Yunli (24 March 1697 – 21 March 1738), born Yinli, formally known as Prince Guo, was a

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...

prince of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

Life

Yinli was born in the

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro is 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 chie ...

clan as the 17th son of the

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

. His mother was Consort Qin (勤妃), a

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

with the family name Chen. Consort Qin was also known as Consort Chunyuqin ( 純裕勤太妃). The Chen family were originally Han baoyi of the Imperial Household Department's Bordered Yellow banner. It was Qing court protocol to put any non-Manchu consort and her close male relatives like brothers and cousins into a Manchu banner if they were a Han bannermen. Chen and her brothers and cousins were put into the Manchu Yellow Bordered Banner effectively changing their ethnicity from Han to Manchu in the eyes of the Qing court. Their surname was Manchurized from Chen to Chenjia (陳佳). Gao Bin ( 高斌) who was from another Han family that was put into the same Manchu banner married another woman from the Chen clan. Yinli excelled in academics since childhood. Unlike most of his brothers, he was never involved in any of the struggles for succession to the throne. He was intelligent and cautious, and had his share of political achievements. He was also good in

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

and

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

. He also enjoyed touring the country and had visited almost all the famous mountains in

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

. In 1722, Yinli's fourth brother, Yinzhen, ascended the throne after the death of their father, and 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, personal name Yinzhen, was the fourth List of emperors of the Qing dynasty, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the third Qing em ...

. Yinli changed his name to "Yunli" (允禮) to avoid

naming taboo A naming taboo is a cultural taboo against speaking or writing the given names of exalted persons, notably in China and within the Chinese cultural sphere. It was enforced by several laws throughout Imperial China, but its cultural and possibly ...

because the Chinese character for "Yin" (胤) in "Yinli" is the same as the one in the Yongzheng Emperor's personal name, Yinzhen (胤禛). In April that year, Yunli was granted the title " Prince Guo of the Second Rank" (多羅果郡王) and placed in charge of administering the institution of scholars. In 1725, Yunli was awarded a higher allowance for honesty and diligence. In February 1728, he was promoted to "Prince Guo of the First Rank" (果親王). He was later appointed to the Grand CouncilEvelyn S. Rawski, ''The Last Emperors: A Social History of Qing Imperial Institutions'', California: University of California Press, 1998, p. 125 and given greater responsibilities, such as escorting the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

back to

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

and inspecting military forces stationed along the route. Yunli was known to be a patron and scholar of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

. When the Yongzheng Emperor became seriously ill, Yunli was tasked with supporting the heir to the throne, Hongli. The Yongzheng Emperor died in 1735 and was succeeded by Hongli, who became historically known as the Qianlong Emperor. During the Qianlong Emperor's reign, Yunli was empowered with more authority and given more duties with commensurate recognition. Yunli died in 1739 at the age of 41. He had two children (a son and a daughter) but both of them died prematurely. His princely title was inherited by Hongyan (弘瞻), the Yongzheng Emperor's sixth son, who was adopted as Yunli's heir.

Family

Primary Consort * Imperial Princess Consort Guoyi, 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 ...

clan ()
Titles: Primary Consort of the Seventeenth Prince (第十七王子福晋), Princess Consort Guo of the Second Rank (果郡王福晋), Imperial Princess Consort Guo of the First Rank (果亲王福晋), ''Imperial Princess Consort Guoyi of the First Rank'' (果毅亲王福晋) Secondary Consort * Secondary consort, of the Meng clan (側福晉孟氏)
Titles: Secondary Consort to the Seventeenth Prince (第十七王子侧妃), Secondary Consort to Prince Guo of the Second Rank (果郡王侧妃), Secondary Consort to Prince Guo of the First Rank (果亲王侧妃), ''Secondary Consort Guoyi of the First Rank'' (果毅亲王侧妃) ** ''First son'' (10 May 1732 – 25 November 1732) ** ''First daughter'' (14 January 1735 – 19 July 1735)

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Li Dongxue in ''

Empresses in the Palace ''Empresses in the Palace'' () is a 2011 Chinese television series based on the novel of the same name by Liu Lianzi. Directed by Zheng Xiaolong, it stars Sun Li in the title role. Acclaimed for its strong ensemble cast and dialogue, the serie ...

'' (2011) * Portrayed by Du Chun in ''

Palace II ''Palace II'' (, lit. ''Locked Beaded Curtain'') is a 2012 Chinese television series written and produced by Yu Zheng and directed by Lee Wai-chu. It is a sequel to the 2011 television series ''Palace''. The series was first broadcast on HBS ...

'' (2012)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yunli 1697 births 1738 deaths Manchu politicians Manchu Plain Red Bannermen Kangxi Emperor's sons Qing dynasty government officials Qing dynasty calligraphers Qing dynasty poets Artists from Beijing

Life

Family

In fiction and popular culture

See also

References