Chongqi

Chongqi (Chinese: 崇綺; 1829–1900), courtesy name Wenshan (文山), was a Qing dynasty official from the Alut clan (阿魯特氏). He was the father of Empress Xiaozheyi. Chongqi was the third son of Saišangga and mothered Lady Fuca (富察氏).

He commenced his official career by purchasing the degree of a licentiate and, in 1865, achieved the zhuangyuan degree in the imperial examination. Following this achievement, he was appointed as a xiuzhuan (修撰) of the Hanlin Academy. Notably, Chongqi was the only Mongolian to attain the zhuangyuan rank during the Qing Dynasty. His reputation among scholar-officials was high.

Throughout his career, Chongqi held numerous official positions, including Secretary of the Cabinet (內閣學士), Vice Minister of Personnel (吏部侍郎), Vice Minister of Revenue (戶部侍郎), deputy lieutenant-general of the Han Chinese Bordered Yellow Banner (鑲黃旗漢軍副都統), lieutenant-general of Rehe (熱河都統), and general of Mukden (盛京將軍). He also served as Minister of Personnel and in other governmental roles.

Chongqi was known for his opposition to Christianity. During the Boxer Rebellion, he was promoted by Empress Dowager Cixi to the position of Minister of Revenue. Along with Xu Tong, he submitted a memorial demanding the execution of Chinese Christians and foreigners in China.

In 1900, during the collapse of Beijing to the Eight-Nation Alliance, reports by Japanese journalist Sawara Tokusuke in his work *Miscellaneous Notes about the Boxers (拳事雜記)* described the violence experienced by Chongqi's family. Sawara stated that Chongqi's daughter and wife, Lady Gūwalgiya, were allegedly gang-raped by soldiers of the Eight-Nation Alliance. According to the report, Lady Gūwalgiya committed suicide by jumping into a pit and instructing her servants to bury her alive. Chongqi’s son, Baochu, and four grandsons also died in the violence.

Following these events, Chongqi fled to Baoding alongside Ronglu. Upon learning of his family's fate, he committed suicide by hanging.

Family details include his father Saišangga and his mother Lady Fuca. Chongqi's primary consorts belonged to prominent clans: from the Aisin Giolo clan, one was the daughter of Duanhua, Prince Zheng of the First Rank; another was the daughter of Vice Commander-in-chief Zaiyao of Jilin and sister of Grand Secretary Fukun. A third consort from the Gūwalgiya clan, who died in 1900, was the daughter of regional commander Changrui.

Chongqi's children included Empress Xiaozheyi, who married the Tongzhi Emperor; a daughter who married Yixiang, Prince Hui of the Second Rank; and his son Baochu, who served as Junior Assistant Chamberlain of the Imperial Guard and also died in 1900.