Honored Imperial Noble Consort Jing Min

Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin (敬敏皇贵妃), of the Manchu Janggiya clan belonging to the Bordered White Banner, died on 20 August 1699. She was a concubine of the Kangxi Emperor during the Qing Dynasty. Her personal name has not been recorded in historical texts.

Family Background:

Her family belonged to the Bordered White Banner, a division of the Manchu banners. Her father was Haikuan, who served as a military commander.

Life and Career:

The date of her birth and the circumstances under which she entered the imperial court are not documented. She bore the Kangxi Emperor several children, notably during the Kangxi era:

- On 1 October 1686, she gave birth to the thirteenth prince, Yinxiang, who later became Prince Yixian of the First Rank.

- On 27 November 1687, she delivered Princess Wenke of the Second Rank.

- In 1690, she gave birth to Princess Dunke of the Second Rank.

Her death occurred in the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi’s reign, at Wulong Pavilion in Beihai. Following her death, in July of that year, Kangxi issued instructions through the Minister of Rites to posthumously promote her to Consort Min (敏妃). In September, Kangxi's third son, Yunzhi, was demoted to beile for not attending her funeral. She was temporarily buried in the gazed flower gate within the Emperor's mausoleum, though the reasons for this location are not recorded.

During the Yongzheng Emperor’s reign, her posthumous titles were further elevated:

- On 26 January 1723, she was titled Sovereign Father's Imperial Noble Consort (皇考皇贵妃).

- By 30 June 1723, her posthumous name was Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin (敬敏皇贵妃).

On 1 September 1723, she, along with Kangxi and Empress Xiaogongren, was interred in the Jing Mausoleum located in Zunhua City, Hebei Province.

Titles:

- During the reign of the Shunzhi and Kangxi emperors, she was known as Lady Janggiya (章佳氏).

- From 1689, she was recognized as Concubine Min (敏嬪), ranking fifth among imperial consorts.

- In 1699, she was elevated to Consort Min (敏妃).

- From 1723, her titles included Sovereign Father's Imperial Noble Consort and subsequently Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin.

Children:

As her primary children, she bore:

- Yinxiang (born 16 November 1686, died 18 June 1730), the Kangxi Emperor's 22nd son, titled Prince Yixian of the First Rank.

- Princess Wenke of the Second Rank (born 31 December 1687, died 27 July 1709), the Kangxi Emperor’s 13th daughter.

She also was the mother of Princess Dunke of the Second Rank (born 3 February 1691, died 2 January 1710), the Kangxi Emperor’s 15th daughter, as a concubine.

In Popular Culture:

Imperial Noble Consort Jingmin has been portrayed by Huang Shengyi in the 2013 television series "The Palace" and by Yang Rong and Sun Yaoqi in the same year's series "I am a mad man."

References:

Sources include "Manuscripts of Qing History · Biography I · Empresses" and "The King's Assembly of the Qing Dynasty."