Yunduan


Yunduan was Qing dynasty imperial prince as Yolo's 18th son and Abatai's grandson. Yunduan was granted a title of Prince Qin of the Second Rank in 1684 and was stripped of all of his titles in 1698. His lineage became extinct because of the lack of a male heir. As Prince Qin of the Second Rank peerage was not given iron-cap status, each successive bearer of the title would hold diminished ranks vis-a-vis his predecessor.

Life

Yunduan was born in 1671 to lady Hešeri, Yolo's third primary consort and paternal aunt of Empress Xiaochengren, Kangxi Emperor's first reigning empress. Yunduan was granted a title 'Prince Qin of the Second Rank' in 1684. In 1690, after Nuoni discovered that Yolo had sown discord among the regents and princes and, moreover, had framed Nuoni for unwilling to demonstrate filial piety, Yunduan was downgraded to prince of the fourth rank along with his father, who became posthumously demoted to Prince An of the Second Rank，and brother, who became demoted to grace defender duke without an ability to pass the title on his descendants. Yunduan was stripped of his titles in 1698 because of his sympathy for Han rebelliants. It was disputed that Yunduan was not granted red girdles due to Kangxi Emperor's admiration for his literary works.
Yunduan died in 1705 at the age of 35. After his death, there weren't any other imperial princes adopted as his successors, hence the peerage remained extinct.
In his childhood, Yunduan was raised together with his elder brother, but turned ill-tempered because of their jealousy. Yunduan was recognised as an artist and a poet, whose lyrics evolved into Chinese opera. His works include: "Bridge on the Jade Basin", "Stories of Red Orchids", "Smartweed in the Sand", "Untitled poem" ; which became a libretto of "Story of the Dream of Yangzhou" and "View of the Late Spring".

Family

Yunduan was married to lady Nara, daughter of Cha'erhai. His second wife was the sister of his previous one.

Family tree

Legend:
Orange - Prince Raoyu/Prince An of the First Rank
Indigo - Prince Xi
Blue - Consorts of Prince Xi
Light Blue - Lesser members and their consorts
Purple - Prince Qin
Violet - Consorts of Prince Xi

Names

First courtesy name: Jianshan
Second courtesy name: Zhengzi, meaning "upright son"
First art name: Yuchisheng, derived from the homonymic poem, meaning : "Scholar of the Jade Pond"
Second art name: Master of the Room of Red Orchids, derived from the poem "Stories of Red Orchids"