Consort Fang

Consort Fang (Chinese: 芳妃; pinyin: Fāng Fēi; ? – 20 September 1801), of the Han Chinese Chen clan, was a consort of the Qianlong Emperor. She and her brothers were inducted into a bondservant company of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Han Chinese Eight Banners since it was required for all imperial consorts of the Qing dynasty to belong to one of the Eight Banners.^[1]

Consort Fang
Born	c. 1749/1753 Yangzhou
Died	20 September 1801 Forbidden City, Beijing
Burial	Yu Mausoleum, Eastern Qing tombs
Spouse	Qianlong Emperor ​ ​ (m. 1766; died 1799)​
House	Chen (陳氏; by birth) Aisin-Gioro (by marriage)
Father	Yanlun

Consort Fang
Traditional Chinese	芳妃
Simplified Chinese	芳妃
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fāng Fēi

Life

Family background

Consort Fang was a member of Han Chinese Chen clan. Her personal name wasn't recorded in history. Her ancestral home was located in Yangzhou.

• Father: Yanlun (延伦)^[2]
• Two elder brothers:
  • First elder brother: Chen Ji (陈济)^[3]
  • Second elder brother: Chen Hao (陈浩), a magistrate of Yangguan (扬关任事)^[4]

Qianlong era

Consort Fang was born between 1749 and 1753. She entered the palace in 1766 after a selection, and was given the rank of first class attendant (常在) with the honorary title "ming" (明; "ming" meaning "bright"). Her residence in the Forbidden City became Yongshou Palace. As a low-ranking imperial consort, she lived under the supervision of Concubine Shun and Consort Shu. In 1775, Lady Chen was promoted to noble lady (贵人). She was then accused by Empress Dowager Chongqing of harming an imperial child and demoted to "First Class Female Attendant Ming". In 1780, she was restored as "Noble Lady Ming" (明贵人). In 1794, she was promoted to concubine (嫔)^[5] with the honorary title "Fang" (芳; "fang" meaning "fragrant"), and moved to Yonghe Palace on the east side of the Forbidden City.^[6]

Jiaqing era

In 1798, the Qianlong Emperor promoted Lady Chen to the rank of consort (妃).^[7] Consort Fang died in 1801 and was interred in the Yu Mausoleum of the Eastern Qing tombs.

Titles

• During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735–1796):
  • Lady Chen (陳氏)
  • First Class Attendant Ming (明常在; from 1766), seventh rank imperial consort
  • Noble Lady Ming (明貴人; from 1775), sixth rank imperial consort
  • First Class Attendant Ming (明常在; from unknown date), seventh rank imperial consort
  • Noble Lady Ming (明貴人; from 1780), sixth rank imperial consort
  • Concubine Fang (芳嬪/芳嫔; from 1794), fifth rank imperial consort
• During the reign of the Jiaqing Emperor (r. 1796–1820):
  • Consort Fang (芳妃; from 1798), fourth rank imperial consort

See also

• Imperial Chinese harem system#Qing
• Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty

References

1. 黃麗君 (2020). "乾隆皇帝的民人嬪妃". 新史學. 31 (3): 71–127.
2. 华/Hua, 斌/Bin. 大清高宗純皇帝乾隆/"Emperor Qianlong of Great Qing".
3. 《宮中檔》/"Imperial Palace records".
4. 《宫中檔奏摺》/"Imperial Palace memorials".
5. 常/Chnag, 建華/Jianhua (2008). "乾隆事典"/"Qianlong's biography". p. 490.
6. "乾隆至嘉慶年添減底檔"/"Archives of Qianlong and Jiaqing eras".
7. 许/Xu, 向乾/ Xiangqian. 细说康乾盛世(解密康熙、雍正、乾隆的宫廷生活)/An elaborate analysis of Kangxi - Qianlong era (decoding imperial court life of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong eras).