Yinzhi (23 March 1677 – 10 July 1732), also known as Yunzhi, 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-speaki ...

Biography

Yinzhi was born 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 chi ...

clan as the third 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 Rong (榮妃; d. 28 March 1727) from the

Magiya Magiya Hala (Manchu: ; Chinese: 馬佳氏) was one of the Manchu Great Eight Clans. Originated from Giyaliku Magiya area, named by the place. After the demise of the dynasty, some of its descendants sinicized their clan name to the Chinese surna ...

clan and was the daughter of Gaishan (蓋山), who served as an

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 ...

Examiner (員外郎). Yinzhi was granted the title of "Prince Cheng of the Second Rank" (誠郡王) in 1698. Yinzhi was known to be studious as a child and was versed in literary arts. His talents earned him the appreciation of his father. French Jesuit

Joachim Bouvet Joachim Bouvet (, courtesy name: 明远) (July 18, 1656, in Le Mans – June 28, 1730, in Peking) was a French Jesuit who worked in China, and the leading member of the Figurist movement. China Bouvet came to China in 1687, as one of six Jesuit ...

once mentioned in a letter to

King Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

that the Kangxi Emperor personally taught Yinzhi geometry. When the Kangxi Emperor opened a school in Changchun Gardens (暢春園), he placed Yinzhi in charge of compiling a book titled ''Lü Li Yuan Yuan'' (律歷淵源), which included the '' shi-er-lü'', calendrical calculations, and mathematics. Yinzhi was also known for his skill in calligraphy, and was tasked with writing the inscriptions on the memorial tablet at the Kangxi Emperor's tomb in Jingling Mausoleum,

Eastern Qing Tombs The Eastern Qing tombs (; ) are an imperial mausoleum complex of the Qing dynasty located in Zunhua, northeast of Beijing. They are the largest, most complete, and best preserved extant mausoleum complex in China. Altogether, five emperors (Shun ...

. Yinzhi showed little interest in the conflict among his brothers for succession to the throne. He did not take any sides in the contention and preferred to spend time compiling and writing books. In 1706 the encyclopedia ''

Gujin Tushu Jicheng The ''Gujin Tushu Jicheng'' (), also known as the ''Imperial Encyclopaedia'', is a vast encyclopedic work written in China during the reigns of the Qing dynasty emperors Kangxi and Yongzheng. It was begun in 1700 and completed in 1725. The wor ...

'' was completed by Chen Menglei (陳夢雷), a scholar and associate of Yinzhi. In 1722 the Kangxi Emperor died and was succeeded by his fourth son Yinzhen, who became 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 ...

. Yinzhi changed his name to "Yunzhi" 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 ...

because the Chinese character for "Yin" (胤) in "Yinzhi" is the same as the one in the Yongzheng Emperor's personal name "Yinzhen" (胤禛). After his ascension to the throne, the Yongzheng Emperor ordered Yunzhi to remain at the Jingling Mausoleum to watch over their father's tomb on an excuse that "Yinzhi was closely affiliated to the crown prince (

Yinreng Yunreng (6 June 1674 – 27 January 1725), born Yinreng, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. He was the second among the Kangxi Emperor's sons to survive into adulthood and was designated as Crown Prince for two terms between 1675 and ...

)". Yunzhi was unhappy with this arrangement and complained behind the Yongzheng Emperor's back. When Yinxiang, one of Yongzheng's closest half brothers, died in 1730, Yunzhi expressed little grief and sorrow. Yongzheng was angry when he heard of Yunzhi's reaction, so he stripped Yunzhi of his title and had him confined in the Yong'an Pavilion, Jingshan,

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 2 ...

. Yunzhi died in 1732 during his incarceration.

Family

Primary Consort * Princess Consort Chengyin of the Second Rank, of the

Donggo Donggo (，pinyin:Dong'e) was a clan of Manchu nobility belonging to the Manchu Plain White Banner, one of the 3 upper banners of Eight Banner system. Several lineages were members of Manchu Plain Red Banner. Donggo Hala was a branch of Irgen Gior ...

clan (誠隱郡王福晋董鄂氏) ** ''Hongqing'' (弘晴; 30 November 1696 – 3 March 1701), first son ** Hongsheng (弘晟; 5 October 1698 – 28 August 1732), third son ** ''First daughter'' (8 March 1700 – September/October 1701) ** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; 3 October 1701 – 15 October 1753), second daughter *** Married Genzhapuduo'erji (根扎普多爾濟) of the Khalkha Borjigit clan in January/February 1717 Secondary Consort * Secondary consort, of the Tian clan (側福晉田氏) ** ''Second son'' (18 April 1698 – 19 April 1698) ** ''Fourth daughter'' (24 February 1702 – February/March 1706) ** Hongjing, Prince of the Fourth Rank (貝子弘暻; 4 July 1703 – 27 April 1777), seventh son Concubine * Mistress, of the Wang clan (王氏) ** ''Fourth son'' (29 December 1698) ** Hongxi (弘曦; 16 February 1701 – 3 December 1742), sixth son * Mistress, of the Fuca clan (富察氏) ** ''Fifth son'' (30 April 1699 – 8 May 1699) * Mistress, of the

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 n ...

clan (伊爾根覺羅氏) ** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; 24 February 1702 – 1 April 1746), third daughter *** Married Yidamuzhapu (伊達穆扎普) of the

Khorchin 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 ...

Gulusiqipu (固魯斯奇普) clan in January/February 1720 * Mistress, of the Li clan (李氏) ** Hongxian (弘暹; 7 February 1710 – 3 September 1771), eighth son * Mistress, of the Zhu clan (朱氏) ** ''Ninth son'' (16 February 1711 – 28 February 1711) ** ''Fifth daughter'' (28 December 1712 – 2 June 1715) * Mistress, of the Cideri clan (奇德理氏) ** Honghuang (弘晃; 2 June 1713 – 2 October 1749), tenth son * Mistress, of the Wanggiya clan (完顏氏) ** Hongyi (弘易; 1 March 1715 – 23 July 1754), 11th son * Mistress, of the Wu clan (吳氏) ** ''Sixth daughter'' (29 January 1730 – 13 September 1732) * Mistress, of the Chen clan (陳氏) ** Hongzhu (弘矚; 2 January 1731 – 9 March 1776), 12th son

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Chen Jingyu 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)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yinzhi, Prince Cheng Kangxi Emperor's sons 1677 births 1732 deaths

Biography

Family

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

See also

References