Enchong

Enchong, originally named Enchun, was a Manchu of the Manchurian Mergen-Hong banner. He belonged to the Namudulü clan and was one of the individuals who married into the imperial family during the Qing Dynasty, serving as an imperial son-in-law. In the twenty-second year of the Daoguang Emperor’s reign (1842), he became the husband of Princess Shouzang of the Wushengke Palace, the fifth daughter of Daoguang, thereby entering the imperial marriage system. This made him an official within the court with the status of a wangguiren (royal relative) involved in politics, both inside and outside the palace. His ancestral origin and clan background are recorded in historical documents by family name and banner registration, reflecting his affiliation with the Manchu Eight Banner surname system and his role within the Qing court.

In the first month of the seventh year of the Xianfeng reign (1857), the court recommended him for the position of Manchu Fu-Du-Tun (Deputy Commander). Subsequently, he also served as the Chief Steward of the Inner Court Affairs Bureau (Neiwu Fu), overseeing the daily operations of the palace and the internal affairs bureau’s activities, including personnel and organizational management. In the eleventh year of Xianfeng (1861), to avoid the taboo of Mu Zong (the Emperor’s grandfather), he changed his name to Enchong. Afterward, he maintained his roles related to the Inner Court and the banner military system, reflecting a dual employment pattern in Qing court internal affairs and banner military cadres. The name change was intertwined with sensitivities regarding the Emperor Mu Zong’s name taboo and was a common practice during officialdom to avoid offending the emperor.

In the first year of the Tongzhi reign (1862), in April, he was dismissed from his position as Chief Steward of the Inner Court Affairs Bureau due to governmental adjustments. The following year (1863), in May, he was appointed as a Han Military Deputy Commander (Xianghong Banner), entering the military hierarchy of the Xianghong Banner. Around June of the third year of Tongzhi (1864), he also served as acting Deputy Commander of the Manchu forces of the Xiangbai Banner, indicating his continued role within the dual-banner military management system. He likely passed away around this period, approximately in June of Tongzhi 3, with historical records indicating roughly this timeframe but no identified heirs. For the continuation of his clan lineage and family inheritance, arrangements were made for a younger son to succeed him, following customary practices. These points constitute the main outline of Enchong’s life, primarily based on official titles and chronological order, without details of his private life.