Yuntang

Yuntang (17 October 1683 – 22 September 1726), born Yintang, was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. He was the ninth son of the Kangxi Emperor and an ally of his eighth brother Yunsi, who was the main rival to their fourth brother Yinzhen in the power struggle over the succession. In 1722, Yinzhen succeeded their father and became historically known as the Yongzheng Emperor, after which he started purging his former rivals. In 1725, the Yongzheng Emperor stripped Yuntang off his beizi title, banished him from the Aisin Gioro clan, and imprisoned him in Baoding. Yuntang died under mysterious circumstances later. In 1778, the Qianlong Emperor, who succeeded the Yongzheng Emperor, posthumously rehabilitated Yuntang and restored him to the Aisin Gioro clan.

In this Manchu name, the given name is Yuntang. In accordance with Manchu custom, it should be used solely or with titles but not with the clan name Aisin Gioro.
Yuntang
Beizi
Portrait of Yuntang
Beizi
Tenure1709–1725
BornAisin Gioro Yintang
(愛新覺羅 胤禟)
(1683-10-17)17 October 1683
Died22 September 1726(1726-09-22) (aged 42)
ConsortsLady Donggo
IssueHongzheng
Hongzhang
Hongxiang
Hongkuang
Hongding
Dongxi
Sibao
Douxixin
Full name
Aisin Gioro Yuntang
(愛新覺羅 允禟)
HouseAisin Gioro
FatherKangxi Emperor
MotherConsort Yi
Yuntang
Chinese name
Chinese允禟
Yintang
Chinese胤禟
Manchu name
Manchu scriptᠶᡡᠨ ᡨᠠᠩ

Life

Yintang was born in the Aisin Gioro clan as the ninth son of the Kangxi Emperor. His mother was Consort Yi (宜妃) from the Gorolo clan.[1] He was not one of the Kangxi Emperor's favourite sons, but nonetheless managed to gain substantial wealth and influence among his brothers.[1]

The Kangxi Emperor had designated his second oldest surviving son, Yinreng, as Crown Prince, but had also stripped Yinreng from his position twice due to Yinreng's arrogance and violent behaviour.[2] During that two periods of time when the position of Crown Prince was vacant, Yintang supported his eighth brother, Yinsi, in his bid to secure that position, but Yunsi did not succeed both times. The Kangxi Emperor eventually decided to secretly designate an heir apparent, whose identity would only be revealed after his death.

In 1722, after the Kangxi Emperor died, his fourth son, Yinzhen, was revealed to be his chosen successor. Yinzhen ascended the throne and became historically known as the Yongzheng Emperor. Yintang and all his brothers had to change the character Yin (胤) in their names to Yun (允) to avoid naming taboo, because the reigning emperor's name also contained the character Yin. In the same year, Yuntang was sent to the military garrison at Xining and placed under the supervision of the general Nian Gengyao.[1]

Three years later, in 1725, the Yongzheng Emperor stripped Yuntang off his beizi title, banished him from the Aisin Gioro clan, and forced him to change his name to "Seshe" (Manchu: ᠰᡝᠰᡥᡝ; Chinese: 塞思黑; pinyin: Sàisīhēi).[1] His eight sons were forced to change their name to Fusihūn, Facuhūn, Ubiyada, Eimede, Hairakan, Dungki, Dusihiyen and Eihun respectively.[3]

Yuntang reportedly pleaded with the emperor to send him to a Buddhist monastery and allow him to spend the rest of his life as a monk, but the emperor refused.[4] Yuntang was later imprisoned in Baoding. He died from an unspecified "abdominal illness".[5] However, there are speculations that Yuntang died from poisoning.[5]

In 1778, Yuntang was posthumously rehabilitated by the Qianlong Emperor, who had succeeded the Yongzheng Emperor in 1735. Yuntang was restored to the Aisin Gioro clan and had his name changed back from "Seshe" to "Yuntang".[6]

Meaning of "Seshe"

"Sàisīhēi" is a Chinese transliterating words of a Manchu term which has traditionally been translated as "dog" in Chinese.[5] However it is a false rumour. According to Hei tu dang (黑图档), a Manchu script document now kept in Liaoning Provincial Museum, the original term is "Seshe" (ᠰᡝᠰᡥᡝ). There is some dispute as to whether that is an accurate translation. Some scholars suggest "Seshe" actually means "to tremble", or "annoying person".[7][3]

Legacy

Yuntang has been viewed as a pioneer in the romanisation of the Manchu language. He was known to have had ties with the Portuguese missionary Joannes Mourão (穆景遠).[8] Mourão allegedly introduced Yuntang to literature written in the Latin alphabet, which allowed Yuntang to establish a basic Manchu romanisation system around 1723, supposedly as a secret code for communication between himself and other supporters of Yunsi.[8]

While Paul Georg von Möllendorff's Möllendorff system is often seen as the first Manchu transliteration system, Yuntang's system predates Möllendorff's by over 150 years.[8]

Family

Consorts and Issue:

  • Primary consort, of the Donggo clan (嫡福晉 董鄂氏)
    • Fourth daughter (12 September 1705 – December 1726 or January 1727)
      • Married Zhao Shiyang (趙世揚) in 1721
  • Mistress, of the Wanggiya clan (完顏氏)
    • First daughter (10 December 1701 – 16 August 1725)
      • Married Sebotengwangbu (色卜騰旺布) of the Oirat Chuoluosi (綽絡斯) clan in August/September 1718
    • Third daughter (14 July 1704 – February/March 1727)
      • Married Yongfu (永福) of the Manchu Yehe Nara clan in March/April 1720
    • Hongding (弘鼎; 19 December 1711 – 28 November 1782), fifth son
  • Mistress, of the Zhao clan (兆氏)
    • Second daughter (20 January 1703 – May/June 1741)
    • Fifth daughter (21 August 1706 – 6 October 1742)
      • Married Seboteng (色卜騰) in August/September 1739
    • Hongxiang (弘相; 20 February 1710 – 21 April 1739), third son
  • Mistress, of the Liu clan (劉氏)
    • Hongzheng (弘晸; 12 December 1706 – 26 December 1787), first son
    • Hongzhang (弘暲; 29 March 1709 – 4 July 1756), second son
  • Mistress, of the Lang clan (郎氏)
    • Hongkuang (弘曠; 15 December 1711 – 20 February 1737), fourth son
  • Mistress, of the Chen clan (陳氏)
    • Sixth daughter (8 July 1719 – 10 December 1767)
  • Mistress, of the Zhu clan (朱氏)
    • Dongxi (棟喜; 24 July 1719 – 19 January 1791), sixth son
  • Mistress, of the Zhou clan (周氏)
    • Sibao (四保; 22 October 1719 – 12 April 1771), seventh son
    • Douxixin (都錫欣; 3 December 1720 – 25 October 1775), eighth son

Ancestry
Nurhaci (1559–1626)
Hong Taiji (1592–1643)
Empress Xiaocigao (1575–1603)
Shunzhi Emperor (1638–1661)
Jaisang
Empress Xiaozhuangwen (1613–1688)
Boli (d. 1654)
Kangxi Emperor (1654–1722)
Yangzhen (d. 1621)
Tulai (1606–1658)
Empress Xiaokangzhang (1638–1663)
Lady Gioro
Yuntang (1683–1726)
Consort Yi (d. 1733)

See also

References
  1. Xia, Xin (12 October 2012). "揭秘康熙所有兒子們的下場 (Revealing The Ending Of All Of Kangxi's Sons)". Xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). Huasheng Online (華聲在線). Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  3. 王佩环. "《从沈阳故宫满语文档再释阿其那与塞思黑》".
  4. "弒兄屠弟狠絕懲貪：為何雍正一朝無官不清 (Massacring Brothers And Harshly Punishing Corrupt Officers: Why All Of Yongzheng's Court Officers Are Incorruptible)". Sina Taiwan (in Chinese). Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  5. Wang, Ruifen. "康熙大帝17個兒子的生死命運 (The Fate Of Kangxi Emperor's 17 Sons)". CRI Online (in Chinese). Chinese Radio International. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  6. Yu, Yuanxuan (28 January 2013). "【如是觀史】 阿其那與塞斯黑 (Looking At History: Akina and Seshe)". Merit Times (in Chinese). Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  7. Shang Hongkui, etc. (1990). Qingshi Manyu Cidian (清史满语辞典). Shanghai: Shanghai Guji Chubanshe (上海古籍出版社). p. 170. ISBN 9787532501786.
  8. Huake, Zhang. "允禟、穆景遠的滿文十九字頭解讀 (Deciphering Yuntang, Mourão's Manchurian 19 Letters)". Retrieved 29 July 2014.
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