Zaiyuan (1816–1861), 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 ...

. He was one of the eight regents appointed by the Xianfeng Emperor to assist his successor, 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 ...

Life

Zaiyuan 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 a descendant of

Yinxiang Yinxiang may refer to: *Yinxiang, Prince Yi (胤祥; 1686 — 1730), a prince of the Qing dynasty * ''Yinxiang'' (magazine), a 1971–1998 Taiwanese film journal *Yinxiang Group, an industrial company based in Chongqing, China, specializing in real ...

(1686–1730), 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 ...

. He inherited his ancestors' peerage, " Prince Yi of the First Rank", in 1852 during the reign of the Daoguang Emperor (r. 1820–50). Zaiyuan took up important positions during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor (r. 1850–61), including a minister in 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 an imperial guard commander. In 1860, during the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire#Britain's imperial ...

, Zaiyuan and Muyin (穆蔭) travelled to Tongzhou to replace Guiliang (桂良) in the peace negotiations with the British and French. When the negotiations failed, the Mongol general

Sengge Rinchen Sengge Rinchen (1811 – 18 May 1865) or Senggelinqin ( mn, Сэнгэринчен, ᠰᠡᠩᠭᠡᠷᠢᠨᠴᠢᠨ) was a Mongol nobleman and general who served under the Qing dynasty during the reigns of the Daoguang, Xianfeng and Tongzhi em ...

captured the British diplomats

Harry Smith Parkes Sir Harry Smith Parkes (24 February 1828 – 22 March 1885) was a British diplomat who served as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary and Consul General of the United Kingdom to the Empire of Japan from 1865 to 1883 and the Chinese ...

and Henry Loch,

Thomas William Bowlby Thomas William Bowlby (7 January 1818 – 22 September 1860) was a British correspondent for ''The Times'' in Germany and China in the 19th century. A "pioneer in the risky business of war reportage", his torture and death during the Second Op ...

(a journalist for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

''), and their escorts. The majority of the group – except the two diplomats – died from torture or disease; the survivors were released later. The Anglo-French expeditionary force closed in on

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 ...

. On 18 October, in retaliation for the capture and deaths of the peace delegation, the British and French destroyed the Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan). Zaiyuan had already fled with the Xianfeng Emperor to the

Chengde Mountain Resort Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde (; Manchu: ''Halhūn be jailara gurung''), is a large complex of imperial palaces and gardens situated in the Shuangqiao District of Chengde in northeastern Hebei province, northern China, about 225 km northea ...

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and ...

Prince Gong Yixin (11January 1833– 29May 1898), better known in English as PrinceKung or Gong, was an imperial prince of the Aisin Gioro clan and an important statesman of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty in China. He was a regent of the empire from 1861 to 18 ...

, who was ordered to remain behind to make peace with the invaders, successfully concluded the Convention of Beijing with the British, French and Russians. Before the Xianfeng Emperor died in 1861, he appointed Zaiyuan, Sushun,

Duanhua Duanhua (Manchu: ''Duwanhūwa''; 1807 – 1861) was a Manchu prince and regent of the Qing dynasty. Life Duanhua was born in the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the third son of Ulgungga (烏爾恭阿), a descendant of Jirgalang, a nephew of N ...

and five others as regents to assist his son, who succeeded him as the

(r. 1861–75). Later that year, Prince Gong, with support from the Empress Dowagers Ci'an and

Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese noblewoman, concubine and later regent who effectively controlled ...

, launched the

Xinyou Coup Xinyou Coup () was a palace coup instigated by Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci'an, and Prince Gong to seize power after the death of the Xianfeng Emperor. Before he died the previous emperor had appointed group of eight regents, led by Sushun, who ...

and seized power from the eight regents. Zaiyuan was arrested, imprisoned, and given a piece of white silk cloth to commit suicide by hanging himself with the cloth. After Zaiyuan's death, the Prince Yi peerage was inherited by Zaidun (載敦), one of his distant relatives.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaiyuan 1861 deaths 1816 births 19th-century Chinese people 19th-century viceregal rulers Qing dynasty imperial princes Prince Yi(怡) Manchu politicians Qing dynasty regents Forced suicides of Chinese people Suicides by hanging in China Executed Qing dynasty people People executed by the Qing dynasty Suicides in the Qing dynasty 1860s suicides

Life

See also

References