Zaixun
Encyclopedia
Zaixun was a prince of the Qing Dynasty
. His title was Prince Zhuang of the First Rank (莊親王).
clan, the imperial clan of the Qing Dynasty
. He was the second son of Yiren (奕仁), Prince Zhuang of the First Rank. Born during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor
, Zaixun was initially granted the title of "Duke Who Assists the Nation" (輔國公) before inheriting the title of "Prince Zhuang of the First Rank" (莊親王) in 1875 during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor
.
In 1900 Zaixun strongly advocated making use of the Righteous and Harmonious Society (or "Boxers") to counter foreign aggression. The following year, after Empress Dowager Cixi
issued the Imperial Decree of declaration of war against foreign powers
, war broke out between China and the Eight Nation Alliance, leading to the Boxer Rebellion
. Zaixun and Gangyi (剛毅) were placed in command of Boxer groups to fight the foreigners. Zaixun had an altar set up in his residence, while he personally donned garments similar to that of the Boxers. Not long later he was appointed as Nine Gates Infantry Commander
, and he gave out rewards for the capture and killing of foreigners. All the Boxers throughout China first gathered in Zaixun's residence after arriving in Beijing
to receive their respective missions.
When Beijing fell to the Eight Nation Alliance in 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi fled to western China. She was accompanied by Zaixun, who took on the post of Camp Inspecting Minister (查營大臣). 1,700 Boxers in Zaixun's residence were killed by foreign soldiers. During the negotiations of the Boxer Protocol
, Zaixun was accused by the foreign powers as one of the masterminds of the Boxer Rebellion. In 1901 he was impeached and stripped off his titles, and on February 21 he committed suicide by hanging himself in Puzhou (present-day Yongji, Shanxi
).
Zaixun's residence previously belonged to Liu Jin
, a court eunuch of the Ming Dynasty
. The house was destroyed when the armies of the Eight Nation Alliance occupied Beijing. During the early Republican era
it was purchased by the warlord Li Chun (李純) and shifted to Tianjin
, where a Li Family Shrine (now the Nankai Cultural Palace 南開文化宮) was built.
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....
. His title was Prince Zhuang of the First Rank (莊親王).
Biography
Zaixun was born of the Manchu Aisin GioroAisin Gioro
Aisin Gioro was the family name of the Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty. The House of Aisin Gioro ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which established a republican government in its place. The word aisin means gold in the Manchu language, and "gioro" is the name of the place in...
clan, the imperial clan of the 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....
. He was the second son of Yiren (奕仁), Prince Zhuang of the First Rank. Born during the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor
Xianfeng Emperor
The Xianfeng Emperor , born Aisin-Gioro I Ju, was the ninth Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861.-Family and his early years:...
, Zaixun was initially granted the title of "Duke Who Assists the Nation" (輔國公) before inheriting the title of "Prince Zhuang of the First Rank" (莊親王) in 1875 during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor
Guangxu Emperor
The Guangxu Emperor , born Zaitian of the Aisin-Gioro clan, was the eleventh emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, under Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898...
.
In 1900 Zaixun strongly advocated making use of the Righteous and Harmonious Society (or "Boxers") to counter foreign aggression. The following year, after 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....
issued the Imperial Decree of declaration of war against foreign powers
Imperial Decree of declaration of war against foreign powers
Imperial Decree of declaration of war against foreign powers was a 1900 declaration of war against the colonising powers: Russia, America, England, Japan, France, Germany, Spain, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, and Holland simultaneously. This declaration of war was one of the direct cause of the Boxer...
, war broke out between China and the Eight Nation Alliance, leading to the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
. Zaixun and Gangyi (剛毅) were placed in command of Boxer groups to fight the foreigners. Zaixun had an altar set up in his residence, while he personally donned garments similar to that of the Boxers. Not long later he was appointed as Nine Gates Infantry Commander
Nine Gates Infantry Commander
Nine Gates Infantry Commander is a military post of the Qing Dynasty, in charge of safe guarding, and monitoring traffic and the opening times of the nine gates of the Peking City, namely Zhengyangmen, Chongwenmen, Andingmen, Fuchengmen, Xizhimen, Dongzhimen, Xuangwumen, Dehshengmen, Zhaoyangmen...
, and he gave out rewards for the capture and killing of foreigners. All the Boxers throughout China first gathered in Zaixun's residence after arriving in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
to receive their respective missions.
When Beijing fell to the Eight Nation Alliance in 1900, Empress Dowager Cixi fled to western China. She was accompanied by Zaixun, who took on the post of Camp Inspecting Minister (查營大臣). 1,700 Boxers in Zaixun's residence were killed by foreign soldiers. During the negotiations of 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...
, Zaixun was accused by the foreign powers as one of the masterminds of the Boxer Rebellion. In 1901 he was impeached and stripped off his titles, and on February 21 he committed suicide by hanging himself in Puzhou (present-day Yongji, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
).
Zaixun's residence previously belonged to Liu Jin
Liu Jin
Liú Jĭn was a well-known Chinese eunuch during the reign of the Chinese Ming Dynasty Zhengde Emperor . Liu was famous for being one of the most corrupt officials in Chinese history and the emperor in all but name for some time...
, a court eunuch of the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
. The house was destroyed when the armies of the Eight Nation Alliance occupied Beijing. During the early Republican era
History of the Republic of China
The History of the Republic of China begins after the Qing Dynasty in 1912, when the formation of the Republic of China put an end to over two thousand years of Imperial rule. The Qing Dynasty, also known as the Manchu Dynasty, ruled from 1644 to 1912...
it was purchased by the warlord Li Chun (李純) and shifted to Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, where a Li Family Shrine (now the Nankai Cultural Palace 南開文化宮) was built.
Family
- Ancestor: Yunlu (允祿; 28 July 1695 - 20 March 1767), Prince Zhuangke of the First Rank.
- Grandfather: Mianshen (綿深), Prince Zhuangzhi of the First Rank.
- Father: Yiren (奕仁), Prince Zhuanghou of the First Rank.