Šanggiyan

Shang Jian (Manchu: ᡧᠠᠩᡤᡳᠶᠠᠨ, Möllendorff transcription: Šanggiyan; 1606–1630), of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan. He was the grandson of Nurhaci, the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and the eldest son of Rao Yumin Junwang (Prince Raoyu) Abatai, Nurhaci’s seventh son. He was born on the 26th day of the ninth lunar month in the Bing Wu year (1606) at the hour of Zi. His mother was the eldest consort, Nara.

Due to his prestigious royal lineage, Shang Jian occupied a prominent position within the early Qing imperial clan system.

Most of the existing historical records about Shang Jian focus on his status as a member of the imperial family; detailed accounts of his education or specific governmental roles are not documented. The “Draft History of Qing” (Qing Shi Gao) in the Biographies of Four Princes (Part Three) and the Second Table of the Imperial Sons’ Genealogy (Part Two) records only his genealogical information and his identity as a prince, without mention of any significant official appointments or military campaigns.

Shang Jian died in the fourth year of the Tiancong reign (1630). After his death, his noble status persisted in later historical documents. In the tenth year of the Shunzhi Emperor’s reign (1653), he was posthumously awarded the title “Gushan Beizi” (Gushan Prince), with the posthumous name “Xianque” (Virtuous and Loyal). Subsequently, his name and lineage continued to be recorded within the noble genealogies of the Qing aristocracy.

Shang Jian had two sons: his eldest son was Subu Tu, awarded the title of Daomun Beizi (Beizi: a noble title), and his second son was Qiangdu, granted the title of Jiejie Beizi. Both inherited the Beizi rank, maintaining their family lineage and status within the noble hierarchy. The available historical sources regarding his sons and descendants mainly document their titles and kinship relations, with little independent record of their political or military activities.