Daoguang Emperor

Daoguang Emperor 道光帝

Reign	18 July 1820 - 29 March 1850 (&0000000000000029.00000029 years, &0000000000000254.000000254 days)
Predecessor	Jiaqing Emperor
Successor	Xianfeng Emperor
Spouse	Empress Xiao Mu Cheng Empress Xiao Shen Cheng Empress Xiao Quan Cheng Empress Xiao Jing Cheng
Issue
Yiwei, Prince Yin Princess Duanmin Princess Duanshun Princess Shou-an Yikang, Prince Shun Princess Shouzang Yichi, Prince Hui Princess Shouyen Yichu, Xianfeng Emperor Yicong, Prince Tun Yixin, Prince Gong Yixuan, Prince Chun Princess Shouxi Princess Shouzhuang Yiho, Prince Zhong Yihui, Prince Fu
Full name
Chinese: Aixin-Jueluo Miánníng 愛新覺羅綿寧, later Mínníng Manchu: Aisin-Gioro Min Ning
Posthumous name
Emperor Xiàotiān Fúyùn Lìzhōng Tǐzhèng Zhìwén Shèngwǔ Zhìyǒng Réncí Jiǎnqín Xiàomǐn Kuāndìng Chéng 效天符運立中體正至文聖武智勇仁慈儉勤孝敏寬定成皇帝
Temple name
Qing Xuānzōng 清宣宗
Father	Jiaqing Emperor
Mother	Empress Xiao Shu Rui
Born	September 16, 1782(1782-09-16) Forbidden City, Beijing
Died	February 25, 1850 (aged 67) Old Summer Palace, Beijing
Burial	Western Qing Tombs

The Daoguang Emperor (Chinese: 道光帝; pinyin: Dàoguāngdì, 16 September 1782 – 25 February 1850) was the seventh emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1820 to 1850.

1 Early years
2 Reign as emperor and the opium trade
3 Family
- 3.1 Consorts
- 3.2 Children
  - 3.2.1 Sons
  - 3.2.2 Daughters
4 Death and legacy
5 See also

Early years

He was born in the Forbidden City, Beijing, and was given the name Mianning (綿寧), changed into Minning (旻寧) when he became emperor: the first character of his private name was changed from Mian (綿) to Min (旻) so as to avoid the relatively common Mian character. This novelty was introduced by his grandfather the Qianlong Emperor who thought it not proper to use a common character in the emperor's private name due to the long-standing practice of naming taboo.

He was the second son of Yongyan (永琰), who became the Jiaqing Emperor in 1796. His mother, the principal wife of Yongyan, was Lady Hitara of the (Manchu) Hitara clan, who became empress when Jiaqing ascended the throne in 1796. She is known posthumously as Empress Xiaoshu Rui (孝淑睿皇后).

Mianning was well liked by his grandfather the Qianlong Emperor and would frequently accompanied the elderly emperor on hunting trips. One such trip at the age of nine yielded a successful hunt of a deer which greatly amused Qianlong. In 1813, while a prince, Mianning also played a vital role in repelling and killing White Lotus invaders that stormed the Forbidden City which earned Mianning important merits in securing his claim for the throne.

Reign as emperor and the opium trade

In September 1820, the age of 38, Mianning inherited the throne after his father the Jiaqing Emperor suddenly died of unknown causes. Now known as the Daoguang Emperor, he inherited a declining empire with Western imperialism encroaching upon the doorsteps of China. During his reign, China experienced major problems with opium, which was imported into China by British merchants. Opium had started to trickle into China during the reign of his great grandfather Emperor Yongzheng but was limited to approximately 200 boxes annually. By Emperor Qianlong's reign, the amount had increased to 1000 boxes, 4000 boxes by Jiaqing's era and more than 30,000 boxes during Daoguang's reign. He made many edicts against opium in the 1820s and 1830s, which were carried out by the famous Lin Zexu. Lin Zexu's effort to halt the spread of opium in China was quite successful, but, with the development of the First Opium War, Lin quickly fell out of favour and the Daoguang emperor suddenly removed Lin's authority and banished him to Xinjiang. Daoguang's decision was a blow to China's effort to halt the influx of opium and deepened the Europeans' resolution to enter the vast Chinese market which eventually led to the First Opium War against Britain. Technologically and militarily inferior to the European powers and hobbled by the incompetence of the Qing government, China lost this war and was forced to surrender Hong Kong at the Treaty of Nanking in August 1842. Henceforth, Daoguang became the first emperor of the Qing dynasty to have lost a portion of its sovereign territories.

Family

Father: Emperor Jiaqing (嘉庆帝).
Mother: Empress Xiao Shu Rui (孝淑睿皇后).

Consorts

Empress Xiao Mu Cheng (孝穆成皇后) (?–1808) of the Niuhuru clan.
Empress Xiao Shen Cheng (孝慎成皇后) (?–1833) of the Tunggiya clan.
Empress Xiao Quan Cheng (孝全成皇后) (1808–1840) of the Niuhuru clan.
Empress Xiao Jing Cheng (孝静成皇后) (1812–1855) of the Borjigit clan.
Imperial Noble Consort Zhuang Shun (庄顺皇贵妃) (?–1866) of the Wuya clan, she was the natural birth mother of the First Prince Chun.
Noble Consort Tun (彤贵妃) (?–1877) of the Shumulu clan.
Consort He (和妃) (?–1836) of the Nala clan.
Consort Xiang (祥妃) (?–1861) of the Niuhuru clan.
Noble Consort Jia (佳贵妃) (?–1890) of the Gogiya clan.
Noble Consort Cheng (成贵妃) (?–1888) of the Niuhuru clan.
Consort Chang (常妃) (?–1860) of the Heseri clan.

Children

Sons

First son: Prince Yiwei (奕緯) (16 May 1808 – 23 May 1831), son of He Fei of the Nala clan.
Second son: Yikang (奕綱) (22 November 1826 – 5 March 1827), son of Empress Xiaojing Cheng
Third son: Yichi (奕繼) (2 December 1829 – 22 January 1830), son of Empress Xiaojing Cheng
Fourth son: Yichu (1831–1861), son of Empress Xiao Quan Cheng, Emperor Xianfeng
Fifth son: Yicong (23 July 1831 – 18 February 1889), the second Prince Tun, great-grandfather of Prince Yuyan and son of Imperial Consort Xiang (祥妃) of the Niuhuru clan.
Sixth son: Yixin (11 January 1833 – 29 May 1898), the Prince Gong. Son of Empress Xiao Jing Cheng.
Seventh son: Yixuan, the First (16 October 1840 – 1 January 1891) Prince Chun. Father of Zaitian the Guangxu Emperor.
Eight son: Yiho (奕詥) (21 February 1844 – 17 December 1868), son of the Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangshun.
Ninth son: Yihui(奕譓) (1845–1877) son of the Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangshun.

Daughters

First daughter: Duanmin (端悯固伦公主) (1813–1819), daughter of empress Xiaozhen Cheng.
Second daughter: (1825), daughter of Xiang Fei.
Third daughter: Duanshun (端顺固伦公主) (1825–1835), daughter of empress Xiaoquan Cheng.
Fourth daughter: Shou-An (寿安固伦公主) (1826–1860), daughter of empress Xiaoquan Cheng.
Fifth daughter: Shou-Xian (寿臧和硕公主) (1829–1856), daughter of Xiang Fei.
Sixth daughter: Shou-Yen (寿恩固伦公主) (1830–1859), daughter of empress Xiaojing Cheng.
Seventh daughter: (1840–1844), daughter of Tun Kuai Fei.
Eight daughter: Shou-Xi (寿禧和硕公主) (1841–1866), daughter of Tun Kuai Fei.
Ninth daughter: Shou-Zhuang (寿庄固伦公主) (1842–1884), daughter of Zhuangshun Huang Kuai Fei.
Tenth daughter: (1844–1845), daughter of Tun Kuai Fei.

Death and legacy

Emperor Daoguang reading

Daoguang died on 25 February 1850, at the Old Summer Palace (圓明園), 8 km/5 miles northwest of the walls of Beijing. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son. Daoguang failed to understand the resolution of the Europeans and although the Europeans were outnumbered, outgunned and were thousands of miles away from home, Daoguang did not take advantage of these factors. He had a poor understanding of the British and the industrial revolution that Britain had undergone, preferring to turn a blind eye to the rest of the world. It was said that Daoguang did not even know where Britain was located in the world. His thirty-year reign introduced the initial onslaught by western imperialism and foreign invasions that would plague China, in one form or another, for the next one hundred years.

He was interred in the Muling (慕陵 - meaning "Tomb of longing", or "Tomb of admiration") mausoleum, which is part of the Western Qing Tombs (清西陵), 120 kilometers/75 miles southwest of Beijing.

Daoguang Emperor House of Aisin-Gioro Born: September 16 1782 Died: February 25 1850
Preceded by The Jiaqing Emperor	Emperor of China 1820–1850	Succeeded by The Xianfeng Emperor