Yunli

Yunli (24 March 1697 – 21 March 1738), born Yinli, was a Manchu prince of the Qing Dynasty.

Biography

Yunli was born "Yinli" of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan as the 17th son of the Kangxi Emperor. His mother was Consort Qin (勤妃), a Han Chinese with the surname Chen.

Yinli excelled in academics since childhood. Unlike most of his brothers, Yinli was never involved in any of the struggles for succession to the throne. Yinli was intelligent and cautious, and had his share of political achievements. He was also good in calligraphy and poetry. He also enjoyed touring the country and had visited almost all the famous mountains in Sichuan.

In 1722, Yinli's older half brother Yinzhen ascended to the throne as the Yongzheng Emperor after their father died. Yinli changed his name to "Yunli" (允禮) to avoid naming taboo because the Chinese character for "Yin" (胤) in "Yinli" is the same as the one in the Yongzheng Emperor's personal name "Yinzhen" (胤禛). In April that year, Yunli was granted the title of "Prince Guo of the Second Rank" (多羅果郡王) and placed in charge of administrating the institution of scholars. In 1725 Yunli was awarded a higher allowance for honesty and diligence. In February 1728 Yunli was promoted to the status of "Prince Guo of the First Rank" (果親王). He was later appointed to the Grand Council^[1] and given greater responsibilities, such as escorting the Dalai Lama back to Tibet and inspecting military forces stationed along the route. Yunli was known to be a patron and scholar of Tibetan Buddhism.

When the Yongzheng Emperor became seriously ill, Yunli was tasked with supporting the heir to the throne, Hongli. Yongzheng died in 1735 and was succeeded by Hongli, who became known as the Qianlong Emperor. During Qianlong's reign, Yunli was empowered with more authority and given more duties with commensurate recognition.

Yunli died in 1738 at the age of 42. He had two children (a son and a daughter), both of whom died prematurely. His princely title was inherited by his adopted son Hongyan (弘瞻).

Family

• Father: Kangxi Emperor
• Mother: Consort Qin (勤妃), a Han Chinese with the surname Chen (陳), daughter of Second Class Guard and Yunhui Commissioner (二等侍衛雲麾使) Chen Ximin (陳希敏). She is posthumously known as Consort Chunyuqin (純裕勤妃).

• Spouses:
  • Lady Niuhuru (鈕祜祿氏), Yunli's primary spouse, daughter of Duke Guoyi (果毅公) Aling'a (阿靈阿).
  • Lady Meng (孟氏), Yunli's secondary spouse, daughter of Dase (達色).

• Children:
  • Son (1732), unnamed, born to Lady Meng, died before reaching six months old.
  • Daughter (1734–1735), unnamed, born to Lady Meng.

• Heir: Hongyan (弘曕), sixth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, adopted by Yunli, inherited Yunli's princely title.

Ancestry

See also

• Qing Dynasty nobility
• Ranks of Imperial Consorts in China#Qing

References