Random facts about Ching imperial family
The book mentioned by Emi was also translated as Dream of the Red Chambers (also called The Story of the Stone). I'm a fan of the book but have never seen entirely any of the many series made
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Anyway, the imperial family. I've always had an interest in the Chinese imperial families and had done some research myself. I find the Ching Dynasty, which was the last dynasty, to be the most interesting.
The Ching Dynasty was not ruled by Han Chinese. It was actually ruled by the Manchurians. The Manchurians were originally three separate tribes living in what is now northern China. The Jurchen tribe leader Nurhachi united the tribes and called themselves Late Jin. Later they changed the name to Manchuria. The Manchurians were also called bannermen because Nurhachi regrouped the people into eight banners. After they take over China, the Manchurians enforced on the Chinese their own practice of shaving the men's head except for the back and letting the back hair grow into a long braid called a queu. They kept their clothing and eating habits but converted to Chinese Confucianism. So that's the background on the Manchurians.
The Ching imperial family's name was the Aisin-Gioro clan. As far as I know, this is the Chinese pronunciation. I have no idea what the Manchurian pronunciation is. They lived in the Forbidden City as the previous Ming emperors had. They kept eunuchs as most previous dynasties did. All grown men were not allowed in the Forbidden City after sunset except for the emperor and the eunuchs. The most famous emperors of the Ching Dynasty were Kang Hsi and Qian Long. One note about the emperors' names. The names we know them by now were not their actual names but their reign names. Also, each emperor has a temple name. For example, Emperor Qian Long's actual name is Hong Li; his reign name is Qian Long; and his temple name is Gao Tzung. Below are the emperors by reign names. Temple names and actual names are noted.
1. Actual name: Nurhachi (Temple name: Tai Tzu) - never officially became emperor; died before Manchurian's total conquer of China
2. Huang Tai Chi (Temple name: Tai Tzung) - died soon after becoming emperor
3. Shun Chi (Temple name: Shi Tzu; Actual name: Fu Ling) - died young; rumors had it that after his favorite concubine's death he went to a Buddhist temple and became a monk (I personally think it's unlikely. He probably died of a stroke)
4. Kang Hsi (Temple name: Shen Tzu; Actual name: Hsuan Yieh) - became emperor at age 8; strengthened the Ching Dynasty and stopped all rebellions; an excellent emperor in most people's eyes
5. Yung Cheng (Temple name: Shi Tzung; Actual name: Yi'n Chun) - rumored to have become the emperor by changing one brush stroke in Kang Hsi's will; mysteriously died (some say murder; some say stroke)
6. Qian Long (Temple name: Gao Tzung; Actual name: Hong Li) - lived the longest of all Ching emperors; gave up the throne to his son and died 4 years after his son's reign (many stories about this emperor and his many wives, including a concubine xiang)
7. Chia Chin (Temple name: Jen Tzung; Actual name: Shun Yen) - not much known about him; his reign was the time when the Ching Dynasty started to weaken
8. Tao Kuang (Temple name: Shuan Tzung; Actual name: Yen Ning) - first Opium war during his reign; died of a broken heart and grief for his dead mother
9. Hsien Feng (Temple name: Wen Tzung; Actual name: I Ning) - Tai Ping rebellion during his reign; died in his 30's at Jehol hunting lodge probably from liver ailment; the reputed Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi (Cixi) was his concubine
10. Tung Chih (Temple name: Mu Tzung; Actual name: Tzai Chun) - became emperor at age 6; Dowager Empress Cixi's son; didn't actually reigned; his mother, his legal mother Empress Dowager Tzu An; and his uncle Prince Kung were the actual rulers; died young at age 19 from either smallpox or syphilis; rumored to be bisexual
11. Kuang Hsu (Temple name: Te Tzung; Actual name: Tzai Tian) - became emperor at age 3; Dowager Empress Cixi's nephew; shouldn't have been emperor because he was of the same generation as Tung Chih; tried to reform China but was beaten by the conservatives in the court (historically known as Hundred Days Reform)
12. Hsuan Tung (no temple name; Actual name: Pu Yi) - last emperor of China; became emperor at age 3; the husband of Empress Wan Jung (Wan Rong); watch the movie The Last Emperor to learn more about him (the movie's pretty accurate)
One more note about empresses and concubines' names. The empresses and concubines were never known by their first names. They were known by their clan names. Their titles depend on their ranks. For example, Dowager Empress Cixi was of the rank of grand concubine. In front of their rank, there usually was a word which describes a virtue. For Cixi, it was the word Yi. Empresses were given a title when they're buried. Dowager empresses have the privilege of adding two words to the front of their titles every few years. By the end of Cixi's life, her full title was sixteen characters long. The only empress and concubines known by their first names were Pu Yi's empress and concubines.
I have many more stories about Ching emperors as well as some other dynasties' famous emperors and empresses. If you're interested, tell me.