Tongzhi Emperor
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| Tongzhi Emperor | |
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 10th Qing Emperor of China |
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| Reign | 11 November 1861 – 12 January 1875 |
| Predecessor | Xianfeng Emperor |
| Successor | Guangxu Emperor |
| Regent | Sushun, Zaiyuan, Duanhua (1861) Empress Dowager Ci'an, Empress Dowager Cixi (1861–1875) |
| Spouse | Empress Xiaozheyi |
| Full name | |
| Chinese: Aixin-Jueluo Zaichun (愛新覺羅載淳) Manchu: Aisin-Gioro Dzai Šun |
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| Era name and dates | |
| Qixiang (祺祥) (not used) Chinese: Tongzhi (同治) Manchu: Yooningga dasan Mongolian: Burintu Zasagchi Khagan: 30 January 1862 – 5 February 1875 |
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| Posthumous name | |
| Emperor Jitian Kaiyun Shouzhong Juzheng Baoda Dinggong Shengzhi Chengxiao Xinmin Gongkuan Yi (繼天開運受中居正保大定功聖智誠孝信敏恭寬毅皇帝) |
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| Temple name | |
| Emperor Muzong of Qing (清穆宗) |
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| Father | Xianfeng Emperor |
| Mother | Empress Dowager Cixi |
| Born | 27 April 1856 Forbidden City, Beijing, China |
| Died | 12 January 1875 (aged 18) Forbidden City, Beijing, China |
| Burial | Eastern Qing Tombs, Zunhua, China |
| Tongzhi Emperor | |||||||||
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| Chinese | 同治帝 | ||||||||
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The Tongzhi Emperor (Wade-Giles: Tung-chih Emperor; 27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875), born Zaichun (Wade-Giles: Tsai-chun) of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the tenth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign, from 1861 to 1875, which effectively lasted through his adolescence, was largely overshadowed by the rule of his mother Empress Dowager Cixi. Although he had little influence over state affairs, the events of his reign gave rise to what historians call the "Tongzhi Restoration", an unsuccessful attempt to stabilise and modernise China.
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Biography [edit]
The only surviving son of the Xianfeng Emperor and Empress Dowager Cixi, Tongzhi attempted political reform in the period of the Tongzhi Restoration. His first regnal name was Qixiang (祺祥; Manchu: Fengšengge Sabingga), but this name was later abandoned by Cixi in favour of Tongzhi, a contraction of the classical phrase tonggui yu zhi (simplified Chinese: 同归与治; traditional Chinese: 同歸與治), which means "restoring order together".[citation needed] An alternate interpretation reads it as "mother and son co-emperors" (Chinese: 母子同治天下),[citation needed] which fits the state of affairs, as the empress dowager wielded real power and ruled behind the scenes. The traditional Chinese political phrase "attending audiences behind a curtain" (simplified Chinese: 垂帘听政; traditional Chinese: 垂簾聽政; pinyin: chuí lián tīng zhèng) was coined to describe Cixi's rule through her son.
Tongzhi became emperor at the age of five upon the death of his father, the Xianfeng Emperor. His father's choice of regent, Sushun, was removed in favour of a partnership between his mother Empress Dowager Cixi, Empress Dowager Ci'an, and his uncle Prince Gong.
Tongzhi married Empress Xiaozheyi, who was from a Mongol clan. He died of smallpox at the age of 18. He was buried in the Huiling Mausoleum, Eastern Qing Tombs, Hebei. He had no sons to succeed him.
Tongzhi's mother Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an resumed regency after enthroning Zaitian, son of Prince Chun, as the Guangxu Emperor. Empress Xiaozheyi died a few months after Tongzhi's death.
Family [edit]
- Father: Xianfeng Emperor
- Mother: Noble Consort Yi (Empress Dowager Cixi)
Consorts [edit]
- Empress Xiaozheyi, (Chinese: 孝哲毅皇后) of the Alute clan (1854–1875)
- Imperial Noble Consort Shushen, (Chinese: 淑慎皇貴妃) (1860–1905) née Fuca.
- Imperial Noble Consort Zhuanghe, (Chinese: 莊和皇貴妃) (1857–14 April 1921) née Alute was the aunt of Empress Xiaozheyi.
- Imperial Noble Consort Jingyi,[1] (Chinese: 敬懿皇貴妃) (1856–1932) née Heseri.
- Imperial Noble Consort Ronghui, (Chinese: 榮惠皇貴妃) (1854–1933) née Silin Gioro.
Portraits [edit]
Ancestry [edit]
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References [edit]
- ^ A daily routine of the concubine is recorded in a memoir of a palace eunuch. See: Forbidden City: The Great Within, Second Edition. May Holdsworth, Caroline Courtauld. ISBN 962-217-792-1.
- ^ The draft history of the Qing dynasty 《清史稿》卷二百十四．列傳一．后妃傳.
Sources and literature [edit]
As the only son of Empress Dowager Cixi, the Tongzhi Emperor is mentioned in almost all books about her.
- The draft history of the Qing dynasty 《清史稿》卷二百十四．列傳一．后妃傳.
- Sterling Seagraves, "Dragon Lady" ISBN 0-679-73369-8.
- Maria Warner", "The Dragon Empres": Life and Times of Tz'u-Hsi, 1835–1908, Empress of China". ISBN 0-689-70714-2.
- Anchee Min, "Empress Orchid". ISBN 978-0-618-06887-6.
- Mayli Wen (foreword Lulu Wang), "Een vrouw op de drakentroon". ISBN 90-5429-222-9.
- Daily life in the Forbidden City, Wan Yi, Wang Shuqing, Lu Yanzhen. ISBN 0-670-81164-5.
- Keith Laidler, "The last Empress, the she dragon of China". ISBN 0-470-84881-2.
- Forbidden City: The Great Within, Second Edition. May Holdsworth, Caroline Courtauld. ISBN 962-217-792-1.
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Tongzhi Emperor
Born: 27 April 1856 Died: 12 January 1875 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by The Xianfeng Emperor |
Emperor of China 1861–1875 |
Succeeded by The Guangxu Emperor |
