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Yìkuāng, the Prince Qīng, in Imperial Robes

Yìkuāng, the Prince Qīng (Simplified Chinese: 庆亲王奕劻, Wade-Giles:Prince Ch'ing), (February 1836 - January 1918) was a Manchu noble of the late Qing Dynasty.

Biography

He was born into the Aisin-Gioro clan, and was the grandson of the First Prince Qing Yonglin, the 17th son of the Qianlong Emperor. Born with relatively little status, Yikuang was disgraced when he took in concubines during the mandatory mourning period of his father's death. Losing all his titles, he then married one of Empress Dowager Cixi's relatives, to become close to the Empress, who later gave him the title of Prince of Commandery (郡王). In the late 1890s, Yikuang was sent to succeed the Prince Chun in the construction of the Imperial Summer Palace. Thus began his rise to fame, as a loyal member of the nobility by appearance, Yikuang was infamous for his sales of official positions. He became the go-to person for backroom deals in politics.

He was sent by the Empress Dowager Cixi, along with veteran diplomat Li Hongzhang to reach an agreement with several Western powers and the Empire of Japan after their invasion of China in 1901. In August, Yikuang and Li Hongzhang signed the Boxer Protocol of 1901. During the conference, Yikuang was seen as merely a noble representative, while all the actual work was completed by Li Hongzhang. Returning to Beijing as a senior member of the Court, Yikuang continued in his old ways, and was despised by not only reformers, but also by moderate court officials.

After the death of the Empress Dowager in 1908, Yikuang led the "Imperial Family Cabinet" as Prime Minister under the regency of Zaifeng, Prince Chun. The cabinet achieved little, as revolutionary tides began to stir China. It was also then when Yikuang formed an alliance with Yuan Shikai.

Yikuang and his son, Zaizhen, were both notorious for their rampant corruption.

References

• JDS

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