Yixuan, 1st Prince Chun
Encyclopedia
Yixuan, 1st Prince Chun (16 October 1840 – 1 January 1891) was a prince of the Qing Dynasty
, the last reigning dynasty of China
. He was the father of the dynasty's penultimate emperor, the Guangxu Emperor
, and the paternal grandfather of China's last emperor, Puyi
.
in the twentieth year of his reign; and as the seventh son held title as the Seventh Prince (七王爺). Four months after Yixuan's birth his mother, Lady Wuya, a female attendant recently granted honoured status as the Noble Lady Lin (琳貴人) was elevated in rank to Imperial Concubine Lin (琳嬪), a rare distinction. Her rapid advancement continued in 1842 as Consort Lin (琳妃) and in 1846 as Noble Consort Lin (琳貴妃) and was ultimately graced posthumously by the Tongzhi Emperor
with the exalted title of Imperial Noble Consort Zhuang Shun
(莊順皇貴妃), a singular title exceeded only by "Empress".
, and Yixuan was made Prince Chun of the Second Rank (醇郡王). Although 1st Prince Chun led a quiet and undistinguished life at court during the Xianfeng Emperor's 11-year reign, his fortune was made by his sister-in-law, Empress Dowager Cixi
, following the Xianfeng Emperor's death.
In 1860, he was married by the Xiang Emperor's imperial decree to Empress Dowager Cixi's younger sister, Yehenara Wanzhen. The marriage created close ties between the house of 1st Prince Chun and the woman who was about to become regent
and absolute ruler of China. Then, on 22 August 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor
died, leaving his and Empress Dowager Cixi's
five-year old son, the future Tongzhi Emperor
, as his only heir. In the ensuing struggle over who would assume the regency, 1st Prince Chun sided with Empress Dowager Cixi's party. In November 1861, when Empress Dowager Cixi launched the Xinyou Coup (辛酉政變) with the help of the 1st Prince Chun's older half-brother, Yixin, Prince Gong, 1st Prince Chun carried out the order to arrest Sushun
, the leader of the opposing party, and brought him back to Beijing where he was beheaded.
As a result of this event, the prince found himself elevated to the highest military and government positions at court. Throughout the following 14 years of the Tongzhi Emperor's reign, 1st Prince Chun led a military and government career. In 1872, he was officially elevated to the rank of Prince Chun of the First Rank (醇親王).
Being the living father of an emperor was an unusual situation in the last centuries of imperial China, a situation which had existed only between 1796 and 1799 when the famous Qianlong Emperor
had abdicated in favor of his son the Jiaqing Emperor
. The tremendous respect for parents which is central to Chinese culture meant that as the father of the emperor, the 1st prince Chun would receive the highest honors and privileges. This was an extremely dangerous and uncomfortable position for him, given the prickly nature of Empress Dowager Cixi and her obsessional paranoia of any challenge to her absolute power.
The first decision of Prince Chun after his son became the Guangxu Emperor
was to resign all his official positions. He tried to keep a low profile, but was lavished with honors and privileges, which he tried to resist as much as possible. Soon after his son became emperor, the title of Prince of the First Rank (親王) was made hereditary for the 1st prince Chun's descendants, a very high privilege with which he could not decline.
In 1876, he sent a memorandum to the throne in which he condemned in advance anyone that would propose to grant him a special position in the hierarchy because he was father of the emperor. Following the resignation of his military and government posts, he was entrusted with the education of the young emperor, to which he consented. In the following years, with the disgrace of Prince Gong, the 1st prince Chun became unwillingly the most powerful figure at the imperial court after only Cixi. Cixi even ordered all ministers to discuss matters with Prince Chun before making decisions. Each step further, however, was making his position more dangerous, and the potential fall more frightening.
In 1881, Empress Dowager Ci'an
died suddenly, and rumors had it that she had been poisoned by Cixi. This made the 1st prince Chun even more cautious and eager to please Cixi in all possible ways. In the beginning of 1887, the Guangxu Emperor came of age, but Prince Chun officially asked Cixi to prolong her regency.
In 1885, Cixi appointed him Controller of the Admiralty, in charge of supervising the building of the new imperial navy. He was sent on an inspection tour to the naval yards on the coast of China. Later he was involved in the infamous embezzlement of public funds, initially allocated to the building of the navy, but which were used instead in a large measure for the restoration and enlargement of the Summer Palace
for Cixi, in order to replace the Old Summer Palace
which had been destroyed by the English-French expeditionary forces in 1860.
The Chinese imperial navy, deprived of funding, was to suffer a humiliating defeat in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). His desire to please Cixi was such that he did not even stop work on the Summer Palace
to relieve the victims of the terrible flooding that hit the region of Beijing; and so the enlargement of the Summer Palace was completed as early as the Spring of 1891. The 1st prince Chun died shortly before completion, on 1 January 1891. His second oldest surviving son became the new prince of the first rank Chun on that same day (see 2nd Prince Chun).
He was given the posthumous name
Xian (賢 - meaning "the Sage" [i.e. he who possesses both moral qualities and practical skills]) which, added to his princely title in Chinese
, helps to differentiate him from his son the 2nd prince Chun: the former is Prince of the First Rank Chun Xian (醇賢親王), while the latter is only Prince of the First Rank Chun (醇親王).
He was interred in a tomb of princely rank (園寢), now popularly known as the "Grave of the Seventh Prince" (七王坟), located 35 km/22 miles northwest of Beijing
. According to Puyi
's autobiography, a ginkgo tree grew on the tomb of the 1st prince Chun, and became very tall and imposing. This fact was reported to Empress Dowager Cixi
and greatly alarmed her. In Chinese
, the first character of the word "ginkgo tree" is bai (白), while the first character of the word "emperor" is huang (皇), which combines the character bai with the character wang (王 - meaning "prince", 親王). A ginkgo (character 白) growing on the tomb of the 1st prince Chun (character 王) was interpreted as a sign that a new emperor (character 皇) would emerge in the house of Prince Chun. This was unacceptable for the very superstitious Cixi, as obsessed as ever with thwarting any challenge to her power, and so she promptly had the tree felled. The tomb of the 1st prince Chun was restored by the People's Republic of China
after 1949 and is now one of the tourist attractions around Beijing.
The tomb and surrounding area appears in Quentin Tarantino
's movie Kill Bill Volume 2
as the home and training grounds of legendary Shaolin monk Pai Mei.
is located near Shichahai
in Beijing
.
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, the last reigning dynasty of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He was the father of the dynasty's penultimate emperor, the Guangxu Emperor
Guangxu Emperor
The Guangxu Emperor , born Zaitian of the Aisin-Gioro clan, was the eleventh emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, under Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898...
, and the paternal grandfather of China's last emperor, Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
.
Birth and early life
Aisin Gioro Yi Xuan (愛新覺羅奕譞) was born a son of the Daoguang EmperorDaoguang Emperor
The Daoguang Emperor was the eighth emperor of the Manchurian Qing dynasty and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1820 to 1850.-Early years:...
in the twentieth year of his reign; and as the seventh son held title as the Seventh Prince (七王爺). Four months after Yixuan's birth his mother, Lady Wuya, a female attendant recently granted honoured status as the Noble Lady Lin (琳貴人) was elevated in rank to Imperial Concubine Lin (琳嬪), a rare distinction. Her rapid advancement continued in 1842 as Consort Lin (琳妃) and in 1846 as Noble Consort Lin (琳貴妃) and was ultimately graced posthumously by the Tongzhi Emperor
Tongzhi Emperor
The Tongzhi Emperor , born Aisin-Gioro Dzai Šun, was the tenth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. His reign, which effectively lasted through his adolescence, was largely overshadowed by the rule of his mother, the Empress...
with the exalted title of Imperial Noble Consort Zhuang Shun
Imperial Noble Consort Zhuang Shun
Imperial Noble Consort Zhuang Shun was a concubine of the Daoguang Emperor, grandmother of the Guangxu emperor and great grandmother of Puyi.- Biography :Imperial Noble Consort nee Wuya was the daughter of Ling Shou...
(莊順皇貴妃), a singular title exceeded only by "Empress".
During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi Emperors' reigns
In February 1850, Yixuan's older half-brother Yizhu (奕詝) ascended the throne as the Xianfeng EmperorXianfeng Emperor
The Xianfeng Emperor , born Aisin-Gioro I Ju, was the ninth Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861.-Family and his early years:...
, and Yixuan was made Prince Chun of the Second Rank (醇郡王). Although 1st Prince Chun led a quiet and undistinguished life at court during the Xianfeng Emperor's 11-year reign, his fortune was made by his sister-in-law, Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
, following the Xianfeng Emperor's death.
In 1860, he was married by the Xiang Emperor's imperial decree to Empress Dowager Cixi's younger sister, Yehenara Wanzhen. The marriage created close ties between the house of 1st Prince Chun and the woman who was about to become regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
and absolute ruler of China. Then, on 22 August 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor
Xianfeng Emperor
The Xianfeng Emperor , born Aisin-Gioro I Ju, was the ninth Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861.-Family and his early years:...
died, leaving his and Empress Dowager Cixi's
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
five-year old son, the future Tongzhi Emperor
Tongzhi Emperor
The Tongzhi Emperor , born Aisin-Gioro Dzai Šun, was the tenth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1861 to 1875. His reign, which effectively lasted through his adolescence, was largely overshadowed by the rule of his mother, the Empress...
, as his only heir. In the ensuing struggle over who would assume the regency, 1st Prince Chun sided with Empress Dowager Cixi's party. In November 1861, when Empress Dowager Cixi launched the Xinyou Coup (辛酉政變) with the help of the 1st Prince Chun's older half-brother, Yixin, Prince Gong, 1st Prince Chun carried out the order to arrest Sushun
Sushun
Sushun ; Styled: Yuting was born in the Manchu Aisin-Gioro Clan as the sixth son of Ulgungga , the Prince Zheng....
, the leader of the opposing party, and brought him back to Beijing where he was beheaded.
As a result of this event, the prince found himself elevated to the highest military and government positions at court. Throughout the following 14 years of the Tongzhi Emperor's reign, 1st Prince Chun led a military and government career. In 1872, he was officially elevated to the rank of Prince Chun of the First Rank (醇親王).
During the Guangxu Emperor's reign
The third major event in his life happened when the Tongzhi Emperor died without an heir in January 1875. Empress Dowager Cixi then chose the eldest son of the 1st prince Chun, a 2-year-old boy, to become the new emperor, the Guangxu Emperor. The choice had many advantages for Cixi: the young boy was her nephew (his mother, the principal wife of the 1st prince Chun, was the younger sister of Cixi, as was explained above); the 1st prince Chun had always been a loyal follower of Cixi; the boy was only 2-year old, which would give Cixi another period of regency. For the 1st prince Chun, however, the choice was a catastrophe. As he heard the announcement that his son had been chosen for emperor, he reportedly beat his head and cried bitterly, and then fell unconscious on the floor.Being the living father of an emperor was an unusual situation in the last centuries of imperial China, a situation which had existed only between 1796 and 1799 when the famous Qianlong Emperor
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
had abdicated in favor of his son the Jiaqing Emperor
Jiaqing Emperor
The Jiaqing Emperor was the seventh emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1796 to 1820....
. The tremendous respect for parents which is central to Chinese culture meant that as the father of the emperor, the 1st prince Chun would receive the highest honors and privileges. This was an extremely dangerous and uncomfortable position for him, given the prickly nature of Empress Dowager Cixi and her obsessional paranoia of any challenge to her absolute power.
The first decision of Prince Chun after his son became the Guangxu Emperor
Guangxu Emperor
The Guangxu Emperor , born Zaitian of the Aisin-Gioro clan, was the eleventh emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, under Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898...
was to resign all his official positions. He tried to keep a low profile, but was lavished with honors and privileges, which he tried to resist as much as possible. Soon after his son became emperor, the title of Prince of the First Rank (親王) was made hereditary for the 1st prince Chun's descendants, a very high privilege with which he could not decline.
In 1876, he sent a memorandum to the throne in which he condemned in advance anyone that would propose to grant him a special position in the hierarchy because he was father of the emperor. Following the resignation of his military and government posts, he was entrusted with the education of the young emperor, to which he consented. In the following years, with the disgrace of Prince Gong, the 1st prince Chun became unwillingly the most powerful figure at the imperial court after only Cixi. Cixi even ordered all ministers to discuss matters with Prince Chun before making decisions. Each step further, however, was making his position more dangerous, and the potential fall more frightening.
In 1881, Empress Dowager Ci'an
Empress Dowager Ci'an
Empress Dowager Ci'an , popularly known in China as the East Empress Dowager , and officially known posthumously as the Empress Xiao Zhen Xian , was the second Empress Consort of the Xianfeng Emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China, and then Empress Dowager after 1861...
died suddenly, and rumors had it that she had been poisoned by Cixi. This made the 1st prince Chun even more cautious and eager to please Cixi in all possible ways. In the beginning of 1887, the Guangxu Emperor came of age, but Prince Chun officially asked Cixi to prolong her regency.
In 1885, Cixi appointed him Controller of the Admiralty, in charge of supervising the building of the new imperial navy. He was sent on an inspection tour to the naval yards on the coast of China. Later he was involved in the infamous embezzlement of public funds, initially allocated to the building of the navy, but which were used instead in a large measure for the restoration and enlargement of the Summer Palace
Summer Palace
The Summer Palace is a palace in Beijing, China. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water....
for Cixi, in order to replace the Old Summer Palace
Old Summer Palace
The Old Summer Palace, known in China as Yuan Ming Yuan , and originally called the Imperial Gardens, was a complex of palaces and gardens in Beijing...
which had been destroyed by the English-French expeditionary forces in 1860.
The Chinese imperial navy, deprived of funding, was to suffer a humiliating defeat in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895). His desire to please Cixi was such that he did not even stop work on the Summer Palace
Summer Palace
The Summer Palace is a palace in Beijing, China. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water....
to relieve the victims of the terrible flooding that hit the region of Beijing; and so the enlargement of the Summer Palace was completed as early as the Spring of 1891. The 1st prince Chun died shortly before completion, on 1 January 1891. His second oldest surviving son became the new prince of the first rank Chun on that same day (see 2nd Prince Chun).
He was given the posthumous name
Posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...
Xian (賢 - meaning "the Sage" [i.e. he who possesses both moral qualities and practical skills]) which, added to his princely title in Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, helps to differentiate him from his son the 2nd prince Chun: the former is Prince of the First Rank Chun Xian (醇賢親王), while the latter is only Prince of the First Rank Chun (醇親王).
Family
- Father
- Daoguang EmperorDaoguang EmperorThe Daoguang Emperor was the eighth emperor of the Manchurian Qing dynasty and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1820 to 1850.-Early years:...
- Daoguang Emperor
- Mother
- Imperial Noble Consort Zhuang ShunImperial Noble Consort Zhuang ShunImperial Noble Consort Zhuang Shun was a concubine of the Daoguang Emperor, grandmother of the Guangxu emperor and great grandmother of Puyi.- Biography :Imperial Noble Consort nee Wuya was the daughter of Ling Shou...
(1822 - 1 January 1867), of the Uya clan (烏雅氏), daughter of Lingshou (靈壽)
- Imperial Noble Consort Zhuang Shun
- Wife
- Yehenara Wanzhen (葉赫那拉·婉貞) (13 September 1841 - 19 June 1896), younger sister of Empress Dowager CixiEmpress Dowager CixiEmpress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
; mother of Zairong, the Guangxu EmperorGuangxu EmperorThe Guangxu Emperor , born Zaitian of the Aisin-Gioro clan, was the eleventh emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, under Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898...
, Yixuan's third son, and Zaiguang
- Yehenara Wanzhen (葉赫那拉·婉貞) (13 September 1841 - 19 June 1896), younger sister of Empress Dowager Cixi
- Concubine
- Lady Yanja (顏扎氏), daughter of Laifu (來福)
- Lady LingiyaLady LingiyaLady Lingiya was second concubine of the 1st Prince Chun. She was the mother of the 2nd Prince Chun. This made her the paternal grandmother of the last Chinese Emperor Puyi....
(劉佳氏) (1866–1925), daughter of Deqing (德慶); mother ZaifengZaifeng, 2nd Prince ChunThe 2nd Prince Chun was born Zaifeng , of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan . He was the leader of China between 1908 and 1911, serving as regent for his son Puyi, the Xuantong Emperor.His courtesy name was Yiyun...
, Zaixun, Zaitao, and Yixuan's second daughter - Lady Ligiya (李佳氏) (?-1928), daughter of Dechun (德純); mother of Yixuan's third daughter
- Sons
- Zairong (載瀚) (1 February 1865 - 9 December 1866), died young
- Zaitian (載湉) (14 August 1871 - 14 November 1908), ascended the throne as the Guangxu EmperorGuangxu EmperorThe Guangxu Emperor , born Zaitian of the Aisin-Gioro clan, was the eleventh emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, under Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898...
- unnamed son (13 February 1875 - 14 February 1875), died a day after his birth
- Zaiguang (載洸) (28 November 1880 - 18 May 1884), died young
- ZaifengZaifeng, 2nd Prince ChunThe 2nd Prince Chun was born Zaifeng , of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan . He was the leader of China between 1908 and 1911, serving as regent for his son Puyi, the Xuantong Emperor.His courtesy name was Yiyun...
(載灃) (12 February 1883 - 3 February 1951), succeeded Yixuan as Prince ChunPrince ChunPrince Chun was a title of nobility created in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty for his younger half-brother Yixuan. When Yixuan first held the title, he was a Prince of the Second Rank , but was later promoted to a Prince of the First Rank...
; father of Puyi, the Xuantong EmperorPuyiPuyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the... - Zaixun (載洵) (1886–1949)
- Zaitao (載濤) (1888 - 2 September 1970), titled Prince Zhong of the Second Rank (鍾郡王)
- Daughters
- Eldest daughter (11 April 1861 - 24 November 1866), died young
- Second daughter, died at the age of three
- Third daughter, died at the age of twenty-eight.
Ancestry
Tomb
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. According to Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
's autobiography, a ginkgo tree grew on the tomb of the 1st prince Chun, and became very tall and imposing. This fact was reported to Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
and greatly alarmed her. In Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, the first character of the word "ginkgo tree" is bai (白), while the first character of the word "emperor" is huang (皇), which combines the character bai with the character wang (王 - meaning "prince", 親王). A ginkgo (character 白) growing on the tomb of the 1st prince Chun (character 王) was interpreted as a sign that a new emperor (character 皇) would emerge in the house of Prince Chun. This was unacceptable for the very superstitious Cixi, as obsessed as ever with thwarting any challenge to her power, and so she promptly had the tree felled. The tomb of the 1st prince Chun was restored by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
after 1949 and is now one of the tourist attractions around Beijing.
The tomb and surrounding area appears in Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's movie Kill Bill Volume 2
Kill Bill Volume 2
Kill Bill Volume 2 is a 2004 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the second of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart. Kill Bill was originally scheduled for a single theatrical release, but with a running time of over four hours, it was...
as the home and training grounds of legendary Shaolin monk Pai Mei.
Former Mansion
The former residence of the 1st Prince Chun and his familyPrince Chun Mansion
The Prince Chun Mansion is a large residence mansion in the siheyuan style and garden located near the Shichahai in central Beijing. Originally it was the lavish residence house of Prince Chun, now the mansion is a public museum and opens to visitors all year around....
is located near Shichahai
Shichahai
Shichahai is an historic scenic area consisting of three lakes in the north of central Beijing in China. They are located to the north-west of the Forbidden City and north-west of the Beihai Lake. Shichahai consists of the following three lakes: Qianhai , Xihai and Houhai...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
Sources
- Qing dynasty Wenzong’s veritable records (清文宗实录).
- Qing dynasty Dézōng veritable records (清德宗實錄).
- Royal archives of the Qing dynasty (清宫档案).
- Qing imperial genealogy(清皇室四谱).
- Draft history of the Qing dynasty. 《清史稿》
- Sterling Seagraves, "Dragon Lady" ISBN 0679733698.
- Maria Warner", "The Dragon Empress": Life and Times of Tz'u-Hsi, 1835–1908, Empress of China". ISBN 0689707142.
- Daily life in the Forbidden City, Wan Yi, Wang Shuqing, Lu Yanzhen. ISBN 0-670-81164-5.