Zaixun, Prince Rui

Zaixun (20 May 1885 – 30 March 1949), also known by his courtesy name Zhongquan and art name Chiyun, was a Manchu noble of the late Qing dynasty. He is alternatively referred to as Tsai Hsun in early texts. Zaixun was the sixth son of Prince Chun and held various noble titles and positions during his lifetime.

Born in 1885, Zaixun was adopted into the lineage of Yizhi (奕誌; 1827–1850), a relative who had no son to succeed him. As part of this adoption, Zaixun was designated as a successor within the noble line. In 1887, he received the title of buru bafen fuguo gong. This title was elevated to feng'en fuguo gong in 1889 and further upgraded to feng'en zhenguo gong in 1890.

Following the political upheavals related to the Boxer Rebellion, Zaixun's predecessor, Zaiyi, who held the title of Prince Rui of the Second Rank and was later known as Prince Duan of the Second Rank, was stripped of his titles and exiled to Xinjiang in 1900. In 1902, Zaixun succeeded Zaiyi as a beile of the Prince Rui peerage. The title of beile was a noble rank below junwang (Prince of the Second Rank). In 1908, Zaixun was appointed as an acting junwang but remained nominally a beile.

In 1909, Zaixun was appointed as an acting Navy Minister in the Imperial Cabinet headed by Prince Qing. His responsibilities included overseeing naval affairs. Subsequently, he was dispatched to Europe and the United States for studies on Western naval forces. After his return, he officially became a full Navy Minister in 1911, during a period of significant political change in China.

Following the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which led to the fall of the Qing dynasty, Zaixun withdrew from public service and spent his later years in retirement in Beijing and Tianjin. He died in Tianjin in 1949.

Zaixun's family included his wife from the Biru clan (必祿氏). The couple had several children, including their first son, Pugong (溥侊), born on 19 March 1904; their first daughter, born on 28 January 1905; their second daughter, born on 2 February 1906; and their third daughter, born on 3 February 1907. Zaixun's wife later married Bai Fengming (白鳳鳴), who lived from 1909 to 1980.

Zaixun's ancestry includes members of the Qing imperial family, with ties to the Prince Rui peerage and the broader noble structure of the Qing dynasty's aristocracy.