(8 December 1657 – 20 July 1703), formally known as

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 ...

, 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 Q ...

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 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 chi ...

clan as the fifth son of the

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661) was the second emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1644 to 1661. A committee of Manchu princes chose him to succee ...

, making him a half-brother 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 ...

Life

Changning received his princedom on 1 March 1671. In August 1690, he was named one of two commanders-in-chief for an expedition against Dzungar leader Galdan, a long-time enemy of the

Qing Empire 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 ...

. Having been granted the title of "Great General Who Pacifies the North" (安北大將軍), he was ordered to march his armies through the Xifengkou Pass (喜峰口) north of

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 ...

, and then to combine his forces with those of his half-brother, Fuquan, the other commander-in-chief, in order to attack Galdan. They reached Galdan's position on September 3, but after a battle that ended in a standstill, they let Galdan escape, a mistake for which Changning was stripped of his place on the Deliberative Council of Princes and High Officials. In 1696, Changning took part in a new campaign that decisively weakened Galdan before the latter's final defeat in 1697. When he died on 20 July 1703, Changning was not given posthumous honors equal to his princely rank, and was not allowed to pass on his title to his descendants, who instead inherited diminished ranks according to the laws concerning the transmission of Qing nobility titles., pages 69-70.

Family

Primary Consort * First primary consort, of the

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

clan () * Second primary consort, of the Ma clan () ** Yongshou, General of the Second Rank (; 15 December 1671 – 7 June 1686), first son Concubine * Mistress, of the Jin clan () ** Princess Chunxi of the First Rank (; 28 December 1671 – 13 January 1742), first daughter *** Married Bandi (; 1664–1755) of the Khorchin Borjigit clan in 1690 ** ''Third daughter'' (23 December 1674 – January/February 1681) ** ''Fourth daughter'' (3 December 1676 – January/February 1679) * Mistress, of the

Šušu Gioro Šušu Gioro (，pinyin: Shushu Jueluo) was a clan of Manchu nobility belonging to the Gioro Hala . The other families belonging to the Gioro family were: Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro was a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty ...

clan () ** Manduhu, Duke of the First Rank (; 25 October 1674 – 11 June 1731), second son ** ''Fifth daughter'' (8 January 1677 – December 1678 or January 1679) * Mistress, of the Chen clan () ** Second daughter (30 March 1674 – May/June 1695) *** Married Du'erma () of the Manchu

Gūwalgiya Gūwalgiya (Manchu Chinese: ; ) was one of the most powerful Manchu clans. It is often listed by historians as the first of the eight prominent Manchu clans of the Qing dynasty. After the demise of the dynasty, some of its descendants sinicize ...

clan in September/October 1688 ** Haishan, Prince Ximin of the Third Rank (; 4 June 1676 – 21 March 1743), third son * Mistress, of the

Sakda Sakda (，pinyin: Sakeda) was a clan of Manchu nobility during Qing dynasty. The clan originally belonged to the Bordered Blue Banner. Later, the family was transferred into the Bordered Yellow Banner. Their ancestral home was located in Sakda va ...

clan () ** Duiqing'e, General of the Second Rank (; 17 March 1681 – 4 October 1742), fourth son ** Zhuotai, General of the Second Rank (; 21 September 1683 – 4 July 1705), fifth son ** ''Seventh daughter'' (5 April 1686 – September/October 1687) * Mistress, of the

Niohuru The Niohuru (Manchu: ; in Manchu) were a prominent Manchu clan during the Qing dynasty. The clan had inhabited the Changbai Mountains since as early as the Liao dynasty. The clan was well known during the Qing dynasty for producing a variety o ...

clan () ** Sixth daughter (22 August 1684 – April/May 1712) *** Married Du'erma () of the Manchu

clan in January/February 1698 * Mistress, of the Wu clan () ** Wenshubao (; 26 February 1687 – 4 October 1708), sixth son

Ancestry

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Tsui Wing in ''

The Life and Times of a Sentinel ''The Life and Times of a Sentinel'' (Traditional Chinese: 紫禁驚雷) is a 2011 Hong Kong historical-fiction television drama produced by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), starring Steven Ma and Kenneth Ma as the main leads, with Leung C ...

'' (2011).

Notes

References