Tan Yuling

Tan Yuling, known as Noble Consort Mingxian, was born on August 11, 1920, into the Tatara clan in Beijing. Her birth name was Tatara Yuling, with her given name sometimes translated into English as "Jade Years." She was part of a Manchu noble family; her father, Zhaoxu, was a high-ranking warlord responsible for the administration of regions around Beijing and Tianjin. Tan Yuling had two aunts who served in the Guangxu Emperor’s harem, identified as Consort Jin and Consort Zhen.

Orphaned at a young age, she and her brother, Tan Zhiyuan, were raised by their aunt. Despite the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Tatara family remained prosperous but adopted the surname Tan to avoid discrimination based on their Manchu ethnicity.

In early 1937, while attending middle school in Beijing, Tan Yuling was selected to marry Puyi, the last Emperor of China. She traveled to Xinjing, the capital of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. On April 6 of that year, she married Puyi in the Xinjing palace and received the title of Imperial Concubine Xiang. Puyi, expressing affection for her, arranged for her to learn Chinese literature under the tutelage of Chen Zengju for six years.

Following their marriage, Tan Yuling formed a close relationship with Puyi and was elevated to the rank of Noble Consort Xiang. She took on administrative responsibilities as the manager of the Imperial Harem, especially after Empress Xiaokemin was no longer favored. Yuling was known to have expressed opposition to Japanese influence.

Tan Yuling died in 1942 from cystitis, less than a day after receiving an injection from her Japanese doctor. Her death was viewed with suspicion, as she was reported to harbor resentment toward the Japanese, particularly due to their control over Puyi. Yoshioka Yasunori, a staff officer of the Kwantung Army and an attaché to the Manchukuo imperial household, had previously urged Puyi to remarry a Japanese bride, an option Puyi had declined by marrying Yuling. Following her death, Yoshioka reportedly was dissatisfied and again pressed Puyi to marry a Japanese woman, which he refused.

After her death, Puyi posthumously granted Tan the title of Noble Consort Mingxian. A funeral was held for her at Banruo Temple in Xinjing. When the Japanese surrender ended World War II, Puyi ordered that her remains be cremated and her ashes sent to her relatives in Beijing. Puyi maintained a photograph of Tan Yuling until his own death in 1967.