Yunreng (6 June 1674 – 27 January 1725), born Yinreng, 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 the second among 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 ...

's sons to survive into adulthood and was designated as

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the w ...

for two terms between 1675 and 1712 before being deposed. He was posthumously honoured as Prince Limi of the First Rank.

Biography

Yunreng 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 ch ...

clan as the seventh son of the

, but was the second among the emperor's sons to survive into adulthood. He was given the infant name "Baocheng" (保成), and was renamed "Yinreng" when he became older. His mother was the Kangxi Emperor's first empress,

Empress Xiaochengren Empress Xiaochengren (3 February 1654 – 6 June 1674), of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner Hešeri clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and first empress consort of Xuanye, the Kangxi Emperor. She was Empress consort of Qing from 16 ...

from the Hešeri clan, who was also a granddaughter of Sonin (one of the four regents in the Kangxi Emperor's early reign). She died not long after giving birth to Yinreng, and was greatly lamented by the Kangxi Emperor. The Kangxi Emperor personally taught Yinreng to read and he proclaimed Yinreng as his

when Yinreng was only a year old. Under the tutelage of several scholar-officials, Yinreng became well-versed in the Chinese and

languages. Between 1696 and 1697, when the Kangxi Emperor was away twice on military campaigns against Galdan Khan of the Zunghar Khanate, Yinreng was appointed as regent to supervise affairs in the imperial capital,

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 ...

. Despite scandals and accusations of immorality, Yinreng remained in his father's favour and was given the Western Gardens (西花園) of Beijing as his residence. In 1703, Yinreng's granduncle Songgotu was found guilty of attempting to murder the Kangxi Emperor, along with a series of corruption charges, and was imprisoned and died shortly afterwards. Yinreng gradually fell out of his father's favour as a result. In 1708, during a hunting expedition in

Rehe Rehe (), also romanized as Jehol, was a former Chinese special administrative region and province. Administration Rehe was north of the Great Wall, west of Manchuria, and east of Mongolia. Its capital and largest city was Chengde. The second ...

, the Kangxi Emperor accused Yinreng of immorality, sexual impropriety, usurping power, and treason. Yinreng was stripped of his position as Crown Prince and imprisoned. When it was later discovered that the First Prince Yinzhi had employed

lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hig ...

s to cast evil spells on Yinreng, the Kangxi Emperor pardoned Yinreng in 1709 and restored him as Crown Prince. In the following three years, Yinreng's condition deteriorated and the Kangxi Emperor became convinced that Yinreng was insane. Consequently, in 1712, Yinreng was deposed again and placed in perpetual confinement. In 1722, the Kangxi Emperor died and was succeeded by his fourth son Yinzhen, who became historically known as 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 ...

. Yinreng changed his name to Yunreng to avoid naming taboo because the Chinese character for "Yin" (胤) in "Yinreng" is the same as the one in the Yongzheng Emperor's personal name "Yinzhen" (胤禛). Yunreng died three years later in 1725 while still being incarcerated. He was granted the posthumous title of " Prince Limi of the First Rank" (和碩理密親王). The bitter factionalism between the Kangxi Emperor's sons and the dispute over the succession prompted the Yongzheng Emperor to establish a practice of writing a secret imperial edict on who would succeed to the throne, and sealing the edict in a box behind a tablet in the

Palace of Heavenly Purity The Palace of Heavenly Purity, or Qianqing Palace (; Manchu:; Möllendorff: ''kiyan cing gung'') is a palace in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. It is the largest of the three halls of the Inner Court (the other two being the Hall of Union ...

in the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the Zhongshan Park, the sacrifi ...

. The edict would only be publicly revealed upon the death of the reigning emperor.

Family

Primary Consort * Imperial Princess Consort Limi, of the Gūwalgiya clan (和碩亲王福晋瓜爾佳氏; d. July/August 1718)
Titles: Crown Princess (皇太子妃), Primary Consort to the Seventh Prince (七王子嫡福晋), ''Imperial Princess Consort Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩亲王福晋) ** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; 25 September 1697 – 5 May 1735), third daughter *** Married Alabutan (阿喇布坦) of the

Tumed The Tümed (Tumad, ; "The many or ten thousands" derived from Tumen) are a Mongol subgroup. They live in Tumed Left Banner, district of Hohhot and Tumed Right Banner, district of Baotou in China. Most engage in sedentary agriculture, living in mi ...

in June/July 1720 Secondary Consort * Secondary Consort, of the Ligiya clan (側福晉李佳氏)
Titles: Secondary Consort of the Crown Prince (皇太子侧妃), Secondary Consort of the Seventh Prince (七王子侧妃), ''Secondary Consort to Prince Limi of the First Rank (和碩亲王侧妃)'' **''First son'' (4 February 1692 – 27 December 1701) **''First daughter'' (27 May 1693 – June/July 1693) **''Second daughter'' (11 March 1694 – March/April 1694) **

Hongxi Hongxi () (20 January 1425 – 7 February 1426) was the era name of the Hongxi Emperor The Hongxi Emperor (16 August 1378 – 29 May 1425), personal name Zhu Gaochi (朱高熾), was the fourth Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1424 t ...

, Prince Li of the First Rank (理親王弘晳; 25 August 1694 – 26 October 1742), second son * Secondary consort, of the Lingiya clan (側福晉林佳氏)
Titles: Secondary Consort of the Crown Prince (皇太子侧妃), Secondary Consort of the Seventh Prince (七王子侧妃), ''Secondary Consort to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩亲王侧妃) ** Hongjin, Duke of the Second Rank (輔國公弘晉; 14 November 1696 – 23 April 1717), third son ** Princess of the Fourth Rank (縣主; 10 January 1715 – 12 July 1762), ninth daughter *** Married Cewangduo'erji (策旺多爾濟; d. 1751) of the Aohan in January/February 1730 * Secondary consort, of the Tanggiya clan (側福晉唐佳氏)
Titles: Secondary Consort of the Crown Prince (皇太子侧妃), Secondary Consort of the Seventh Prince (七王子侧妃), ''Secondary Consort to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩亲王侧妃) ** ''Fourth son'' (1 November 1704 – 4 February 1706) ** Princess Shushen of the Second Rank (和碩淑慎公主; 24 January 1708 – 23 October 1784), sixth daughter *** Married Janggimboo (觀音保; d. 1735) of the Khorchin Borjigit clan in December 1726 or January 1727 ** Hongyan, Duke Kexi of the Second Rank (輔國恪僖公弘曣; 5 August 1712 – 19 May 1750), sixth son * Secondary consort, of the Cenggiya clan (側福晉程佳氏)
Titles: Secondary Consort of the Seventh Prince (七王子侧妃), ''Secondary Consort to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩亲王侧妃) ** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; 2 March 1714 – 21 November 1760), eighth daughter *** Married Pengsukelashi (彭蘇克拉氏) of the Aohan Borjigit clan in January/February 1731 ** ''Tenth daughter'' (27 July 1717 – February/March 1720) ** Hongwei, Prince Like of the Second Rank (理恪郡王弘㬙; 27 January 1719 – 25 September 1780), tenth son ** Hongwan, Duke of the Second Rank (輔國公弘晥; 6 November 1724 – 29 May 1775), 12th son * Secondary consort, of the

Wanyan The Wanyan (; Manchu: ''Wanggiyan''; Jurchen script: ) clan was among the clans of the Heishui Mohe tribe living in the drainage region of the Heilong River during the time of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty. Of the Heishui Mohe, the clan was coun ...

clan (側福晉完颜氏)
Titles: Secondary Consort of the Seventh Prince (七王子侧妃), ''Secondary Consort to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩亲王侧妃) ** Hongtiao, Duke of the Second Rank (輔國公弘晀; 16 June 1714 – 28 August 1774), seventh son ** Hongbing (弘昞; 8 February 1720 – 4 May 1763), 11th son Concubine * Concubine, of the Fangiya clan (范佳氏)
Titles: Crown Prince's Concubine (皇太子庶妃), Seventh Prince's Concubine (七王子庶福晋), ''Concubine to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩親王庶福晋) ** ''Fourth daughter'' (16 March 1706) ** ''Fifth daughter'' (4 January 1708 – February/March 1712) * Concubine, of the Liu clan (劉氏)
Titles: Crown Prince's Concubine (皇太子庶妃), Seventh Prince's Concubine (七王子庶福晋), ''Concubine to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩親王庶福晋) ** ''Fifth son'' (16 December 1708) * Concubine, of the Liugiya clan (劉佳氏)
Titles: Crown Prince's Concubine (皇太子庶妃), Seventh Prince's Concubine (七王子庶福晋), ''Concubine to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩親王庶福晋) ** ''Seventh daughter'' (25 November 1711 – November/December 1716) ** ''11th daughter'' (27 July 1717 – 29 March 1725) * Concubine, of the Qian clan (錢氏)
Titles: Seventh Prince's Concubine (七王子庶福晋), ''Concubine to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩親王庶福晋) ** ''Eighth son'' (1 March 1715 – 4 July 1726) * Concubine, of the Qiu clan (邱氏)
Titles: Seventh Prince's Concubine (七王子庶福晋), ''Concubine to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩親王庶福晋) ** Hongyao (弘暚; 3 July 1716 – 9 February 1783), ninth son * Concubine, of the Qi clan (祁氏)
Titles: Seventh Prince's Concubine (七王子庶福晋), ''Concubine to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩親王庶福晋) ** Princess of the Third Rank (郡主; 14 November 1717 – 30 April 1776), 12th daughter *** Married Kaying'a (喀英阿) of the

Kharchin The Kharchin (, ; ), or Kharachin, is a subgroup of the Mongols residing mainly (and originally) in North-western Liaoning and Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. There are Khalkha-Kharchin Mongols in Dorno-Gobi Province (Kharchin Örtöö was part of the ...

in January/February 1732 * Concubine, of the Zhu clan (朱氏)
Titles: Seventh Prince's Concubine (七王子庶福晋), ''Concubine to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩親王庶福晋) ** ''13th daughter'' (4 February 1718 – May/June 1719) * Concubine, of the Pei clan (裴氏)
Titles: Seventh Prince's Concubine (七王子庶福晋), ''Concubine to Prince Limi of the First Rank'' (和碩親王庶福晋) ** ''14th daughter'' (25 April 1722 – August/September 1722)

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Xu Min in '' Yongzheng Dynasty'' (1999) * Portrayed by Zong Fengyan 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 Zhang Lei in '' Scarlet Heart'' (2011) * Portrayed by Lam Chi-chung in '' The Palace'' (2013) * Portrayed by

Power Chan Power Chan Kwok-pong is an actor in Hong Kong. He has appeared in numerous TVB drama series as well as films. He dated cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") or HK-pop (short for "Hong Kong pop music") is a genre of pop ...

in ''

Gilded Chopsticks ''Gilded Chopsticks'' (; literally "Eat to be Enslaved") is a 2014 Hong Kong historical fiction television serial produced by TVB. Set during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor in the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, the serial follows the adventures of ...

'' (2014) * Portrayed by Liao Yan Long in ''Love In The Imperial Palace'' (2017) * Portrayed by Ni Song Yang in ''Dreaming Back To Qing Dynasty'' (2019)

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yunreng 1674 births 1725 deaths Manchu politicians Kangxi Emperor's sons Chinese people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Chinese detention Qing dynasty politicians from Beijing Heirs apparent who never acceded

Biography

Family

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

See also

References