Imperial Noble Consort Xianzhe | |
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Born | 2 July 1856 |
Died | 5 February 1932 Beijing, China |
(aged 75)
Burial | 14 March 1935 Huiling Mausoleum, Eastern Qing tombs, China |
Spouse | Tongzhi Emperor |
House | Hešeri (by birth) Aisin Gioro (by marriage) |
Imperial Noble Consort Xianzhe | |||||||
Traditional Chinese | 獻哲皇貴妃 | ||||||
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Simplified Chinese | 献哲皇贵妃 | ||||||
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Transcriptions | |
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Standard Mandarin | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Xiànzhé Huáng Guìfēi |
Imperial Noble Consort Xianzhe (2 July 1856 – 5 February 1932) was a consort of the Tongzhi Emperor of the Qing dynasty.
Imperial Noble Consort Xianzhe was born in the Manchu Hešeri clan (赫舍里氏), which was under the Bordered Blue Banner. Her father, Chongling (崇齡), was a prefecture governor. Lady Hešeri was gifted with beautiful looks and literary skills. In 1872, she entered the Forbidden City after being shortlisted as a candidate to be a consort of the Tongzhi Emperor. She was given the rank of Imperial Concubine under the title "Imperial Concubine Yu" (瑜嬪). She was also deeply favoured by the emperor's mother, Empress Dowager Cixi. In 1874, when the Tongzhi Emperor became critically ill, she prayed for his health but the emperor still died anyway. In the same year, the Guangxu Emperor, who succeeded the Tongzhi Emperor, promoted Lady Hešeri to "Consort Yu" (瑜妃).
In 1894, when Empress Dowager Cixi celebrated her 60th birthday, Lady Hešeri was further promoted to "Noble Consort Yu" (瑜貴妃). In 1900, when the forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor fled from Beijing and left Lady Hešeri and other consorts behind. As Imperial Noble Consort Dunyi Rongqing, the most senior among the Tongzhi Emperor's surviving consorts, was in poor health, Lady Hešeri covered her duties for her and took charge of the imperial palace in the Guangxu Emperor's absence.
On 18 November 1908, four days after the Guangxu Emperor died, the new emperor Puyi honoured Lady Hešeri with the title "Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Yu" (皇考瑜皇貴妃). After the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912, Puyi and members of the imperial clan were allowed to retain their noble titles and continue living in the Forbidden City. On 12 March 1913, Puyi honoured Lady Hešeri with the title "Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Jingyi" (皇考敬懿皇貴妃).