Yehenara Wanzhen

Wanzhen (13 September 1841 – 17 June 1896) was a member of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Yehe Nara clan. She was a consort of Yixuan, the Prince Chun of the First Rank, and the younger sister of Empress Dowager Cixi. She was also the mother of the Guangxu Emperor.

Family Background

Her father was Huizheng (1805–1853), who held the title of a third class duke (三等公). Her paternal grandfather was Jingrui, and her paternal grandmother belonged to the Gūwalgiya clan. Her mother was Lady Fuca, and her maternal grandfather was Huixian. Wanzhen had three brothers, including Guixiang (1849–1913), who served as a first-rank military official (都統) and held the title of a third class duke. Guixiang was the father of Empress Xiaodingjing. She also had an elder sister, Xingzhen (1835–1908), who was the mother of the Tongzhi Emperor.

Marriage and Titles

Wanzhen was born during the Daoguang era, on the 28th day of the seventh lunar month in 1841. During the Xianfeng era, her elder sister, who later became Empress Dowager Cixi, entered the Forbidden City and became a consort of the Xianfeng Emperor. In 1860, Wanzhen married Yixuan, who was the younger half-brother of the Xianfeng Emperor and a member of the imperial Aisin Gioro clan. The marriage aimed to strengthen familial ties within the imperial family.

During the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor (1850–1861), she held the title of primary consort after her marriage in 1860. Her titles changed over time in accordance with her husband's status.

Children

As primary consort, Wanzhen bore Yixuan several children:

- Zaihan (4 February 1865 – 9 December 1866): Yixuan's first son, who died in infancy.

- Zaitian (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908): Her second son, who was enthroned as the Guangxu Emperor in 1875.

- An unnamed son born on 13 February 1875, who died the following day.

- Zaiguang (27 November 1880 – 18 May 1884): Her fourth son, who died young.

- A daughter who died early.

Death and Legacy

Lady Yehe Nara died on 17 June 1896. Puyi, the last Emperor of China and Zaifeng's son, in his memoirs, described her as a woman who was somewhat abusive towards servants, children, and stepchildren, and noted that at least one of her sons died of malnutrition. Empress Dowager Cixi also recalled that her grandson, the Guangxu Emperor, was a very weak child, reportedly suffering from poor health during infancy.

References to her life appear in works such as Der Ling's "Two Years in the Forbidden City" and Puyi's autobiography "From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi."