Prince Qing
Yikuang (16 November 1838 – 28 January 1917), formally known as Prince Qing of the First Rank, was a Manchu nobleman and statesman of the Aisin Gioro clan during the late Qing dynasty.[1] As a high-ranking imperial relative and politician, he held influential positions including chief executive of the Grand Council and became the first Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet in May 1911, amid efforts to transition to constitutional monarchy.[1] Prince Qing's career spanned critical crises, notably his pro-foreign stance during the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901), where he opposed the anti-foreign uprising and, after the court's flight to Xi'an, negotiated peace on behalf of Empress Dowager Cixi.[1] Alongside Li Hongzhang, he signed the Boxer Protocol on 7 September 1901, which imposed severe indemnities totaling approximately 980 million taels of silver over 39 years, punished Boxer supporters, and allowed foreign troops in Beijing's Legation Quarter.[2] Following Cixi's death in 1908, he led the Imperial Family Cabinet under Regent Zaifeng, but his tenure was marred by accusations of corruption, including selling official positions alongside his son Zaizhen.[1] Ultimately, he facilitated the abdication of Emperor Puyi in 1912, marking the end of the Qing dynasty.[1]
Peerage Overview
Title Origin and Establishment
The title Prince Qing (Chinese: 慶親王; pinyin: Qìng qīnwáng), also rendered as Prince Ch'ing in Wade-Giles romanization, was a first-rank princely peerage (qinwang) within the Qing dynasty's noble system, denoting high imperial kinship and carrying hereditary privileges including stipends, guards, and estates.[3] It originated as one of the dynasty's senior peerages, established specifically for Yonglin (永璘; 1766–1820), the seventeenth son of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735–1796).[4] Prior to this elevation, Yonglin had held secondary titles such as Prince Qing of the Second Rank, reflecting the graded hierarchy of Manchu nobility where promotions were tied to imperial favor and service.[3] The title's formal establishment occurred in 1820 during the twenty-fifth year of the Jiaqing Emperor's reign (r. 1796–1820), when Yonglin, the Jiaqing Emperor's full younger brother, was promoted from a prefectural prince (junwang) to the superior qinwang rank and explicitly granted the designation "Prince Qing of the First Rank."[3][4] This promotion aligned with Qing practices of rewarding loyal imperial kin, as Yonglin had demonstrated reliability in ceremonial and advisory roles without the political entanglements that plagued other siblings. To solidify the peerage's material foundation, the Jiaqing Emperor reassigned the confiscated mansion of the disgraced official Heshen (和珅; 1750–1799)—a sprawling Beijing residence symbolizing imperial retribution against corruption—to Yonglin shortly after the title's conferral, ensuring the holder's status with tangible assets.[5] As a hereditary "iron-cap" peerage, the title was designated for perpetual transmission through Yonglin's male descendants via primogeniture, with protections against demotion except in cases of proven treason, a mechanism intended to maintain dynastic stability amid the Manchu clan's emphasis on bloodline precedence over merit alone.[3] This establishment reflected broader Qing reforms to the peerage system post-Qianlong, prioritizing unassailable senior lineages to counterbalance bureaucratic influence, though it later drew scrutiny for entrenching aristocratic inertia during the dynasty's decline.[5]Rank, Privileges, and Hereditary Status
The title of Prince Qing (慶親王, Qìng qīnwáng) held the rank of qinwang, or Prince of the First Rank, the highest level of princely peerage in the Qing dynasty's Manchu nobility system. It was initially granted to Yonglin, the seventeenth son of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735–1796), as a junwang (second-rank prince) in 1799 and elevated to qinwang status in 1820 following his death.[3] Prince Qing was among the twelve iron-cap princedoms (tǐehātī wáng), distinguished by the privilege of shìxí wǎngtì (世襲罔替), or perpetual heritability without rank diminution across generations—a rarity, as most Qing peerages downgraded by one rank per succession until stabilizing at a lower level after several transmissions.[6] This ensured the title's enduring prestige within the Aisin Gioro clan, tied to the imperial lineage's apical branches. Privileges associated with the qinwang rank included allocation of a dedicated princely mansion in Beijing, commensurate annual stipends and payments, maintenance of personal guards from the Eight Banners, and elevated precedence in court rituals, audiences, and processions. Holders could also be appointed to advisory roles in state deliberations, reflecting their proximity to the throne, though actual influence varied by individual and era.[7]Historical Bearers
Yonglin: The First Prince Qing
Yonglin (永璘; 17 June 1766 – 25 April 1820), of the Aisin Gioro clan, was the seventeenth and youngest son of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735–1796) and the first bearer of the Prince Qing title.[8][9] Born in the Forbidden City to the future Empress Xiaoyichun of the Wei clan, who at the time held the rank of Imperial Noble Consort, Yonglin was a full younger brother to the future Jiaqing Emperor (Yongyan, r. 1796–1820).[8][9] In 1789, during the Qianlong era's 54th year, Yonglin was promoted to the rank of beile (貝勒), a mid-level noble title among Manchu princes, at the age of 24.[8][9] Following the Qianlong Emperor's abdication and the Jiaqing Emperor's assumption of personal rule in 1799 (Jiaqing 4), Yonglin was enfeoffed as the Prince Hui of the Commandery (Hui Jun Wang, 惠郡王), soon changed to Prince Qing of the Commandery (Qing Jun Wang, 慶郡王).[8] That March, after the execution of the corrupt Grand Councillor Heshen, Yonglin petitioned his imperial brother for Heshen's lavish Beijing residence, which was granted to him as the future Prince Qing mansion along with half of the confiscated property.[8][9] Yonglin held minor court duties, including responsibilities at the Qianqing Gate of the Forbidden City, though he faced reprimands: in 1800 (Jiaqing 5), for failing to report the Empress Dowager's 70th birthday observance, leading to temporary removal from those duties while retaining inner-court access; and in 1816 (Jiaqing 21), for improperly routing memorials through eunuchs, resulting in a salary deduction.[8] He did not assume significant administrative or military positions, maintaining a relatively secluded life focused on imperial favor rather than state governance.[9] In March 1820 (Jiaqing 25), at age 55, Yonglin fell seriously ill; the Jiaqing Emperor personally visited him and, shortly before his death on 25 April, promoted him to the full rank of Prince Qing of the First Rank (Qing Qin Wang, 慶親王).[8][9] He was posthumously honored with the temple name Xi (僖) and buried in a tomb at Baiyanggou in Changping, Beijing.[9] The title passed to his descendants, establishing the hereditary line.[8]Intermediate Successors
Mianmin (1797–1836), the third son of Yonglin, succeeded as the second bearer of the Prince Qing title, holding the rank of Prince Qing of the Second Rank (多羅慶郡王).[5] He inherited the associated family mansion in Beijing following Yonglin's death in 1820 and maintained its operations during the Daoguang era, but records indicate no major political or diplomatic appointments for him.[5] Mianmin died of illness in the 16th year of the Daoguang reign (1836), after which the title of Prefectural Prince Qing passed to Yicai, identified in contemporary accounts as his son and heir.[5] Yicai (1820–1866), originally the son of Mianzhi (Prince Yishun of the Second Rank), was adopted by Mianmin as successor due to the latter's lack of surviving biological male heirs. He briefly held the demoted prefectural-level Prince Qing title but engaged in no documented state roles or contributions to Qing governance. Yicai's death in 1866 without male issue created a succession gap, with the title remaining vacant or held in lower forms until its elevation and revival under Yikuang as the fourth Prince Qing in the 1870s. The intermediate holders thus represented a transitional phase marked by hereditary continuity through adoption rather than direct descent or prominent service.Yikuang: The Fourth Prince Qing
Yikuang (16 November 1838 – 28 January 1917) served as the fourth Prince Qing of the First Rank, a senior Manchu noble from the Aisin Gioro clan during the late Qing dynasty. Born as the eldest son of Mianxing (1814–1879), who held the title of Duke Who Assists the Nation, Yikuang was the grandson of Yonglin, the inaugural Prince Qing and the seventeenth son of the Qianlong Emperor. He inherited the peerage through the line of intermediate successors, ascending to the full princely rank amid the dynasty's escalating internal and external pressures. His family included multiple wives, such as Lady Hegiya and Lady Liugiya, and he fathered six sons, including Zaizhen who later succeeded him, as well as twelve daughters, though some children died young.[1] Yikuang entered high-level state service in the 1880s, becoming a key figure in foreign affairs as chief of the Zongli Yamen, the Qing office managing diplomatic relations, a position he held from 1884 until its dissolution in 1901. In this role, he advocated pragmatic engagement with Western powers, distinguishing himself as relatively pro-foreign compared to hardline isolationists at court. During the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901), while the imperial court fled Beijing, Yikuang remained in the capital, facilitating negotiations with Allied forces and co-signing the Boxer Protocol on 7 September 1901 alongside Li Hongzhang, which imposed heavy indemnities and concessions on China but ended the immediate conflict. This protocol, while humiliating, reflected his prioritization of stabilizing the dynasty over ideological resistance.[10][1] In later years, Yikuang aligned with conservative elements under Empress Dowager Cixi, opposing radical reforms like those attempted during the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898, which he viewed as destabilizing to Manchu authority. Appointed as the first Prime Minister of the Imperial Cabinet in 1908 and Chief Executive of the Bide Court in 1911, his tenure was marked by inefficacy amid revolutionary unrest; he supported the abdication of the Xuantong Emperor Puyi in 1912 to avert total collapse. Criticized for corruption, including the sale of official posts for personal gain, Yikuang's governance exemplified the entrenched patronage networks that undermined Qing resilience. He died of illness on 28 January 1917 at his residence in Beijing, receiving the posthumous title Prince Qingmi of the First Rank.[1]