Songgotu

Songgotu (1636-1703) (Manchu: ;Chinese: 索額圖, Suǒétú) was a minister during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. He was an uncle of the emperor's official wife, Empress Xiaochengren of the Heseri clan who died during childbirth. He was the son of Sonin, one of the four regents appointed to assist the young Emperor Kangxi during his minority. He was the uncle of the crown prince, Prince Yinreng.

He helped the young Emperor Kangxi to get rid of Oboi, a regent during the reign of the young emperor. Gradually, he gained more and more power and became one of the most prominent officials under Kangxi. He was involved in a long power struggle with Mingzhu, another leading official at that time. He also acted as a diplomat and signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk with Russia. Songgotu was later found guilty of attempt to murder Emperor Kangxi, along with a series of corruption charges, and was imprisoned and died of starvation.

Popular culture

Fiction

• The Deer and the Cauldron (鹿鼎記): a wuxia novel by Louis Cha. In the story, Songgotu was an aristocrat who befriended the protagonist, Wei Xiaobao.

References

• Hummel, Arthur William, ed. Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (1644-1912). 2 vols. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1943.
• Spence, Jonathan. Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-hsi. Jonathan Cape (1974) ISBN 0224009400.