Imperial Noble Consort Dun Yi

Imperial Noble Consort Dunyi (惇怡皇貴妃; Gūwalgiya clan) was born on December 3, 1683, and died on April 30, 1768. She was a consort of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. Her family belonged to the Manchu Plain White Banner Gūwalgiya clan. Her personal name is not recorded in historical sources; however, her milk name was Hanjiuchun (旱九春). Her father, known by the title Human (祜滿), served as a third-rank military official (三品協領).

She was born during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, on the 16th day of the 10th lunar month of the 22nd year of Kangxi's reign, corresponding to December 3, 1683, in the Gregorian calendar. At the age of seventeen, in 1700, she entered the Forbidden City and was granted the title of Concubine He (和嫔), which was a fifth-rank consort. She gave birth in 1701 to the emperor's eighteenth daughter, who died shortly after birth in the same month.

In 1718, she was promoted to Consort He (和妃), a fourth-rank consort. Following the customs of imperial succession, when the Yongzheng Emperor ascended the throne in 1722, her title was upgraded to Dowager Noble Consort He (和贵太妃) in 1722, with the promotion ceremony taking place in July 1724.

During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, she received further honors. In 1743, she was elevated to Grand Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Wenhui (温惠皇贵太妃). Her residence in the Forbidden City was Jingfu Palace (景福宫), located within the area of Ningshou Palace, which was originally used for empresses dowager. She celebrated her eightieth birthday in 1763, receiving substantial gifts including silk, brocade, gold, and various textiles.

Imperial Noble Consort Dunyi died at the age of 86 in Jingfu Palace on April 30, 1768. She was posthumously granted the title Imperial Noble Consort Dunyi (惇怡皇贵妃) in June 1768. She outlived several prominent members of the imperial family, including Empress Xiaoxianchun, Empress Nara, and multiple of the Qianlong Emperor's consorts and children.

Her issue included one known daughter, the Kangxi Emperor’s eighteenth child, born in November 1701 and deceased later that month. Her titles evolved over time in accordance with the Qing imperial ranking system: she was known as Lady Gūwalgiya, then Concubine He, followed by Consort He, Dowager Noble Consort He, Grand Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Wenhui, and finally Imperial Noble Consort Dunyi.