View source for Empress Nara

{{Short description|Empress of the Qing dynasty}}
{{distinguish|Empress Ula Nara (disambiguation)|Empress Yehe Nara (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Empress of the Nara clan
| title        = [[List of Chinese empresses and queens|Empress of]] [[Qing dynasty|Qing]]
| titletext    = 
| more         = 
| image        = Step Empress Ulanara.PNG
| image_size   = 250px
| alt          = 
| caption      = ''La Concubine'' (1750) by the French [[Catholic priest]] [[Jean Denis Attiret]], purported to depict Empress Nara (formerly claimed as [[Imperial Noble Consort Shujia]])
| succession   = [[List of consorts of rulers of China#Qing dynasty|Empress consort of the Qing dynasty]]
| moretext     = 
| reign        = 2 September 1750 – 19 August 1766
| reign-type   = Tenure
| coronation   = 
| cor-type     = 
| predecessor  = [[Empress Xiaoxianchun]]
| pre-type     = 
| successor    = [[Empress Xiaoshurui]]
| suc-type     = 
| birth_name   = 
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1718|3|11|df=y}}<ref name="BirthDispute">Disputed. See the [[Empress Nara#Early life|Early life]] section of this article.</ref>
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1766|8|19|1718|3|11|df=y}}<ref name="DeathDispute">Disputed. See the [[Empress Nara#Death|Death]] section of this article.</ref>
| death_place  = [[Forbidden City]], [[Beijing]]
| burial_place = Yu Mausoleum, [[Eastern Qing tombs]]
| spouse       = {{Marriage|[[Qianlong Emperor]]|1734}}
| consort      = yes
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* Yongji, Prince of the Third Rank
* ''Unnamed daughter''
* Yongjing
}}
| issue-link   = 
| issue-pipe   = 
| full name    = 
| era name     = 
| house        = [[Nara clan|Nara]] ({{lang|zh|那拉氏}}; by birth)<br/ >[[House of Aisin-Gioro|Aisin-Gioro]] ({{lang|zh|愛新覺羅氏}}; by marriage)
| house-type   = Clan
| father       = Narbu
| mother       = 
| religion     = [[Vajrayana|Vajrayana Buddhism]]
}}

The '''Empress of the Nara clan''' (11 March 1718<ref name="BirthDispute"/> – 19 August 1766<ref name="DeathDispute"/>) of the [[Manchu people|Manchu]] [[Bordered Blue Banner]], was the second wife of the [[Qianlong Emperor]].<ref name="Birth1">{{harvnb|Xu|2013|p=256}}</ref> She was the empress consort of the [[Qing dynasty]] from 1750 until her death in 1766. Informally known as the '''Step-Empress''', she is one of the most controversial female figures in Chinese history.

Originally a noble consort, she was elevated to empress rank after [[Empress Xiaoxianchun]]'s death. In her role as empress consort, she accompanied the Qianlong Emperor on many leisure and hunting trips, as well as ancestral worship ceremonies.

Historical records give little information about her life or even her physical appearance. Because of this lack of documentation, there has been intense speculation among Chinese [[academicians]] regarding her historicity and character. It is widely suspected that the Qianlong Emperor destroyed all her imperial records and portraits.

Although never officially deposed, she lost her authority as chief of the imperial harem in 1765, reputedly because she cut her hair, an act that was considered a grave offense according to ancient [[Manchuria]]n custom. Consequently, the Qianlong Emperor ordered that her four titular imperial edicts, accompanying gifts, and imperial seal be confiscated. After her death, she was not given an imperial funeral or a [[posthumous name]], nor was she buried with the Qianlong Emperor.

==Debate over historical maiden name==
In the ''[[Draft History of Qing]]'', the future Step-Empress is noted as being a member of the [[Nara clan#Ula Nara|Ula clan]].<ref>{{harvnb|Zhang|Wu|1928}}: "皇后，烏喇那拉氏，佐領那爾布女。(The Empress, of the Ula-Nara, daughter of ''niru ejen'' Narbu)."</ref> However, the ''Draft History of Qing'' is noted to be riddled with errors, due to a hasty publication that precluded an editing process.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chuang |first=Chi-fa |author-link=Chuang Chi-fa |title=清史館與清史稿: 清史館未刊紀志表傳的纂修及其史料價值 |trans-title=Qing History Office and the Draft History of Qing: The editing of Qing History Office's unpublished records and annals and its historical value |website=[[National Palace Museum]] |language=zh-hant |url=http://npmhost.npm.gov.tw/tts/ching/0509all.pdf |quote=《清史稿》彙集了大批的史料，將清朝歷史的輪廓，公開向世人亮相。《清史稿》出版後，流傳甚廣，久為中外學術界廣泛研究利用。《清史稿》謬誤百出，是不爭的事實，長久以來，多將《清史稿》的疏漏舛訛等缺點歸咎於《清史稿》的倉卒成書，未遑審訂。(The Draft History of Qing gathered a lot of historical information, and revealed to the public a contour of Qing Dynasty history. After the Draft History of Qing was published, it was widely disseminated, and has long been researched and used by academia, domestic and abroad. It is undisputed fact that the Draft History of Qing is riddled with errors. For a long time, the errors are blamed on the Draft History of Qing being rushed to publication, with no time for editing.) |access-date=23 May 2019 |archive-date=7 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907015236/http://npmhost.npm.gov.tw/tts/ching/0509all.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Her father was listed as Narbu, found in the ''Genealogy of the Manchu clans'' ({{zh|t=八旗滿洲氏族通譜|labels=no}}) as being a descendant of Wangginu ({{zh|t=王機砮|labels=no}}), a leader of the [[Nara clan#Hoifa Nara|Hoifa clan]], and the family's ancestors are listed under the section "People with the surname Nara in the Hoifa area" ({{zh|t=輝發地方納喇氏|labels=no}}) as having lived in the Hoifa area for generations.<ref>{{cite book |title=八旗滿洲氏族通譜卷二十四 輝發地方納喇氏 |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%85%AB%E6%97%97%E6%BB%BF%E6%B4%B2%E6%B0%8F%E6%97%8F%E9%80%9A%E8%AD%9C_(%E5%9B%9B%E5%BA%AB%E5%85%A8%E6%9B%B8%E6%9C%AC)/%E5%8D%B724 |access-date=24 May 2019 |trans-title=Genealogy of the Manchu Clans Vol. 24: People with the surname Nala in the Hoifa area |language=zh-hant}}</ref> Therefore, some modern publications have stated the Step-Empress is a member of the Hoifa-Nara clan.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Zoey |title=【有雷】周迅、范冰冰、佘詩曼都演過乾隆繼皇后！從《如懿》《延禧》解開烏拉（輝發）那拉氏的歷史爭議之謎|trans-title=(Spoiler) Zhou Xun, Fan Bingbing, and Charmaine Sheh all played Qianlong's Step Empress! Solving the mystery of the Ula (Hoifa) Nara historical debate from ''Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace'' and ''Story of Yanxi Palace'' |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/tw/culture/filmandmusic/g23583415/ruyi-history/ |quote= 由於《清史稿》和《清皇室四譜》都是民國之後才編定的，而且編定過程有很多問題，所以就可信度而言，《八旗滿洲氏族通譜》的資料比較可靠，可以推定繼皇后應當是輝發那拉氏。(As the "Draft History of Qing" and the "Four Genealogies of the Qing Royal House" are written during and after the Republican era, and the editorial process was riddled with problems, so, from a reliability standpoint, information from the ''Genealogy of the Manchu Clans'' are more reliable, and it can be said that the Empress is of the Hoifa-Nara tribe.)|work=[[Harper’s Bazaar]] |date=15 October 2018 |language=Zh-hant}}</ref> But due to the fact that the Ula-Nara clan is the most ancient [[Nara clan]], the Step-Empress's ancestors might have changed their last name to Ula-Nara to make their name more noble.

However, at least one author has noted that with members of the Nara clan, the name that comes before ''Nara'' merely denotes the geographical area in which the family resided in, and that all members of the clan share the same last name, regardless of their area of residence.<ref>{{harvnb|Chung|2018}}: 那拉氏是滿清八大姓之一，支系繁多，烏拉那拉、輝發那拉、葉赫那拉、哈達那拉都屬那拉氏的分支。而所謂分支，即地域之分，也就是說，「那拉」才是真正姓氏，而前面的「烏拉」、「輝發」等則是地域上的區分。因此，這位乾隆繼后，無論是來自「烏拉」地區還是「輝發」地區，都不影響她被稱作「那拉氏」。(The Clan Nara is one of Qing Dynasty's 8 major clans, and has a complicated system of branches. Ula-Nara, Hoifa-Nara, Yehe-Nara, Hada-Nara are all branches of the Clan Nara. As for what "branches" mean, it's a geographical distinguisher, meaning "Nara" is the real surname, and that the prefix, such as "Ula" and "Hoifa", is merely a geographical identifier. That means, for this Qianlong Emperor consort, it doesn't matter whether she hails from the Ula or Hoifa area, she is still of the Clan Nara.)</ref> In the ''Factual Record of Qing'' ({{zh|t=清實錄|labels=no}}), when the Step-Empress, at the time the secondary consort of Qianlong, was elevated to Consort Xian, she was referred to as being of the Nara clan, rather than as a member of the Ula-Nara or Hoifa-Nara.<ref name="ConsortXian">{{cite journal |title=乾隆二年十二月上4日 |journal=高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun) |volume=58 |pages=939–942 |trans-title=4th Day of the upper 12th Month of the 2nd Year of Qianlong |language=zh-hant |quote=...冊封庶妃那拉氏為嫻妃... (...Confer the title Consort Xian to [the] Secondary Consort of the Nara clan...)}}</ref>

The debate over the Step-Empress's maiden name has manifested itself in two 2018 media portrayals of the Step-Empress's life.

* In the ''[[Story of Yanxi Palace]]'', the character based on the Step-Empress is named Hoifa-Nara Shushen.
* In ''[[Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace]]'', the character based on the Step-Empress is named Ula-Nara Qingying/Ruyi.<ref>{{cite news |title=佘詩曼周迅同演繼皇后 為何斷髮失常成千古謎團 |trans-title=Charmaine Sheh and Zhou Xun both portrayed the Step Empress. Why she cut her hair is a historical mystery |url=https://www.bastillepost.com/hongkong/article/3408082-%E4%BD%98%E8%A9%A9%E6%9B%BC%E5%91%A8%E8%BF%85%E5%90%8C%E6%BC%94%E7%B9%BC%E7%9A%87%E5%90%8E-%E7%82%BA%E4%BD%95%E5%BF%A4%E6%97%A8%E6%88%AA%E9%AB%AE%E6%88%90%E5%8D%83%E5%8F%A4%E8%AC%8E%E5%9C%98|work=Bastille Post |date=29 August 2018 |language=zh-hant |quote=《如懿傳》主要講述女主角（由周迅飾）烏拉那拉·如懿與乾隆之間的恩怨情仇。而如懿的歷史原型，就是乾隆第二任皇后純帝繼皇后輝發那拉氏，亦即是在《延禧》中，由佘詩曼輝發那拉·淑慎。("Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace" mainly portrays the female lead (portrayed by Zhou Xun) Ula-Nara Ruyi and her dealings with the Qianlong Emperor. Ruyi is based on Qianlong's 2nd Empress, Lady Hoifa-Nara, which is the character Hoifa-Nara Shushen, portrayed by Charmaine Sheh in "Story of Yanxi Palace".)}}</ref>

==Early life==
The date of the Step-Empress's birth is a matter of debate, with the book ''Four Genealogies of the Qing Royal House'' stating that she was born some time in the second lunar month of an unknown year,<ref name="Birth2">{{harvnb|Chung|2018}}: 據《清皇室四譜》，那拉氏出生年份不詳，只知生於二月，鑲藍旗佐領那爾布之女... (According to the ''Four Genealogies of the Qing Royal House'', Lady Nara's year of birth is unknown. It is only known that she was born in the second month. She was the daughter of ''niru ejen'' Narbu, of the Bordered Blue Banner.)</ref> and at least one modern book stating that she was born on the 10th day of the 2nd month of the 57th year of [[Kangxi Emperor]]'s reign.{{efn|11 March 1718}}<ref name="Birth1"/> She was born to Narbu, a ''niru ejen'', or assistant captain.<ref name="Birth2"/>

Before Hongli's enthronement in 1735, his father, the [[Yongzheng Emperor]], appointed Lady Nara as his secondary consort.{{sfn|Lee|Lau|Stefanowska|2015|p=356}} Lady Nara was noted to have gained Hongli's favour during this time.<ref name="Birth1"/> After the death of Yongzheng, Hongli succeeded him as the Qianlong Emperor, and Lady Nara was granted the title "Consort Xian" ({{zh|t=嫻妃|labels=no}}) on 23 January 1738.{{efn|23 January 1738}}<ref name="ConsortXian"/> Her pleasant character also won the favour of Qianlong's mother, [[Empress Xiaoshengxian|Empress Dowager Chongqing]],{{sfn|Lee|Lau|Stefanowska|2015|p=356}} and on 9 December 1745, she was promoted to "Noble Consort Xian" ({{zh|t=嫻貴妃|labels=no}}).<ref>{{cite journal |title=乾隆十年十一月下17日 |journal=高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun) |volume=58 |page=939-2 |trans-title=17th Day of the lower 11th Month of the 10th Year of Qianlong |language=zh-hant |quote=...冊封嫻妃那拉氏為貴妃... (...Confer the title of Noble Consort to Consort Xian of the Nara clan...)}}</ref>

==As empress==
Qianlong's first wife, [[Empress Xiaoxianchun]], died on the 8th day of the 3rd month of the 13th year of Qianlong at the age of 36,{{efn|5 April 1748}} but it was not well documented by historical sources.<ref>{{cite news |title=明清第一任皇后之悲（下） |url=http://book.people.com.cn/BIG5/n/2012/1010/c350044-19221540.html |work=[[People's Daily]] |publisher=[[Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]] |date=10 October 2012 |language=zh-hant |trans-title=The Tragedy of Ming, Qing's first Empresses (2nd Half) |access-date=30 May 2019 |archive-date=30 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530083047/http://book.people.com.cn/BIG5/n/2012/1010/c350044-19221540.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Some say that she died on a boat in [[Dezhou]], but most believe that she made it back to the [[Forbidden City]] in [[Beijing]].

The Emperor later promoted Lady Nara to the position of "Imperial Noble Consort"{{sfn|Chang|2020|p=381}}{{sfn|Lee|Lau|Stefanowska|2015|p=356}} ({{zh|t=皇貴妃|labels=no}}) via an edict issued on the 5th day of the 4th month of the 13th year of his reign,{{efn|20 May 1749}} giving her administrative powers over the harem as acting empress.<ref>{{cite journal |title=乾隆十四年四月上9日 |journal=高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun) |volume=338 |pages=661–2 |trans-title=9th Day of the upper 4th Month of the 14th Year of Qianlong |language=zh-hant |quote=...於乾隆十四年四月初五日｡冊命那拉氏為皇貴妃攝六宮事｡ (...On the 5th Day of the 4th Month of the 14th year of Qianlong, Appoint Lady Nara as Imperial Noble Consort, with administrative powers over the palaces...)}}</ref>

Two years later, an edict to appoint the Imperial Noble Consort as the new empress was issued on the 12th day of the 7th month of the 15th year of Qianlong.{{efn|13 August 1750}}<ref>{{cite journal |title=乾隆十五年七月上12日 |journal=高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun) |volume=368 |page=1067-1 |trans-title=12th Day of the upper 7th Month of the 15th Year of Qianlong |language=zh-hant |quote=...冊命皇貴妃攝六宮事 那拉氏為皇后｡ (...Appoint the Imperial Noble Consort, with administrative powers over the six palaces, Lady Nara as the Empress.)}}</ref> The decision was made following the end of the mourning period for Empress Xiaoxianchun.<ref name="XianPromotion">{{harvnb|Xu|2013|p=257}}</ref> From then on, Empress Nara accompanied Qianlong on many trips, ancestral worship ceremonies, and hunts.<ref name="XianEmpress">{{harvnb|Xu|2013|p=258}}</ref> Between the 17th year of Qianlong to the 20th year,{{efn|A time period spanning from 15 February 1752 to 30 January 1756.}} the Step-Empress gave birth to three children: the 12th prince, Yongji ({{lang|zh|永璂}}), an unnamed daughter and the 13th prince, Yongjing ({{lang|zh|永璟}}), respectively.<ref name="XianEmpress"/>

===Downfall===
According to the ''Draft History of Qing'', in 1765, during the 30th year of Qianlong's reign, the Step-Empress accompanied the Emperor on a tour to Southern China. As the group arrived in [[Hangzhou]], under circumstances that remain the subject of debate, the Step-Empress cut her hair.<ref>{{harvnb|Zhang|Wu|1928}}: "三十年，從上南巡，至杭州，忤上旨，后剪髮，上益不懌，令后先還京師。(On the 30th year, [the Step Empress] followed the Emperor for a southern tour. She defied an imperial order in Hangzhou, and cut her hair, causing growing displeasure with the Emperor, who ordered the Step Empress to return to the capital.</ref> Contemporary Qing customs held that Manchu people could cut their hair only as a sign of deep mourning.<ref>{{harvnb|Chen|2018}}</ref> The Step Empress's action was considered a grave offense,<ref>{{cite journal |title=乾隆四十三年九月上9日 |trans-title=9th Day of the upper 9th Month of the 43rd Year of Qianlong |journal=高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun) |language=zh-hant |volume=1616 |page=259-2 |quote=...乃至自行翦髮｡則國俗所最忌者｡ (...Leading to [her] cutting her own hair, which is a big faux pas under our national customs.)}}</ref> as it was taken as a gesture meant to curse the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. She was commanded to return to the capital; Fulong'an ({{lang|zh|福隆安}}), the husband of the Emperor's [[Princess Hejia|fourth daughter]], escorted her via the waterways.<ref name="EmpressDownfall">{{harvnb|Xu|2013|p=260}}</ref>

Chinese author Li Shu, in her 2019 book on Qing imperial cuisine, claimed to pinpoint the exact moment the incident happened, using Qing dynasty records of the portions of food the Emperor gave to his imperial consorts. She argued that the granting of a food portion represents an act of honor and love by the Emperor to his imperial consort, whereas withholding such a grant indicates displeasure. She postulated that the incident happened at some point following breakfast on the 18th day of the leap 2nd month of the 30th year of Qianlong,{{efn|7 April 1765}} when the Step-Empress received a portion of assorted meats, and before dinner that same day, when the Step-Empress was not mentioned as having received any portion of food from the Emperor.<ref>{{cite news |title=【皇上吃什麼】繼皇后如懿失寵的關鍵時刻 藏在乾隆南巡餐單內！|trans-title=(What The Emperor Ate) The key moments that led to Step Empress Ruyi's loss of imperial favour is hidden in the menu of Qianlong's southern tour! |url=https://www.hk01.com/熱爆話題/289637/皇上吃什麼-繼皇后如懿失寵的關鍵時刻-藏在乾隆南巡餐單內 |work=[[HK01]] |date=8 February 2019 |language=zh-hant}}</ref> In addition, starting from that dinner and thereafter, the Step-Empress's name was covered up with yellow paper on records of food portion grants.<ref name="XianEmpress">{{harvnb|Xu|2013|p=258}}</ref>

After the incident and following the Step-Empress's return to the capital, she was still granted the same amount of daily food and charcoal rations as would be accorded to an empress, and she was given five eunuchs and two cooks.<ref name="NewsLens1">{{cite news |title=《皇上吃什麼》：從乾隆南巡菜單，一窺如懿失寵的秘密|trans-title=(What The Emperor Ate) Taking a look at the secrets behind Ruyi's loss of favour inside the menus from Qianlong's southern tour |url=https://www.thenewslens.com/article/112055|work=[[The News Lens]] |date=20 January 2019 |language=zh-hant}}</ref> But on the 14th day of the 5th month of the 30th year of Qianlong,{{efn|1 July 1765}} following the Qianlong Emperor's return to Beijing, he ordered that the Step-Empress's four written edicts that bestowed her ranks and titles, as well as the accompanying gifts, be confiscated.<ref name="EmpressDownfall"/> In addition, the Step-Empress's tenfold maid workforce was reduced to two, the same amount of maids that a second class attendant ({{lang|zh|答應}}; lowest imperial consort) was allowed to have.<ref name="EmpressDownfall"/> Furthermore, the Qianlong Emperor conferred the title of imperial noble consort on [[Empress Xiaoyichun|Noble Consort Ling]] half a month after his return to the capital.<ref name="EmpressDownfall"/> Under Qing dynasty’s [[Imperial Chinese harem system#Qing|ranking of consorts]], an imperial noble consort was only a step below the empress, meaning that while Noble Consort Ling was not explicitly granted administrative powers over the harem, the Step-Empress had definitely fallen out of favour with the Emperor.<ref name="EmpressDownfall"/>

==Death==
The Step-Empress died in the 7th month of the 31st year of Qianlong.{{efn|A time period spanning from 6 August to 3–4 September 1766.}} However, the exact date of her death is a matter of debate. The ''[[Draft History of Qing]]'', which has accuracy and reliability concerns, states that she died on the ''Jiawu'',{{efn|31 August 1766}} while modern works typically list her death as having happened on the 14th day of the 7th month.{{efn|19 August 1766}}<ref>{{harvnb|Xu|2013|pp=260–261}}</ref>

The Step-Empress was already seriously ill by the 6th month of that same year,{{efn|A time period spanning from 7 July to 5 August 1766.}} but despite her illness, Qianlong did not delay his trip to the summer residence in [[Chengde]].<ref name="EmpressDeath">{{harvnb|Xu|2013|p=261}}</ref>

At the time of the Step-Empress's death, the Qianlong Emperor was on his annual hunting excursion at the Mulan Hunting Grounds (木蘭圍場, in present-day [[Weichang Manchu and Mongol Autonomous County]]).<ref name="StepEmpressDeath">{{harvnb|Zhang|Wu|1928}}: "三十一年七月甲午，崩。上方幸木蘭，命喪儀視皇貴妃。(Died on the ''Jiawu'' of the 7th month of the 31st year [of Qianlong]. His Majesty was at Mulan at the time, and ordered to treat the funeral as that of an Imperial Noble Consort.)</ref> Instead of ending his excursion immediately to head back to the [[Forbidden City]], he ordered his 12th son, Yongji (the Step-Empress's biological son),<ref name="EmpressDeath"/> to return to the palace to handle the funerary affairs.

By the Qianlong Emperor's order, the Step-Empress's funeral was treated as that of an Imperial Noble Consort,<ref name="StepEmpressDeath"/> but in reality, the ceremony was a much more scaled-down affair. For example, the usual cancellation of imperial cabinet meetings for five days was not carried out, and the requirement for princesses, nobles, and high-ranking court officials to attend the mourning sessions was waived.<ref name="EmpressDeath"/> In addition, the coffin used for the Step-Empress was of a much lower quality.<ref name="EmpressDeath"/> For her burial, the Step-Empress was laid to rest in the Yu Mausoleum of the [[Eastern Qing tombs]], next to [[Imperial Noble Consort Chunhui]], instead of being entombed beside the Emperor's future resting place.<ref name="EmpressBurial">{{harvnb|Xu|2013|pp=261–262}}</ref>

==Titles==
<!--Do not add styles such as "Her Highness, "Her Majesty" etc.-->
* During the reign of the [[Kangxi Emperor]] (r. 1661–1722):
** Lady Nara (那拉氏)
* During the reign of the [[Yongzheng Emperor]] (r. 1722–1735):
** Secondary consort ({{lang|zh|側福晉}}; from 2 December 1734)
* During the reign of the [[Qianlong Emperor]] (r. 1735–1796):
** Consort Xian ({{lang|zh|嫻妃}}; from 23 January 1738), fourth rank consort
** Noble Consort Xian ({{lang|zh|嫻貴妃}}; from 9 December 1745), third rank consort
** Imperial Noble Consort ({{lang|zh|皇貴妃}}; from 20 May 1749), second rank consort
** Empress ({{lang|zh|皇后}}; from 2 September 1750)

==Issue==
*As empress:
** '''[[Yongji (Qianlong)|Yongji]]''' ({{lang|zh|永璂}}), Prince of the Third Rank ({{Lang|zh|貝勒}}; 7 June 1752 – 17 March 1776), the Qianlong Emperor's 12th son<ref name="XianEmpress"/><ref name="IssuesMale">{{cite journal |title=列傳八 諸王七 |journal=[[Draft History of Qing]] |volume=221 |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/清史稿/卷221 |access-date=30 May 2019 |trans-title=Biography No. 8, Various Princes No. 7 |language=zh-hant}}</ref>
** ''Unnamed daughter'' (23 July 1753 – 1 June 1755), the Qianlong Emperor's fifth daughter<ref name="XianEmpress"/>
** '''Yongjing''' ({{lang|zh|永璟}}; 22 January 1756 – 7 September 1757), the Qianlong Emperor's 13th son<ref name="XianEmpress"/>

==In popular culture==
* Portrayed as Consort Lan by Tsui Si-fei in ''[[The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty]]'' (1988)
* Portrayed as the Empress by [[Dai Chunrong]] in ''[[My Fair Princess]]'' (1998)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chu |first1=Yik Min |title=【延禧攻略】嫻妃大戰《還珠格格》小燕子 兩劇角色「駁得埋」？|trans-title=(Story of Yanxi Palace) Consort Xian battles Xiao Yanzi in My Fair Empress: The two characters "can be connected"? |url=https://www.hk01.com/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82%E5%A8%9B%E6%A8%82/215079/%E5%BB%B6%E7%A6%A7%E6%94%BB%E7%95%A5-%E5%AB%BB%E5%A6%83%E5%A4%A7%E6%88%B0-%E9%82%84%E7%8F%A0%E6%A0%BC%E6%A0%BC-%E5%B0%8F%E7%87%95%E5%AD%90-%E5%85%A9%E5%8A%87%E8%A7%92%E8%89%B2-%E9%A7%81%E5%BE%97%E5%9F%8B|work=[[HK01]] |date=25 July 2018 |language=zh-hant|quote=...一定要數在劇中扮演佘詩曼母親的戴春榮，單看名字大家可能不認識，但相信大家都沒有忘記在《還珠格格》前兩部中，專登同小燕子（趙薇飾）和紫薇（林心如飾）作對的可惡皇后，其實她就是嫻妃... (...We must count Dai Chunrong, who plays Charmaine Sheh's mother. People may not know her from her name, but people probably remember the wretched Empress that had a rivalry with Xiao Yanzi (portrayed by Vicki Zhao) and Ziwei (portrayed by Ruby Lin) in the first two installments of My Fair Empress. That character is actually Consort Xian.)}}</ref>
* Portrayed by Li Yun in ''[[Qianlong Dynasty]]'' (2003)
* Portrayed by [[Jiang Lili]] in ''[[My Fair Princess III]]'' (2003)
* Portrayed by Xu Xiaodan in ''[[The Eloquent Ji Xiaolan]]'' (2004)
* Portrayed by [[Sheren Tang]] in ''[[New My Fair Princess]]'' (2011)
* Portrayed as Ula-Nara Qingying by Zhang Yan in ''[[Empresses in the Palace]]'' (2011)<ref>{{cite news |title=演甄嬛儿媳不讨喜 她曾是中国史上最小影后！|trans-title=She was not well-liked as Zhen Huan's daughter-in-law, but she was the youngest winner of a movie award in Chinese history |url=https://www.chinatimes.com/cn/hottopic/20160509004701-260806?chdtv |access-date=8 June 2019 |work=[[China Times]] |date=9 May 2016 |language=zh-hans |quote=将于2017年亮相的电视剧新作《后宫·如懿传》，由周迅主演，讲述的是甄嬛的儿媳妇－如懿的宫斗歷程，有关注《甄嬛传》和《如懿传》的观眾也一定知道，在《甄嬛传》中，主角如懿早就出现过，她在里头叫做青樱...(In Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, set to be released in 2017, Zhou Xun plays Zhen Huan's daughter-in-law, and portrays a story of strifes in the palace. Those who pay attention to "Empresses in the Palace" and "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace" will know that in "Empresses in the Palace", Ruyi's role already appeared. She was named Qingying in the series...)}}</ref>
* Portrayed as Empress Ula-Nara by [[Fan Bingbing]] in ''The Lady in the Portrait'' (2017)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Maggie |title=Cannes Film Review: 'The Lady in the Portrait' |url=https://variety.com/2017/film/asia/the-lady-in-the-portrait-review-hua-kuang-nv-ren-1202437431/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=24 May 2017 |quote=Fan, at perhaps her most imperious and brittle, plays the beautiful Ulanara, second empress to Qianlong.}}</ref>
* Portrayed as Hoifa-Nara Shushen by [[Charmaine Sheh]] in ''[[Story of Yanxi Palace]]'' (2018)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jiang |first1=Ada |title=4 biggest back-stabbing female villains in Chinese imperial palace TV dramas |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/2162261/4-biggest-back-stabbing-female-villains-chinese-imperial|work=[[South China Morning Post]] |date=3 September 2018 |quote=Yet the rise of Wei is far from easy; Consort Xian, Hoifa-Nara Shushen, who becomes the new empress after the death of Empress Fucha, is her biggest enemy in the series. Xian, played by Hong Kong actress Charmaine Sheh...}}</ref>
* Portrayed as Ula-Nara Qingying/Ruyi by [[Zhou Xun]] in ''[[Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace]]'' (2018)

==See also==
* [[Imperial Chinese harem system]]
* [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty]]

==Notes on Chinese years==
Many historical materials on the Step Empress utilize the ancient Chinese [[Chinese calendar|lunisolar calendar]], coupled with the Chinese [[Chinese era name|era name]] system. The following [[Gregorian calendar]] dates were derived, using {{URL|https://sinocal.sinica.edu.tw/|a date converter}} developed by the [[Academia Sinica]] in [[Taiwan]].

{{notelist|20em}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Caitian |last2=Wu |first2=Changshou |year=1928 |title=列傳一 |trans-title=Biography 1 |language=zh-hant |journal=清史稿 (The Draft History of Qing) |volume=214 |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E6%B8%85%E5%8F%B2%E7%A8%BF/%E5%8D%B7214#%E7%9A%87%E5%90%8E%EF%BC%8C%E7%83%8F%E5%96%87%E9%82%A3%E6%8B%89%E6%B0%8F |access-date=25 May 2019}}
*{{cite news |last1=Chung |first1=Yik |title=乾隆繼后那拉氏 |trans-title=Qianlong's Step Empress of the Clan Nara |url=http://www.takungpao.com.hk/culture/237140/2018/0828/208932.html |work=[[Ta Kung Pao]] |date=28 August 2018 |language=zh-hant |access-date=24 May 2019 |archive-date=24 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524094544/http://www.takungpao.com.hk/culture/237140/2018/0828/208932.html |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite book |last1=Xu |first1=Guangyuan |editor1-last=You |editor1-first=Qihui |title=大清后妃寫真 |publisher=Yuan-Liou Publishing Co Ltd. |location=[[Taipei]], [[Republic of China|Taiwan]] |isbn=978-957-32-7139-0 |date=2013 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fce7AAAAQBAJ|language=zh-hant|trans-title=An Accurate Description of Great Qing's Empresses and Concubines}}
*{{cite book |last1=Chen |first1=Jiexian |editor1-last=Jiang |editor1-first=Jiawei |title=以史為鑑―漫談明清史事 |date=May 2018 |publisher=San Min Book |location=[[Taipei]] |isbn=978-957-14-6398-8 |edition=初版第一刷 (Early Edition, First Printing) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3VqSDwAAQBAJ&q=%E6%B8%85%E6%9C%9D%E5%89%AA%E9%AB%AE+%E5%96%AA%E4%BA%8B&pg=PT29 |language=zh-hant|trans-title=Taking History as a Guide: A detailed discussion of Ming and Qing Historical Events}}
*{{cite book|first1=Lily Xiao Hong |last1=Lee |first2=Clara |last2=Lau |first3=A.D. |last3=Stefanowska|title=Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: v. 1: The Qing Period, 1644-1911|date=17 July 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-47588-0}}
*{{cite book|first=Michael G |last=Chang|title=A Court on Horseback: Imperial Touring & the Construction of Qing Rule, 1680–1785|date=23 March 2020|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-1-68417-456-0}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[Clan Nara|Nara Clan]]}}
{{S-roy|cn}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Empress Xiaoxianchun]]<br />{{small|of the Fuca clan}}}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of consorts of rulers of China#Qing dynasty|Empress consort of China]]|years=2 September 1750 – 19 August 1766}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Empress Xiaoshurui]]<br />{{small|of the Hitara clan}}}}
{{s-end}}

{{Qing empresses}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Consorts of the Qianlong Emperor|Nara]]
[[Category:Qing dynasty empresses|Nara]]
[[Category:1718 births]]
[[Category:1766 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century Chinese people]]
[[Category:18th-century Chinese women]]