From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tongzhi Emperor
Tongzhi Emperor
Tongzhi Emperor Emperor Jitian Kaiyun Shouzhong Juzheng Baoda Dinggong
Shengzhi Chengxiao Xinmin Gongkuan Yi
(繼天開運受中居正保大定功聖智誠孝信敏恭寬毅皇帝 毅皇帝)
Temple name
Emperor Muzong of Qing
(清穆宗)
Father Xianfeng Emperor
Mother Empress Dowager Cixi
Born 27 April 1856(1856-04-27)
Forbidden City, Beijing, China
Died 12 January 1875(1875-01-12) (aged 18)
Forbidden City, Beijing, China
Burial Eastern Qing Tombs, Zunhua, China
Tongzhi Emperor
Chinese 同治帝
The Tongzhi Emperor (27 April 1856 – 12 January 1875),
born Zaichun of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the
tenth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and the eighth Qing
emperor to rule over China. His reign, from 1861 to 1875,
10th Qing Emperor of China
which effectively lasted through his adolescence, was
Reign 11 November 1861 – 12 January 1875 largely overshadowed by the rule of his mother Empress
(&1000000000000001300000013 years, Dowager Cixi. Although he had little influence over state
&1000000000000006200000062 days)
affairs, the events of his reign gave rise to what histo-
Predecessor Xianfeng Emperor rians call the "Tongzhi Restoration", an unsuccessful at-
tempt to stabilise and modernise China.
Successor Guangxu Emperor
Regent Sushun, Zaiyuan, Duanhua (1861)
Empress Dowager Ci’an, Empress Dowager Biography
Cixi (1861-1875) The only surviving son of the Xianfeng Emperor and Em-
press Dowager Cixi, Tongzhi attempted political reform
Spouse Empress Xiaozheyi in the period of the Tongzhi Restoration. His first regnal
Full name name was Qixiang (祺祥; Manchu: Fengšengge Sabingga),
but this name was later abandoned by Cixi in favour of
Chinese: Aixin-Jueluo Zaichun (愛新覺羅載淳)
Tongzhi, a contraction of the classical phrase tonggui yu
Manchu: Aisin-Gioro Dzai Šun
zhi (simplified Chinese: 同归与治; traditional Chinese: 同
Era name and dates 歸與治), which means "restoring order together".[citation
needed] An alternate interpretation reads it as "mother
Qixiang (祺祥) (not used)
Chinese: Tongzhi (同治) and son co-emperors" (Chinese: 母子同治天下),[citation
Manchu: Yooningga dasan needed] which fits the state of affairs, as the empress dowa-
Mongolian: Burintu Zasagchi Khagan: 30 January 1862 – 5 ger wielded real power and ruled behind the scenes. The
February 1875
traditional Chinese political phrase "attending audiences
Posthumous name behind a curtain" (simplified Chinese: 垂帘听政; tradi-
tional Chinese: 垂簾聽政; pinyin: chuí lián tīng zhèng) was
coined to describe Cixi’s rule through her son.
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tongzhi Emperor
Tongzhi became emperor at the age of five upon the
death of his father, the Xianfeng Emperor. His father’s
choice of regent, Sushun, was removed in favour of a
partnership between his mother Empress Dowager Cixi,
Empress Dowager Ci’an, and his uncle Prince Gong.
Tongzhi married Empress Xiaozheyi, who was from a
Mongol clan. He died of smallpox at the age of 18. He was
buried in the Huiling Mausoleum, Eastern Qing Tombs,
Hebei. He had no sons to succeed him. Folklore says that
Tongzhi died from a sexually transmitted disease (specif-
ically syphilis), due to his alleged affairs with prostitutes
outside of the palace, and that the smallpox diagnosis
was given only because the mere discussion of sexual-
ly transmitted diseases in China was taboo. However no
credible evidence exists to substantiate the rumours.[cita-
tion needed]
Tongzhi’s mother Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress
Dowager Ci’an resumed regency after enthroning Zait-
ian, son of Prince Chun, as the Guangxu Emperor. Em-
press Xiaozheyi died a few months after Tongzhi’s death.
Popular stories suggest that she either committed suicide
or that Empress Dowager Cixi starved her to death by
cutting off her food supply.[citation needed]
Family
• Father: Xianfeng Emperor
• Mother: Noble Consort Yi (Empress Dowager Cixi)
Consorts
1. Empress Xiaozheyi, (Chinese: 孝哲毅皇后) of the The Tongzhi Emperor in his study
Alute clan (1854–1875)
2. Imperial Noble Consort Shushen, (Chinese: 淑慎皇贵
妃) (1860–1905) neé Fuca. Sources and literature
3. Imperial Noble Consort Zhuanghe, (Chinese: 庄和皇 As the only son of Empress Dowager Cixi, the Tongzhi
贵妃) (1857–14 April 1921) neé Alute was the aunt of Emperor is mentioned in almost all books about her.
Empress Xiaozheyi. • The draft history of the Qing dynasty 《清史稿》卷
4. Imperial Noble Consort Jingyi[1], (Chinese: 敬懿皇贵 二百十四．列傳一．后妃傳.
妃) (1856–1932) neé Heseri. • Sterling Seagraves, "Dragon Lady" ISBN 0679733698.
5. Imperial Noble Consort Ronghui, (Chinese: 荣惠皇贵 • Maria Warner", "The Dragon Empres": Life and
妃) (1854–1933) neé Silin Gioro. Times of Tz’u-Hsi, 1835–1908, Empress of China".
[2]
ISBN 0689707142.
• Anchee Min, "Empress Orchid". ISBN
Ancestry 978-0618068876.
• Mayli Wen (foreword Lulu Wang), "Een vrouw op de
drakentroon". ISBN 9054292229.
References • Daily life in the Forbidden City, Wan Yi, Wang
[1] A daily routine of the concubine is recorded in a Shuqing, Lu Yanzhen. ISBN 0-670-81164-5.
memoir of a palace eunuch. See: Forbidden City: • Keith Laidler, "The last Empress, the she dragon of
The Great Within, Second Edition. May China". ISBN 0-470-84881-2.
Holdsworth, Caroline Courtauld. ISBN 9622177921. • Forbidden City: The Great Within, Second Edition.
[2] The draft history of the Qing dynasty 《清史稿》 May Holdsworth, Caroline Courtauld. ISBN
卷二百十四．列傳一．后妃傳. 9622177921.
Persondata
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tongzhi Emperor
Tongzhi Emperor
House of Aisin-Gioro
Born: 27 April 1856 Died: 12 January 1875
Regnal titles
Preceded by Emperor of China Succeeded by
The Xianfeng Emperor 1861-1875 The Guangxu Emperor
Name Emperor, Tongzhi Place of birth Forbidden City, Beijing
Alternative names Date of death 12 January 1875
Short description Place of death Forbidden City, Beijing
Date of birth 27 April 1856
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tongzhi_Emperor&oldid=470063908"
Categories:
• 1856 births
• 1875 deaths
• Qing Dynasty emperors
• Manchu people
• Deaths from smallpox
• Child rulers from Asia
• 19th-century Chinese monarchs
This page was last modified on 7 January 2012 at 11:42. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
3