Zaizhen (31 March 1876 – 31 December 1947),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...

Yuzhou, was a Manchu prince and politician of the late

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-spea ...

. Romanised forms of his name include Tsai-chen, Tsai-Chen, Tsai-Cheng.

Life and service under the Qing dynasty

Zaizhen was born in the Aisin Gioro clan as the eldest son of

Yikuang Yikuang (Manchu: ''I-kuwang''; 16 November 1838 – 28 January 1917), formally known as Prince Qing (or Prince Ch'ing), was a Manchu noble and politician of the Qing dynasty. He served as the first Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet, a ...

during the reign of the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, w ...

. His family was from the Bordered Blue Banner of the

Eight Banners The Eight Banners (in Manchu: ''jakūn gūsa'', ) were administrative and military divisions under the Later Jin and Qing dynasties of China into which all Manchu households were placed. In war, the Eight Banners functioned as armies, but the ...

. In 1894, Zaizhen was awarded the title of a second class ''zhenguo jiangjun''. Seven years later, he was promoted to ''beizi''. In 1902, Zaizhen represented the Qing Empire on a diplomatic trip to Great Britain to witness the coronation of

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

. He also visited France, Belgium, Japan and the United States. In 1903, he travelled to Japan to attend the fifth Kangyō Exhibition (勸業博覽會). After returning to China, he actively advocated government reforms and requested for a Ministry of Commerce (商部) to be established. The Qing government approved his request and appointed him as the ''shangshu'' (尚書; Secretary) of the ministry. Zaizhen also concurrently held the following appointments: ''dutong'' (都統; commander) of the Bordered Blue Banner; ''yuqian dachen'' (御前大臣; a senior minister reporting directly to the emperor); ''zong zuzhang'' (總族長; clan chief) of the Plain White Banner; head of the Firearms Battalion (火器營). In 1906, after the Qing government introduced some reforms, Zaizhen, then 30 years old, was appointed as ''shangshu'' (尚書; Secretary) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce (農工商部). His portrait appears on notes issued by The Sin Chun Bank (華商上海信成銀行) in 1907. A year later, the Guangxu Emperor sent him to

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whic ...

to supervise the education system there. Along the way, he passed by

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, where he accepted bribes from an official,

Duan Zhigui Duan Zhigui (; 1869 – March 1925) was a Chinese general. Born in Hefei, Anhui, he attained the post of Heilongjiang governor in the late Qing dynasty and between 1912-13 was governor of Chahar and the military governor of Hubei between 1914 ...

, in return for helping Duan secure the position of ''xunfu'' (Provincial Governor) of

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...

. He also had an affair with Yang Cuixi (楊翠喜), a singer-prostitute presented to him by Duan Zhigui. Zhao Qilin (趙啟霖), an Inspector-Official (御史), wrote a memorial to the imperial court to accuse Zaizhen of corruption. The incident caused an uproar in the imperial court, which ordered an investigation. However, due to "lack of concrete evidence", the case was closed. Zhao Qilin was charged with making a false report and dismissed from office. In 1911, Zaizhen was appointed as a ''guwen dachen'' (顧問大臣; consultant minister) in the Bideyuan (弼德院; a government body established in May 1911 which provided advice to the emperor). His father,

, served as the Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet from May to November 1911. In 1911 Zaizhen visited Britain to attend the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary.See the gifts from China in the Royal Collection.https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/search/site/tsai-chen

Life after the Qing dynasty

Zaizhen fled to

when the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a ...

, which overthrew the

, broke out in October 1911. He returned to

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 ...

later. In 1917, after

's death, Zaizhen inherited his father's princely title, " Prince Qing of the First Rank". He was granted permission to do so by

Li Yuanhong Li Yuanhong (; courtesy name Songqing 宋卿) (October 19, 1864 – June 3, 1928) was a Chinese politician during the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. He was the president of the Republic of China between 1916 and 1917, and between 1922 ...

, the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the Republic of China. In 1924, after

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 ...

, the Last Emperor who had abdicated in 1912, was forced out of 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 ...

by the

Beiyang Government The Beiyang government (), officially the Republic of China (), sometimes spelled Peiyang Government, refers to the government of the Republic of China which sat in its capital Peking ( Beijing) between 1912 and 1928. It was internationally ...

, Zaizhen feared that he would be implicated so he fled to Shanghai and took shelter in the British concession there. During his time in Shanghai, he invested in various businesses and stayed out of politics. Zaizhen died in Shanghai in 1947.

Cao Rulin Cao Rulin (; January 23, 1877 – August 1966, Midland, Michigan, United States) was Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Beiyang Government, and an important member of the pro-Japanese movement in the early 20th century. He was a Shanghai ...

, Zhu Zuozhou and others proposed to the Nationalist Government to award Zaizhen the

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments ...

''zhen'' (貞; "chaste") to honour him for his role in making Puyi abdicate in 1912, and for abstaining from politics despite having various opportunities to make a political comeback under either the Beiyang Government, Nationalist Government, or the Japanese 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 ...

. His tombstone reads: Zaizhen, Prince Qingzhen of the First Rank (慶貞親王載振).

Family

Parents * Father:

, posthumously known as "Prince Qingmi of the First Rank" * Mother: Secondary Consort, of the Hegiya clan (大側福晉合佳氏) Consort and issue * Primary Consort, of the

Socoro Socoro ( mnc, ''Socoro Hala''; ) is a Manchu clan and surname in China. Socoro clan is a branch of Hešeri clan. The surname Suo (索), Cao (曹) and Shi (石) have been used for short for generations. Notable figures Males Females Imperi ...

clan (嫡福晉索綽羅氏) ** Puzhong (溥鐘; b. 1898 - d. ?), married a daughter of Grand Secretary (大學士) Natong (那桐)., first son ** Purui (溥銳; b. 1899 - d. ? ), married another of Natong's daughters, second son ** Pujun (溥鈞), married a woman of the Erdet (鄂爾德特) clan who was a daughter of Duangong (端恭) and younger sister of

Wenxiu Wenxiu (20 December 1909 – 17 September 1953), also known as Consort Shu (hanzi: 淑妃) and Ailian (愛蓮), was a consort of Puyi, the last Emperor of China and final ruler of the Qing dynasty. She was from the Mongol Erdet (額爾德特) Clan ...

, third son * Secondary Consort, of the Fuca clan (侧福晋富察氏) ** Pugang (溥钢, b. 1928- d. ?), fourth son * Secondary Consort, of the Konggiya clan (側福晉孔佳氏) * Secondary Consort, of the Migiya clan (側福晉米佳氏) * Secondary Consort, of the Ninggiya clan (福晉甯佳氏)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaizhen Qing dynasty politicians from Beijing 1876 births 1947 deaths Qing dynasty imperial princes Bannermen Prince Qing

Life and service under the Qing dynasty

Life after the Qing dynasty

Family

See also

References