Princess Donggo

Princess Duanzhuang (Manchu: ᡩᠣᠩᡤᠣ, transliteration: Donggo), birth name Nenzhe, also known as Donggo Gege or Princess Donggo. She was the eldest daughter of the Taizu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, with her mother being the Empress Consort of the Taizu Emperor. She was born on February 22, 1578, during the hour of Xu in the sixth year of the Wanli Emperor's reign (March 29, 1578). In April 1588, Heheli led his forces to surrender to Nurhaci. Nurhaci married his eldest daughter, Nenzhe, to Heheli, thus earning her the title Donggo Gege.

In the sixth year of the Tiansheng era (1632), Emperor Taizong (Hong Taiji) led a campaign and was granted rewards; Donggo Gege was ranked as the eldest among the sisters. During the seventh, eighth, and ninth years of Tiansheng, Emperor Taizong repeatedly visited her residence for New Year’s and congratulatory ceremonies, with records of Nenzhe Gege participating in kneeling and bowing rituals. In November of the first year of Chongde (1636), Emperor Taizong bestowed titles upon seven princesses: Wen Zhe was conferred as the Gurlen Princess, and Yan Zhe as the Heshuo Princess; some scholars believe Wen Zhe is identical to Nenzhe Gege, and Yan Zhe to her half-sister Nenzhe Gege. There are scholarly disagreements on this point, with some records listing the relevant names together in the imperial edicts.

In July of the ninth year of Shunzhi (1652), Donggo Gege passed away at the age of 75. Records from the princess’s ancestral residence indicate that during the compilation of ancestral tombs in Jiazi year of Kangxi (1704), the emperor ordered her posthumously elevated to Princess Duanzhuang, and a eulogy stele was inscribed in her honor. The stele praises her virtues, caution, and wisdom, with phrases such as “Duanzhuang bestowed a noble posthumous title, surpassing ordinary ranks and illuminating greatly,” among other laudatory comments. Related records can be found in the "Compilation of Mongolian Documents in the Qing Inner Secretariat Archives, Translated into Chinese," among other writings.