Yikuang, Prince Qing
Encyclopedia
Yikuang, the Prince Qing (Simplified Chinese: 庆亲王奕劻, Wade-Giles
Wade-Giles
Wade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century , and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles was the most...

:Prince Ch'ing), (16 November 1838 – 28 January 1917) was a Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...

 prince of the late Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

, who was the first premier of China. Yikuang and his son, Zaizhen
Zaizhen
Zaizhen was a noble of the late Qing Dynasty from the ruling Aisin-gioro clan....

, were both notorious for their rampant corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...

.

Biography

He was born into the Aisin-Gioro clan and was the grandson of the First Prince Qing Yonglin, the 17th son of the Qianlong Emperor
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...

. Born with relatively little status, Yikuang was disgraced when he took in concubines during the mandatory mourning period of his father's death. Losing all his titles, he then married one of Empress Dowager Cixi's relatives, to become close to the Empress, who later gave him the title of Prince of Commandery (郡王). In the late 1890s, Yikuang was sent to succeed the Prince Chun in the construction of the Imperial Summer Palace. Thus began his rise to fame, as a loyal member of the nobility by appearance, Yikuang was infamous for his sales of official positions. He became the go-to person for backroom deals in politics.

Prince Qing was an anti Boxer, and extremely pro foreign. His opponent, Prince Duan, was pro boxer and anti foreign. Prince Qing led a faction of "moderate" pro foreign princes, against Prince Duan's anti foreign faction. However, Prince Qing was discredited for his pro foreign position when the foreigners invaded China without permission during the First intervention, Seymour Expedition, China 1900. Prince Qing was immediately replaced by "reactionary" Prince Duan as leader of Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen was the government body in charge of foreign affairs in imperial China during the late Qing dynasty. It was established by Prince Gong in 1861, following the Convention of Peking. It was abolished in 1901 and replaced with a Foreign Office of ministry rank.The former site of the...

. Chinese Imperial army troops and boxers, under Prince Duan's leadership, defeated Seymour's first expedition. Prince Qing even wrote letters to the foreigners, inviting them to safety in the Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen
Zongli Yamen was the government body in charge of foreign affairs in imperial China during the late Qing dynasty. It was established by Prince Gong in 1861, following the Convention of Peking. It was abolished in 1901 and replaced with a Foreign Office of ministry rank.The former site of the...

 during the Siege of Beijing Legation Quarter
Siege of Beijing Legation Quarter
The Siege of the International Legations occurred during the Boxer Rebellion in the Chinese city of Beijing . Nine hundred military personnel and civilians, largely from Europe, Japan, and the United States, and about 2,800 Chinese Christians took refuge in the Beijing Legation Quarter and survived...

, while the anti foreign Chinese troops under Prince Duan were besieging the legations. Another pro foreign, and anti Boxer prince, Ronglu
Ronglu
Ronglu was a Manchu statesman and general during the late Qing dynasty. Born into the powerful Guwalgiya clan of the Plain White Banner in the Eight Banners, he was cousin to Yehenara Lan, who later became Empress Dowager Cixi...

, offered the foreigners escorts while his forces were supposed to be killing the foreigners. Prince Qing's troops even fought against Prince Duan's troops several times. He ordered his own Bannermen to attack the Boxers and the Muslim Kansu braves.

He was sent by the Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....

, along with veteran diplomat Li Hongzhang
Li Hongzhang
Li Hongzhang or Li Hung-chang , Marquis Suyi of the First Class , GCVO, was a leading statesman of the late Qing Empire...

 to reach an agreement with several Western powers
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...

 and the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...

 after their invasion of China in 1901. In August, Yikuang and Li Hongzhang signed the Boxer Protocol
Boxer Protocol
The Boxer Protocol was signed on September 7, 1901 between the Qing Empire of China and the Eight-Nation Alliance that had provided military forces plus Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands after China's defeat in the intervention to put down the Boxer Rebellion at the hands of the...

 of 1901. During the conference, Yikuang was seen as merely a noble representative, while all the actual work was completed by Li Hongzhang. Returning to Beijing as a senior member of the Court, Yikuang continued in his old ways, and was despised by not only reformers, but also by moderate court officials.

After the death of the Empress Dowager in 1908, Yikuang led the "Imperial Family Cabinet" as Prime Minister under the regency of Zaifeng, Prince Chun
Prince Chun
Prince Chun was a title of nobility created in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty for his younger half-brother Yixuan. When Yixuan first held the title, he was a Prince of the Second Rank , but was later promoted to a Prince of the First Rank...

. The cabinet achieved little, as revolutionary tides began to stir China. This is also when Yikuang formed an alliance with Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...

.

He also had a daughter, Princess Sih-Gerga, who was the first lady to the Empress Dowager. She was married to the son of the Manchu viceroy of Tientsin when she was sixteen, but he died within months.

Family

  • Yongxi, Prince Xi of Qing (first rank) 慶僖親王永璘 (1766-1820. r.1789-1820)
    • Minmin, Prince Liang of Qing (second rank) 慶良郡王綿愍 (r.1820-1836)
      • Yichai, Prince Qing (second rank) 慶郡王奕綵 (r.1836-1842)
    • Minti, Beili 貝子綿悌
    • Minxin, Fuguogong outside the eight ranks 不入八分輔國公綿性
      • Yikuang, Prince Min of Qing (first rank) 慶密親王奕劻 (r.1852-1917)
        • Zaizhen, Prince Zhen of Qing (first rank) 慶貞親王載振 (r.1917-1947)
          • Puzhong 溥鍾
          • Purui 溥銳
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