoted to "Prince Guo of the First Rank" (果親王). He was later appointed to the Grand CouncilEvelyn S. Rawski, ''The Last Emperors: A Social History of Qing Imperial Institutions'', California: University of California Press, 1998, p. 125 and given greater responsibilities, such as escorting the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Da ...

back to

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Tama ...

and inspecting military forces stationed along the route. Yunli was known to be a patron and scholar of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in m ...

. When the Yongzheng Emperor became seriously ill, Yunli was tasked with supporting the heir to the throne, Hongli. The Yongzheng Emperor died in 1735 and was succeeded by Hongli, who became historically known as the Qianlong Emperor. During the Qianlong Emperor's reign, Yunli was empowered with more authority and given more duties with commensurate recognition. Yunli died in 1739 at the age of 41. He had two children (a son and a daughter) but both of them died prematurely. His princely title was inherited by Hongyan (弘瞻), the Yongzheng Emperor's sixth son, who was adopted as Yunli's heir.

Family

Primary Consort * Imperial Princess Consort Guoyi, of the

Niohuru The Niohuru (Manchu: ; in Manchu) were a prominent Manchu clan during the Qing dynasty. The clan had inhabited the Changbai Mountains since as early as the Liao dynasty. The clan was well known during the Qing dynasty for producing a variety o ...

clan ()
Titles: Primary Consort of the Seventeenth Prince (第十七王子福晋), Princess Consort Guo of the Second Rank (果郡王福晋), Imperial Princess Consort Guo of the First Rank (果亲王福晋), ''Imperial Princess Consort Guoyi of the First Rank'' (果毅亲王福晋) Secondary Consort * Secondary consort, of the Meng clan (側福晉孟氏)
Titles: Secondary Consort to the Seventeenth Prince (第十七王子侧妃), Secondary Consort to Prince Guo of the Second Rank (果郡王侧妃), Secondary Consort to Prince Guo of the First Rank (果亲王侧妃), ''Secondary Consort Guoyi of the First Rank'' (果毅亲王侧妃) ** ''First son'' (10 May 1732 – 25 November 1732) ** ''First daughter'' (14 January 1735 – 19 July 1735)

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Li Dongxue in ''

Empresses in the Palace ''Empresses in the Palace'' (, ''lit.'' ''The Legend of Zhen Huan''), is a 2011 Chinese television series based on the novel of the same name by Liu Lianzi. Directed by Zheng Xiaolong, it stars Sun Li in the title role of Zhen Huan. The series ...

'' (2011) * Portrayed by Du Chun in '' Palace II'' (2012)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yunli 1697 births 1738 deaths Manchu politicians Kangxi Emperor's sons Qing dynasty politicians from Beijing Qing dynasty calligraphers Qing dynasty poets Artists from Beijing

Life

Family

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

See also

References