House House of Aisin-Gioro Mother Consort Yi Siblings Yongzheng Emperor Name Yuntang Yuntang | Parents Kangxi Emperor | |
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Born 17 October 1683 ( 1683-10-17 ) Spouse Primary spouse:Lady DonggoConcubines:Lady LiuLady LangLady ZhouLady ZhuLady TongLady JoogiyaLady WanyanLady Chen Issue Eldest daughterSecond daughterThird daughterFourth daughterFifth daughterHongzhengHongzhangSixth daughterHongxiangHongkuangHongdingDongxiSibao Children Hongzheng, Hongkuang, Dongxi, Hongding, Hongxiang Cousins Haishan, Baoshou, Baoyong, Manduhu, Zhansheng, Baotai Similar People | ||
Yuntang (Manchu: ᠶᡡᠨ ᡨᠠᠩ, Chinese: 允禟, 17 October 1683 – 22 September 1726), born Yintang, was a Manchu prince of the Qing Dynasty. The ninth son of the Kangxi Emperor, Yuntang was a lifelong political ally of Yunsi, the eighth prince, who was the main political rival to the Yongzheng Emperor. He was imprisoned shortly after Yongzheng ascended the throne, banished from the imperial clan, and died under mysterious circumstances. He was rehabilitated posthumously under the Qianlong Emperor.
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Early life
Yuntang was born Yintang (Manchu: ᠶᡳᠨ ᡨᠠᠩ, Chinese: 胤禟), and was Kangxi Emperor's ninth son. His mother was Consort Yi (宜妃 nee Gorolo).
Yintang was not considered to be one of Kangxi's favorite son, but did manage to amass substantial wealth.
Battle for the Throne
Kangxi had established his second son, Yinreng, as Crown Prince, but he was later stripped of that title twice, due to arrogance and violent behavior. In both times, Yintang supported his brother, Yinsi, in his quest to become the Crown Prince. In both instances, Yinsi did not become the Crown Prince. In fact, Yinreng became the last Crown Prince in Imperial Chinese history.
Yongzheng Emperor's Reign
When Kangxi died, his fourth son, Yinzheng, became Emperor, taking the regnal title Yongzheng. After Yongzheng's coronation, Yintang, along with all other surviving sons of Kangxi, changed his name to "Yuntang" to avoid naming taboo because the Chinese character for "Yin" (胤) in "Yintang" is the same as the one in the Yongzheng Emperor's personal name "Yinzhen" (胤禛).
In the same year that Yongzheng was enthroned, Yuntang was sent to the military garrison at Xining, and placed under the supervision of military general Nian Gengyao. Yuntang was later stripped of his royal titles, banished from the imperial household, and forced to take the name "Seshe" (Manchu: ᠰᡝᠰᡥᡝ, Chinese: 塞思黑)
Yuntang reportedly pleaded for Yongzheng to send him to a monastery, and live out his life as a monk. That plea was rejected by the Emperor.
Yuntang was later imprisoned in Baoding, and died from an unspecified "abdominal illness". However, there are speculations that Yuntang died from poisoning.
Yuntang was posthumously readmitted to the Imperial Household, with the name "Yuntang" instead of "Seshe", during Qianlong Emperor's reign.
Meaning of "Seshe"
"Seshe" is a Manchu language term that has traditionally been translated to "Dog" in Chinese. However, there is some dispute as to whether that is an accurate translation. Some scholars suggest "Seshe" actually means "Shameless" or "Annoying Fellow".
Achievement
Yuntang has been viewed as a pioneer in the romanization of the Manchu Language. Yuntang is known to have ties with Portuguese missionary Joannes Mourao (Chinese: 穆景遠). It is believed that Mourao provided Yuntang with literatures written in the Latin Alphabet, which allowed Yuntang to, around the year 1723, establish a basic Manchu language romanization system, allegedly as a secret code for communication between Yuntang and other supporters of Yunsi.
While Paul Georg von Mollendorff's Mollendorff System is often seen as the first Manchu transliteration system, Yuntang's system predates Mollendorff's by over 150 years.
Family
Daughters
The personal names of Yuntang's daughters are unknown.