Youlan (Gūwalgiya)


Youlan, of the Manchu Plain White Banner Gūwalgiya clan, was a consort of Zaifeng and the mother of Puyi, the last emperor of China's Qing dynasty.

Life

Family background

Guangxu era

Lady Gūwalgiya's father was a staunch supporter of Empress Dowager Cixi. In return, the Empress Dowager arranged for Lady Gūwalgiya to marry Zaifeng, a younger half-brother of the Guangxu Emperor. Zaifeng was the son of Yixuan, Prince Chun and Liugiya Cuiyan. The marriage, which took place in October 1902, turned out to be an unhappy one, partly because Zaifeng disliked Ronglu due to his support for the Empress Dowager.
Lady Gūwalgiya gave birth on 7 February 1906 to Zaifeng's first son, Puyi, and on 16 April 1907 to his second son, Pujie.

Xuantong era

Following the Guangxu Emperor's death on 14 November 1908, Lady Gūwalgiya was separated from Puyi after he was "adopted" into the imperial lineage to succeed the Guangxu Emperor. This meant that Puyi was no longer legally her son. She was only allowed to see Puyi on rare occasions, and his upbringing was entrusted to palace eunuchs and maids.
Lady Gūwalgiya gave birth in 1909 to Zaifeng's first daughter, Yunying, in 1911 to his second daughter, Yunhe, and in 1913 to his third daughter, Yunying.

Republican era

Lady Gūwalgiya committed suicide on 30 September 1921 by swallowing opium after being publicly reprimanded by Dowager Consort Duankang for Puyi's misconduct. Her age at that time is not exactly known, but it is estimated between 36 and 37 years old.

Titles

Issue