Imperial Concubine Jin

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The Imperial Consort Jin (1874 - 1924), was an Imperial Consort of the Guangxu Emperor, of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China. She was the daughter of H.E. Chang-Tsu of the Tatala clan and older sister of the Imperial Concubine Zhen (珍妃), who was also married to the emperor.

[edit] Biography

Lady Tatala entered the Forbidden City in 1888 together with her younger sister, soon after that she married the Emperor. On February 25, 1889 she was granted the title of Imperial Jin Concubine (瑾妃). The Emperor didn't really like her and it was her younger sister who became the Emperor's favourite.

During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 the court fled to Xi'an and it is said they forgot Concubine Jin at the Forbidden City. Eventually she was brought back to the Imperial court by help of a Manchu prince. The Imperial Zhen Concubine had already died after being thrown in a well by orders of the Dowager Empress Cixi, although another theory claims she may have committed suicide.

After the Imperial court returned to Beijing in 1902 the Qing dynasty has lost its influence. Guangxu died six years later in 1908, followed by Cixi, who died one day after, this was considered a great loss as she was the most important person of the Qing court. Just before her death she made Puyi the new emperor. Emperor Guangxu's wife Empress Long Yu would become the Dowager Empress Long Yu and Imperial Jin Concubine would become Imperial Duan Kang Dowager Concubine.

Besides Puyi's natural mother he got 5 new adoptive mothers with the Dowager Empress Long Yu as the highest ranking one and Jin Concubine the lowest. The other three adoptive mothers were concubines of the late Tongzhi Emperor.

In 1912, the Dowager Empress Long Yu signed the abdiction of the fall of the Qing dynasty. A few months later in 1913 she died and Jin Concubine became the highest ranking woman in the Imperial Palace (although she used to be the lowest ranking one) and was granted the title of the Imperial Duan Kang Dowager Concubine (端康太妃). In 1921 the mother of Puyi committed suicide by swallowing opium after being scolded at a public audience by Duan Kang for the misconduct of the young Emperor Puyi.

Inside Puyi's biography he wrote that Duan Kang saw the Empress Dowager Cixi as her role model for behaviour, even though that Duan Kang's own sister Zhenfei was executed by Cixi. Her strict rules and behaviour often made Puyi angry but after the death of his mother, Duan Kang became easier.

When the time was ready for Puyi to marry, the two Dowager Concubines Duan-Kang and Jing-Yi (敬懿太妃) had an argument about who should be the emperors wife. Duan Kang wanted Wan Rong as his wife while Jing-Yi chose Wen Xiu. Puyi's first choice was Wen-Xiu which made Duan Kang angry. Eventually Puyi had to marry Wan Rong who became Empress while Wen Xiu bacame concubine. Duan Kang got what she wanted by saying that Wen Xiu was not beautiful enough to be an empress. The Imperial Dowager Concubine Duan Kang died aged 50 inside the Imperial Palace, a little while before the Imperial Court had to leave the Forbidden city in 1924.