Tan Yuling, Noble Consort Mingxian (born Tatara Yuling; 11 August 1920 – 14 August 1942), was a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

of China's last emperor

Puyi Aisin-Gioro Puyi (; 7 February 1906 – 17 October 1967), courtesy name Yaozhi (曜之), was the last emperor of China as the eleventh and final Qing dynasty monarch. He became emperor at the age of two in 1908, but was forced to abdicate on 1 ...

. She married Puyi when the latter was the nominal emperor of the puppet state of Manchukuo during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

. Her given name "Yuling" is sometimes translated into English as "Jade Years".

Biography

Yuling was born to the prosperous Tatara clan in Beijing. Her father Zhaoxu was a high-ranking warlord who administered the area around Beijing and Tianjin, and her mother, Lady Ok, was a high-ranking Korean courtesan from Hamhung. Yuling's two aunts were in the Guangxu Emperor's harem as Consort Jin and Consort Zhen. Even after the Qing Dynasty fell, the Tatara clan continued to be very prosperous, but they changed their names to Tan, to avoid being discriminated for their Manchu ethnicity. Tan Yulin

In early 1937, when Tan was still attending a middle school in

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 21 ...

, she was chosen to be a wife of

and she travelled to Manchukuo's capital Hsinking ( Changchun). On 6 April, she married Puyi in the Hsinking palace and was given the title of Imperial Concubine Xiang. She became very close to Puyi after their marriage and in time, she became Noble Consort Xiang and became the manager of the Imperial Harem, as Empress Xiaokemin was not in favour anymore. Yuling reviled the Japanese. Tan died in 1942 while being treated for

cystitis A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that affects part of the urinary tract. When it affects the lower urinary tract it is known as a bladder infection (cystitis) and when it affects the upper urinary tract it is known as a kidney ...

, in less than a day after her Japanese doctor gave her an injection. The circumstances surrounding her death were suspicious because Tan was said to have resented the Japanese for being controlling over Puyi.

Kwantung Army ''Kantō-gun'' , image = Kwantung Army Headquarters.JPG , image_size = 300px , caption = Kwantung Army headquarters in Hsinking, Manchukuo , dates = April ...

staff officer Yoshioka Yasunori (吉岡安則), who was an attaché to the Manchukuo imperial household, once urged Puyi to take a Japanese bride, but Puyi had already married Tan, so he ignored Yoshioka. Yoshioka was said to be unhappy about this. Following Tan's death, Puyi was again pressed by Yoshioka to choose a Japanese spouse, but he refused.Emperor Xuantong
GoChinaTravel.com Puyi granted Tan the posthumous title of Noble Consort Mingxian (明賢貴妃) and held a funeral for her in Banruo Temple (般若寺) in Hsinking. After the fall of Manchukuo in 1945, following the Japanese surrender at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Puyi ordered Tan's remains to be cremated and the ashes sent to her relatives in Beijing. Puyi kept a photograph of Tan with him until his death in 1967.

Gallery of Changchun House, Tan Yuling's former residence

File:畅春轩伪满皇宫.jpg, Changchun House. It was built in the early years of Manchukuo. Firstly, the fourth and fifth younger sisters of Puyi lived here. In July 1937, Puyi's father Zaifeng lived here. After Tan Yuling was coffered "Xiang Gui Ren", it became her residence. File:客厅畅春轩伪满皇宫.jpg, Changchun House Living Room. Zaifeng used it in 1934, in 1937. It was also the receiving room of Tan Yuling. File:教室畅春轩伪满皇宫.jpg, Changchun House Classroom, where Tan Yuling was taught.

Notes

References

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External links

Xuantong Emperor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Yuling 1920 births 1942 deaths People from Beijing Manchu people Manchukuo royalty People of the Republic of China Chinese imperial consorts Unsolved deaths