Daoguang Emperor

Daoguang Emperor Doro Eldengge Han 道光帝 Төр Гэрэлт Хаан
8th Qing Emperor of China
Reign	3 October 1820 – 25 February 1850
Predecessor	Jiaqing Emperor
Successor	Xianfeng Emperor
Born	16 September 1782 Forbidden City, Beijing
Died	25 February 1850 (aged 67) Old Summer Palace, Beijing
Burial	Western Qing Tombs
Empress	Empress Xiaomucheng Empress Xiaoshencheng Empress Xiaoquancheng Empress Xiaojingcheng
Issue	Yiwei, Prince Yinzhi Gulun Princess Duanmin Gulun Princess Duanshun Gulun Princess Shou'an Yigang, Prince Shun Heshuo Princess Shouzang Yiji, Prince Hui Gulun Princess Shou'en Yizhu, Xianfeng Emperor Yicong, Prince Dun Yixin, Prince Gong Yixuan, Prince Chun Heshuo Princess Shouxi Gulun Princess Shouzhuang Yihe, Prince Zhong Yihui, Prince Fu three other unnamed daughters
Full name Chinese: Aixin-Jueluo Mianning愛新覺羅綿寧, later Minning Manchu: Aisin-Gioro hala i Min-Ning Posthumous name Emperor Xiàotiān Fúyùn Lìzhōng Tǐzhèng Zhìwén Shèngwǔ Zhìyǒng Réncí Jiǎnqín Xiàomǐn Kuāndìng Chéng 效天符運立中體正至文聖武智勇仁慈儉勤孝敏寬定成皇帝 Temple name Qīng Xuānzōng 清宣宗
House	Aisin Gioro
Father	Jiaqing Emperor
Mother	Empress Xiaoshurui

Portrait of the Daoguang Emperor sitting in the garden

The Daoguang Emperor is presented with prisoners of the campaign to pacify rebels in Xinjiang at the Meridian Gate in 1828

The Daoguang Emperor with his empress, imperial consorts and children in a palace courtyard

The Daoguang Emperor with his children

The Daoguang Emperor inspecting his guards at the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City

The Daoguang Emperor (Chinese: 道光帝; pinyin: Dàoguāng Dì; Wade–Giles: Tao⁴-kuang¹ Ti⁴; Manchu: ᡩᠣᡵᠣ ᡝᠯᡩᡝᠩᡤᡝ, Doro Eldengge Hūwangdi; ᠲᠥᠷᠥ ᠭᠡᠷᠡᠯᠲᠦ, Төр Гэрэлт Хаан; 16 September 1782 – 25 February 1850) was the eighth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1820 to 1850. His reign was marked by "external disaster and internal rebellion," that is, by the First Opium War, and the beginning of the Taiping Rebellion which nearly brought down the dynasty. The historian Jonathan Spence characterizes the Daoguang Emperor as a "well meaning but ineffective man," who promoted officials who "presented a purist view even if they had nothing to say about the domestic and foreign problems surrounding the dynasty."^[1]

Early years

The Daoguang Emperor was born in the Forbidden City, Beijing, and was given the name Mianning (绵宁; 綿寧; Miánníng; Mien-ning). It was later changed to Minning (旻宁; 旻寧; Mǐnníng; Min-ning; Manchu: ᠮᡳᠨ ᠨᡳᠩ Min-ning) when he became emperor: The first character of his private name was changed from Mian to Min to avoid the relatively common character Mian. This novelty was introduced by his grandfather, the Qianlong Emperor, who thought it inappropriate to use a common character in the emperor's private name due to the longstanding practice of naming taboo.

Mianning was the second son of Yongyan, the 15th son of the Qianlong Emperor. Even though he was Yongyan's second son, he was first in line to succeed his father according to the dishu system because his mother, Lady Hitara, was Yongyan's primary spouse whereas his elder brother was born to Yongyan's concubine. In 1796, Yongyan was enthroned as the Jiaqing Emperor, after which he made Lady Hitara his empress consort.

Mianning was favoured by his grandfather, the Qianlong Emperor. He frequently accompanied his grandfather on hunting trips. On one such trip, at the age of nine, Mianning successfully hunted a deer, which greatly amused the Qianlong Emperor. In 1813, while he was still a prince, Mianning also played a vital role in repelling and killing White Lotus invaders who stormed the Forbidden City. This action earned him important merit in securing his claim to the throne later on.

Reign

Khoja rebellion in Xinjiang

In September 1820, at the age of 38, Mianning inherited the throne after the Jiaqing Emperor died suddenly of unknown causes. He became the first Qing emperor who was the eldest legitimate son of his father. Now known as the Daoguang Emperor, he inherited a declining empire with Westerners encroaching upon the borders of China. The Daoguang Emperor had been ruling for six years when the exiled heir to the Khojas, Jahangir Khoja, attacked Xinjiang from Kokand. By the end of 1826, the former Qing cities of Kashgar, Yarkand, Khotan, and Yangihissar had all fallen to the rebels.^[2][3] After a friend betrayed him in March 1827, Khoja was sent to Beijing in an iron litter and subsequently executed,^[4] while the Qing Empire regained control of their lost territory.

First Opium War

During the Daoguang Emperor's reign, China experienced major problems with opium, which was imported into China by British merchants. Opium had started to trickle into China during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, but was limited to approximately 200 chests annually. By the time of the Qianlong era, this amount had increased to 1,000 chests, 4,000 chests by the Jiaqing era and more than 30,000 chests during the Daoguang era.

The Daoguang Emperor issued many imperial edicts banning opium in the 1820s and 1830s, which were carried out by Lin Zexu, whom he appointed as an Imperial Commissioner. Lin Zexu's efforts to halt the spread of opium in China led directly to the First Opium War. With the development of the First Opium War, Lin Zexu was made a scapegoat and the Daoguang Emperor removed Lin's authority and banished him to Yili. Meanwhile, in the Himalayas, the Sikh Empire attempted an occupation of Tibet but was defeated in the Sino-Sikh war (1841–1842). On the coasts, technologically and militarily inferior to the European powers, the Qing Empire lost the war and ceded Hong Kong to the British in the Treaty of Nanjing in August 1842.

Anti-Christianity

In 1811, a clause sentencing Europeans to death for spreading Catholicism had been added to the statute called "Prohibitions Concerning Sorcerers and Sorceresses" (禁止師巫邪術) in the Great Qing Code.^[5] Protestants hoped that the Qing government would discriminate between Protestantism and Catholicism, since the law mentioned the latter by name, but after Protestant missionaries gave Christian books to Chinese in 1835 and 1836, the Daoguang Emperor demanded to know who were the "traitorous natives" in Guangzhou who had supplied them with books.^[6]

Nobility titles

The Daoguang Emperor granted the title of "Wujing Boshi" (五經博士; Wǔjīng Bóshì) to the descendants of Ran Qiu.^[7]

Death and legacy

The Daoguang Emperor died on 25 February 1850 at the Old Summer Palace, 8 km/5 miles northwest of Beijing. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Yizhu, who was later enthroned as the Xianfeng Emperor. The Daoguang Emperor failed to understand the intention or determination of the Europeans, or the basic economics of a war on drugs. Although the Europeans were outnumbered and thousands of miles away from logistical support in their native countries, they could bring far superior firepower to bear at any point of contact along the Chinese coast. The Qing government was highly dependent on the continued flow of taxes from southern China via the Grand Canal, which the British expeditionary force easily cut off at Zhenjiang. The Daoguang Emperor ultimately had a poor understanding of the British and the industrial revolution that Britain and Western Europe had undergone, preferring to turn a blind eye to the rest of the world. It was said that the emperor did not even know where Britain was located in the world. His 30-year reign introduced the initial onslaught by Western imperialism and foreign invasions that would plague China, in one form or another, for the next one hundred years.

The Daoguang Emperor was interred in the Muling (慕陵; literally "Tomb of Longing" or "Tomb of Admiration") mausoleum, which is part of the Western Qing Tombs, 120 kilometers/75 miles southwest of Beijing.

On a side note, the Daoguang Emperor was the last Qing emperor to be able to choose an heir among his sons since his successors either had only one surviving son or had no offspring.

Family

• Father: Jiaqing Emperor
• Mother: Empress Xiaoshurui

Spouses

Title / Posthumous title	Name	Born	Died	Father	Notes
Empress Xiaomucheng 孝穆成皇后	Lady Niohuru 鈕祜祿氏	unknown	1808	Buyandalai (布彥達賚) of the Niohuru clan	Married Mianning in 1796 and became his primary consort; Died before Mianning became Emperor; Posthumously honoured as an Empress
Empress Xiaoshencheng 孝慎成皇后	Lady Tunggiya 佟佳氏	1790	29 April 1833	Shuming'a (舒明阿) of the Tunggiya clan	Descendant of Tong Tulai (佟圖賴; 1606–1658); Became Mianning's secondary consort in 1803; Promoted to Mianning's primary consort in 1808; Instated as Empress in 1822
Empress Xiaoquancheng 孝全成皇后	Lady Niohuru 鈕祜祿氏	24 March 1808	13 February 1840	Yiling (頤齡) of the Niohuru clan	Became Noble Lady Quan (全貴人) in 1821; Promoted to Imperial Concubine Quan (全嬪) in 1822; Promoted to Consort Quan (全妃) on 24 March 1823; Promoted to Noble Consort Quan (全貴妃) on 30 May 1825; Promoted to Imperial Noble Consort Quan (全皇貴妃) on 28 September 1833; Promoted to Empress on 18 November 1834
Empress Xiaojingcheng 孝靜成皇后	Lady Borjigit 博爾濟吉特氏	19 June 1812	21 August 1855	Hualiang'a (花良阿) of the Borjigit clan	Became Noble Lady Jing (靜貴人) in the early 1820s; Promoted to Imperial Concubine Jing (靜嬪) in 1826; Promoted to Consort Jing (靜妃) in 1827; Promoted to Noble Consort Jing (靜貴妃) in 1835; Promoted to Imperial Noble Consort Jing (靜皇貴妃) in 1841; Promoted to Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Kangci (皇考康慈皇貴太妃) in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Promoted to Empress Dowager Kangci (康慈皇太后) in 1855 on her deathbed
Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangshun 莊順皇貴妃	Lady Uya 烏雅氏	1822	1866	Lingshou (靈壽) of the Uya clan	Became Noble Lady Lin (琳貴人) in 1835 or 1836; Demoted to Changzai Xiu (秀常在) in 1837; Restored as Noble Lady Lin in 1839; Promoted to Imperial Concubine Lin (琳嬪) in 1840; Promoted to Consort Lin (琳妃) in 1842; Promoted to Noble Consort Lin (琳貴妃) in 1846; Promoted to Dowager Noble Consort Lin (皇考琳貴太妃) in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Lin (皇祖琳皇貴太妃) in 1861 by the Tongzhi Emperor
Noble Consort Tong 彤貴妃	Lady Sumuru 舒穆魯氏	unknown	1877	Yuzhang (玉彰) of the Sumuru clan	Started out as Noble Lady Tong (彤貴人); Promoted to Imperial Concubine Tong (彤嬪) in 1832; Promoted to Consort Tong (彤妃) in 1834; Promoted to Noble Consort Tong (彤貴妃) in 1836; Demoted to Noble Lady Tong (彤貴人) in 1844; Promoted to Dowager Imperial Concubine Tong (皇考彤嬪) in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Noble Consort Tong (皇祖彤貴妃) in 1874 by the Tongzhi Emperor
Noble Consort Jia 佳貴妃	Lady Gogiya 郭佳氏	1816	1890	unknown	Started out as Noble Lady Jia (佳貴人); Promoted to Imperial Concubine Jia (佳嬪) in 1836; Demoted to Noble Lady Jia later; Promoted to Dowager Imperial Concubine Jia (皇考佳嬪) in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Consort Jia (皇祖佳妃) in 1862 by the Tongzhi Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Noble Consort Jia (皇祖佳貴妃) in 1874
Noble Consort Cheng 成貴妃	Lady Niohuru 鈕祜祿氏	1813	1888	unknown	Started out as Noble Lady Cheng (成貴人); Promoted to Imperial Concubine Cheng (成嬪) in 1835; Demoted to Noble Lady Cheng in 1847; Promoted to Dowager Imperial Concubine Cheng (皇考成嬪) in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Consort Cheng (皇祖成妃) in 1861 by the Tongzhi Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Noble Consort Cheng (皇祖成貴妃) in 1876 by the Guangxu Emperor
Consort He 和妃	Lady Nara 納喇氏	unknown	1836	Chengwen (成文) of the Nara clan	Started out as a Female Attendant to Mianning; Became Mianning's secondary consort in 1808; Became Imperial Concubine He (和嬪) in 1822 after the Daoguang Emperor's coronation; Promoted to Consort He in 1823
Consort Xiang 祥妃	Lady Niohuru 鈕祜祿氏	unknown	1861	Jiufu (久福) of the Niohuru clan	Started out as Noble Lady Xiang (祥貴人); Promoted to Imperial Concubine Xiang (祥嬪) in 1823; Promoted to Consort Xiang in 1825
Consort Chang 常妃	Lady Hešeri 赫舍里氏		31 December 1808	7 October 1860	Became Noble Lady Chang (常貴人) in 1829; Promoted to Dowager Imperial Concubine Chang (皇考常嬪) in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Posthumously promoted to Consort Chang by the Tongzhi Emperor
Imperial Concubine Zhen 珍嬪	Lady Hešeri 赫舍里氏	unknown	unknown	Ronghai (容海) of the Hešeri clan	Started out as Noble Lady Zhen (珍貴人); Promoted to Imperial Concubine Zhen in 1824 and promoted to Consort Zhen (珍妃) four months later; Demoted to Imperial Concubine Zhen later
Imperial Concubine Tian 恬嬪	Lady Fuca 富察氏	unknown	1845	unknown	Started out as a secondary consort of Mianning; Became Imperial Concubine Tian in 1820 after the Daoguang Emperor's coronation
Imperial Concubine Yu 豫嬪	Lady Shanggiya 尚佳氏	unknown	unknown	unknown	Started out as a daying; Promoted to changzai in 1850; Promoted to Dowager Noble Lady Shang (皇考尚貴人) in 1861 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Imperial Concubine Yu (皇祖豫嬪) in 1874 by the Tongzhi Emperor
Imperial Concubine Shun 順嬪	Lady Nara 那拉氏	unknown	unknown	unknown	Started out as a changzai; Promoted to Noble Lady Shun (順貴人) in 1861; Promoted to Dowager Imperial Concubine Shun (皇考順嬪) in 1861 by the Xianfeng Emperor
Imperial Concubine Heng 恆嬪	Lady Caigiya 蔡佳氏	unknown	27 June 1876	unknown	Started out as Changzai Yi (宜常在); Promoted to Noble Lady Yi (宜貴人) in 1834; Demoted to Changzai Yi later; Further demoted to Daying Cai (蔡答應) in 1838; Promoted to Dowager Changzai Cai (皇考蔡常在) in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Noble Lady Cai (皇祖蔡貴人) in 1861 by the Tongzhi Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Imperial Concubine Heng (皇祖恆嬪) in 1874
Noble Lady Ping 平貴人	Lady Zhao 趙氏	unknown	5 May 1823	unknown	Started out as a concubine of Mianning; Promoted to Noble Lady Ping in 1820
Noble Lady Li 李貴人	Lady Li 李氏	unknown	unknown	Li Shanbao (李善保)	Became Changzai Yi (意常在) in 1840 but demoted to Daying Li (李答應) nine months later; Promoted to Dowager Changzai Li (皇考李常在) in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Noble Lady Li (皇祖李貴人) in 1861 by the Tongzhi Emperor
Noble Lady Na 那貴人	Lady Na 那氏	5 August 1825	9 September 1865	Najun (那俊)	Became Changzai Lu (琭常在) in 1840 and promoted to Noble Lady Lu (琭貴人) nine months later; Demoted to Changzai Lu in 1841; Demoted to Daying Na (那答應) in 1845; Promoted to Dowager Changzai Na (皇考那常在) in 1850 by the Xianfeng Emperor; Promoted to Grand Dowager Noble Lady Na (皇祖那貴人) in 1861 by the Tongzhi Emperor
Noble Lady Ding 定貴人	Lady Sun 孫氏	unknown	24 January 1843	unknown	Started out as a concubine of Mianning; Became Noble Lady Ding in 1820
Changzai Man 蔓常在	unknown	unknown	1833	unknown
Daying Mu 睦答應	Lady Hešeri 赫舍里氏	unknown	1835	unknown	Became Noble Lady Mu (睦貴人) in 1822; Promoted to Imperial Concubine Mu (睦嬪) in 1830; Demoted to Noble Lady Mu in 1831 and then to Daying Mu
Female Attendant 官女子	Lady Liu 劉氏	unknown	1842	unknown	Became Daying Liu (劉答應) in 1833; Demoted to Female Attendant in 1835

^[8]

Sons

#	Title / Posthumous title	Name	Born	Died	Mother	Notes
1	Prince Yinzhi of the Second Rank 隱志郡王	Yiwei 奕緯	16 May 1808	23 May 1831	Consort He	Made a beile in 1819; Given the posthumous name "Yinzhi" (隱志) in 1831 by his father; Posthumously honoured as a junwang by the Xianfeng Emperor
2	Prince Shunhe of the Second Rank 順和郡王	Yigang 奕綱	22 November 1826	5 March 1827	Empress Xiaojingcheng	Died in infancy; Posthumously honoured as a junwang by the Xianfeng Emperor
3	Prince Huizhi of the Second Rank 慧質郡王	Yiji 奕繼	2 December 1829	22 January 1830	Empress Xiaojingcheng	Died in infancy; Posthumously honoured as a junwang by the Xianfeng Emperor
4	Xianfeng Emperor 咸豐帝	Yizhu 奕詝	17 July 1831	22 August 1861	Empress Xiaoquancheng	Enthroned on 9 March 1850
5	Prince Dunqin of the First Rank 惇勤親王	Yicong 奕誴	23 July 1831	18 February 1889	Consort Xiang	Adopted as Miankai's son in 1838 and inherited the Prince Dun peerage as a junwang; Demoted to beile later; Restored as a junwang in 1856; Promoted to qinwang in 1860
6	Prince Gongzhong of the First Rank 恭忠親王	Yixin 奕訢	11 January 1833	29 May 1898	Empress Xiaojingcheng	Made a qinwang in 1850 under the title Prince Gong of the First Rank
7	Prince Chunxian of the First Rank 醇賢親王	Yixuan 奕譞	16 October 1840	1 January 1891	Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangshun	Biological father of the Guangxu Emperor; Biological grandfather of the Xuantong Emperor; Made a junwang in 1850 under the title Prince Chun of the Second Rank; Made an acting qinwang in 1864; Promoted to qinwang in 1872
8	Prince Zhongrui of the Second Rank 鍾端郡王	Yihe 奕詥	14 March 1844	17 December 1868	Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangshun	Made a junwang in 1850 under the title Prince Zhong of the Second Rank
9	Prince Fujing of the Second Rank 孚敬郡王	Yihui 奕譓	15 November 1845	22 March 1877	Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangshun	Made a junwang in 1850 under the title Prince Fu of the Second Rank

Daughters

#	Title / Posthumous title	Born	Died	Mother	Spouse	Notes
1	Gulun Princess Duanmin 端憫固倫公主	1813	1819	Empress Xiaoshencheng		Died young
2	unnamed	1825	1825	Consort Xiang		Died in infancy
3	Gulun Princess Duanshun 端順固倫公主	1825	1835	Empress Xiaoquancheng		Died young
4	Gulun Princess Shou'an	12 May 1826	23 April 1860	Empress Xiaoquancheng	Demchüghjab (德穆楚克扎布; d. 1865) of the Borjigit clan, married in 1841
5	Heshuo Princess Shouzang 壽臧和碩公主	1829	1856	Consort Xiang	Enchong (恩崇) of the Namudulu clan (那木都魯氏), married in 1842
6	Gulun Princess Shou'en 壽恩固倫公主	1830	1859	Empress Xiaojingcheng	Jingshou (景壽; 1829–1889) of the Fuca clan, married in 1845
7	unnamed	1840	1844	Noble Consort Tong		Died young
8	Heshuo Princess Shouxi 壽禧和碩公主	1841	1866	Noble Consort Tong	Jalafungga (扎拉豐阿; d. 1898) of the Niohuru clan, married in 1863
9	Gulun Princess Shouzhuang 壽莊固倫公主	1842	1884	Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangshun	Dehui (德徽; d. 1865) of the Boluote clan (博羅特氏), married in 1863
10	unnamed	1844	1845	Noble Consort Tong		Died in infancy

References

1. Spence 1990, p. 149, 166.
2. Millward 1998, p. 34.
3. "Zhuozhou Celebrity — Lu Kun (涿州名人-卢坤)". Xinhua. 15 Jun 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2014. (Chinese)
4. Rahul 2000, p. 98.
5. Maclay 1861, p. 336–337.
6. Maclay 1861.
7. Qin ding da Qing hui dian (Jiaqing chao)0. 1818. p. 1084.
8. Qing Shi Gao vol. 214.

Bibliography

• Maclay, Robert Samuel (1861). Life Among the Chinese: With Characteristic Sketches and Incidents of Missionary Operations and Prospects in China. New York: Carlton & Porter.

• Millward, James A. (1998). Beyond the Pass: Economy, Ethnicity, and Empire in Qing Central Asia, 1759-1864. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804729338.

• Rahul, Ram (2000). March of Central Asia. Indus Publishing Company. ISBN 9788173871092.

• Spence, Jonathan D. (1990). The Search for Modern China. Norton. ISBN 9780393307801.

Further reading

• Jane Kate Leonard. Controlling from Afar: The Daoguang Emperor's Management of the Grand Canal Crisis, 1824-1826. Michigan Monographs in Chinese Studies. Ann Arbor: Center for Chinese Studies, University of Michigan, 1996. ISBN 0892641142. Shows the Daoguang Emperor in a competent and effective mode when dealing with a crisis early in his reign.
• Pierre-Etienne Will, "Views of the Realm in Crisis: Testimonies on Imperial Audiences in the Nineteenth Century." Late Imperial China 29, no. 1S (2008): 125-59. JSTOR Link. Uses transcripts of imperial audiences to present Daoguang as more a victim of circumstances than the bumbling administrator in many accounts.
• Karl Gutzlaff, Life of Taou-Kwang, Late Emperor of China. London, Smith, Elder & Co. 1852.. The only biography of the Daoguang Emperor; written by a missionary and contemporary.
• Evelyn S. Rawski, The Last Emperors: A Social History of Qing Imperial Institutions (Berkeley: University of Californian Press, 2001) ISBN 0-520-22837-5.
• Daily life in the Forbidden City, Wan Yi, Wang Shuqing, Lu Yanzhen. ISBN 0-670-81164-5.
• 《清史稿》 (Qingshi Kao) Draft history of the Qing dynasty.

Ancestry

Ancestors of the Daoguang Emperor

Kangxi Emperor               Yongzheng Emperor                       Empress Xiaogongren               Qianlong Emperor                             Niuhuru Lingzhu               Empress Xiaoshengxian                       Jiaqing Emperor                                   Wei Qingtai                       Empress Xiaoyichun                             Minning, Daoguang Emperor                                         Empress Xiaoshurui