Empress Xiaochengren

Empress Xiaochengren (3 February 1654 – 6 June 1674), of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner Hešeri clan, was the first empress consort of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Her personal name has not been recorded in historical texts. She was married to the Kangxi Emperor in October or November 1665, a marriage primarily arranged for political alliance purposes.

Her father was Gabula (d. 1681), who served as a first rank military official and held the title of a first class duke. Her paternal grandfather was Sonin (1601–1667), a prominent statesman who served as one of the Four Regents of the Kangxi Emperor and also held the title of a first class duke. She had three younger brothers, with her second younger brother, Changtai, also serving as a first rank military official and holding a first class duke title. She had three sisters, one of whom was Consort Ping (d. 1696).

Her paternal family connections included marriages of her aunts into prominent Manchu noble families: one married a grandson of Nurhaci, Yolo, Prince of the first rank; another married a grandson of Nurhaci, the son of Dodo, Cani, Prince of the third rank.

During the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor (1643–1661), she was known by the title Lady Hešeri. Upon her marriage to the Kangxi Emperor, she was granted the title of Empress (Huanghou) in late 1665. In 1674, she was posthumously honored with the title Empress Renxiao, and later during the Yongzheng Emperor's reign, she was titled Empress Renxiaoren and subsequently Empress Xiaochengren.

She gave birth to two sons during her lifetime: Chenghu (1670–1672), the Kangxi Emperor's second son, and Yunreng (1674–1725), the seventh (second) son, who was designated as Crown Prince for life and posthumously honored as Prince Limi of the First Rank. Her death occurred on 6 June 1674, shortly after the birth of Yunreng, and she was notably the mother of the future crown prince.

Following her death, the Kangxi Emperor was deeply affected; he left the position of empress vacant for nearly three years before appointing Lady Niohuru as empress in September 1677.

In popular culture, Empress Xiaochengren has been portrayed in various television dramas, including roles played by Li Chentao, Zhou Jia, Chae Rim, Maggie Shiu, and Zhang Weina in productions spanning from 2001 to 2017.

Her life remains a significant part of Qing dynasty history, representing a political marriage that also involved personal affection from the Kangxi Emperor and contributing to the succession lineage of the dynasty.