Empress Nara

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Empress of China from 1750 to 1766

title: "Empress Nara" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["consorts-of-the-qianlong-emperor", "qing-dynasty-empresses", "1718-births", "1766-deaths", "18th-century-chinese-people", "18th-century-chinese-women"] description: "Empress of China from 1750 to 1766" topic_path: "people/1710s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Nara" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Empress of China from 1750 to 1766 ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox royalty"]

FieldValue
nameEmpress Nara
那拉皇后
imageC-F Attiret La Concubine.jpg
image_size250px
captionLa Concubine (1750) by the French Catholic priest Jean Denis Attiret, purported to depict Empress Nara (formerly claimed as Imperial Noble Consort Shujia)
successionEmpress of the Qing dynasty
reign2 September 1750 – 19 August 1766
reign-typeTenure
predecessorEmpress Xiaoxianchun
successorEmpress Xiaoshurui
birth_date
death_date
death_placeForbidden City, Shuntian Prefecture, North Zhili
burial_placeYu Mausoleum, Eastern Qing tombs
spouse
consortyes
issue{{plainlist
issue-link#Issue
houseNara (那拉氏; by birth)
Aisin-Gioro (by marriage)
house-typeClan
fatherNarbu
religionVajrayana Buddhism
::

| name = Empress Nara 那拉皇后 | image = C-F Attiret La Concubine.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = La Concubine (1750) by the French Catholic priest Jean Denis Attiret, purported to depict Empress Nara (formerly claimed as Imperial Noble Consort Shujia) | succession = Empress of the Qing dynasty | reign = 2 September 1750 – 19 August 1766 | reign-type = Tenure | predecessor = Empress Xiaoxianchun | successor = Empress Xiaoshurui | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = Forbidden City, Shuntian Prefecture, North Zhili | burial_place = Yu Mausoleum, Eastern Qing tombs | spouse = | consort = yes | issue = {{plainlist|

  • Yongqi, Prince of the Third Rank
  • Yongjing | issue-link = #Issue | house = Nara (那拉氏; by birth) Aisin-Gioro (by marriage) | house-type = Clan | father = Narbu | mother = | religion = Vajrayana Buddhism

The Empress of the Nara clan (11 March 1718 – 19 August 1766), of the Manchu Bordered Blue Banner Nara clan, was an imperial consort of the Qing dynasty. She was second wife of the Qianlong Emperor. Informally known as the Step-Empress, she is one of the most controversial female figures in Chinese history.

She was elevated to empress rank after Empress Xiaoxianchun's death, and in her role as empress, accompanied the Qianlong Emperor on many leisure and hunting trips, as well as ancestral worship ceremonies.

Historical records give little information about her life or even her physical appearance. Because of this lack of documentation, there has been intense speculation among Chinese academicians regarding her historicity and character. It is widely suspected that the Qianlong Emperor destroyed all her records and portraits.

Although never officially deposed, she lost her authority as chief of the imperial harem in 1765, reputedly because she cut her hair, an act that was considered a grave offense according to Manchurian custom. Consequently, the Qianlong Emperor ordered that her four titular imperial edicts, accompanying gifts, and imperial seal be confiscated. After her death, she was not given an imperial funeral or a posthumous name, nor was she buried with the Qianlong Emperor.

Debate over historical maiden name

In the Draft History of Qing, the future Step-Empress is noted as being a member of the Ula-Nara clan. However, the Draft History of Qing is noted to be riddled with errors, due to a hasty publication that precluded an editing process.

Her father is listed as Narbu, found in the Genealogy of the Manchu clans () as being a descendant of Wangginu (), a leader of the Hoifa-Nara clan, and the family's ancestors are listed under the section "People with the surname Nara in the Hoifa area" () as having lived in the Hoifa area for generations. Therefore, some modern publications have stated the Step-Empress was a member of the Hoifa-Nara clan, but due to the fact that the Ula-Nara clan was the most ancient Nara clan, her ancestors might have changed their last name to Ula-Nara to make their name more noble.

However, at least one author has noted that with members of the Nara clan, the name that comes before Nara merely denotes the geographical area in which the family resided in, and that all members of the clan share the same last name, regardless of their area of residence. In the Factual Record of Qing (), when the Step-Empress, at the time the secondary consort of the new Qianlong Emperor, was elevated to Consort Xian, she was referred to as being of the Nara clan, rather than as a member of the Ula-Nara or Hoifa-Nara.

The debate over the Step-Empress' maiden clan has manifested itself in two 2018 media portrayals of the Step-Empress's life:

Life

Family background

The date of the Step-Empress' birth is a matter of debate, with the book Four Genealogies of the Qing Royal House stating that she was born some time in the second lunar month of an unknown year, and at least one modern book stating that she was born on the 10th day of the 2nd month of the 57th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. She was born to Narbu, a niru ejen, or assistant captain.

Yongzheng era

Hongli's father, the Yongzheng Emperor, appointed Lady Nara as his secondary consort shortly before his ascension to the throne. She was noted to have gained Hongli's favor during this time.

Qianlong era

After the death of Yongzheng in 1735, Hongli succeeded him as the Qianlong Emperor, and Lady Nara was granted to rank of consort, with the honorific title "Xian" (; "elegant"), on 23 January 1738. Her pleasant character also won the favour of Qianlong's mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing, and on 9 December 1745, she was promoted to noble consort.

Qianlong's first wife, Empress Xiaoxianchun, died in 1748, but the circumstances were not well documented by historical sources. Some say she died on a boat in Dezhou, but most believe that she made it back to the Forbidden City in Beijing.

The Emperor later elevated Lady Nara to the position of imperial noble consort via an edict issued on 20 May 1749, giving her administrative powers over the harem as acting empress.

Two years later, an edict to appoint the Imperial Noble Consort as the new empress was issued on 13 August 1750. The decision was made following the end of the mourning period for Empress Xiaoxianchun. From then on, the Step-Empress accompanied Qianlong on many trips, ancestral worship ceremonies, and hunts.

Between the 17th year of Qianlong to the 20th year, the Step-Empress gave birth to three children: the 12th prince, Yongji (永璂), an unnamed daughter, and the 13th prince, Yongjing (永璟), respectively.

Downfall

According to the Draft History of Qing, in 1765, during the 30th year of Qianlong's reign, the Step-Empress accompanied the Emperor on a tour to Southern China. As the group arrived in Hangzhou, under circumstances that remain the subject of debate, the Step-Empress cut her hair. Contemporary Qing customs held that Manchu people could cut their hair only as a sign of deep mourning. The Step-Empress' action was considered a grave offense, as it was taken as a gesture meant to curse the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. She was commanded to return to the capital; Fulong'an (福隆安), Empress Xiaoxianchun's nephew and the husband of Qianlong's fourth daughter, escorted her via the waterways.

In 2019, Chinese author Li Shu, in her book on Qing imperial cuisine, claimed to pinpoint the exact moment the incident occurred, using Qing dynasty records of the portions of food the Emperor gave to his consorts. She argued that the granting of a food portion represents an act of honor and love by the Emperor to his consort, whereas withholding such a grant indicates displeasure. She postulated that the incident happened at some point following breakfast on 7 April 1765, when the Step-Empress received a portion of assorted meats, and before dinner that same day, when the she was not mentioned as having received any portion of food from the Emperor. In addition, starting from that dinner and thereafter, the Step-Empress's name was covered up with yellow paper on records of food portion grants.

After the incident and following the Step-Empress' return to the capital, she was still granted the same amount of daily food and charcoal rations as would be accorded to an empress, and she was given five eunuchs and two cooks. But on 1 July 1765, following the Qianlong Emperor's return to Beijing, he ordered that the Step-Empress' four written edicts that bestowed her ranks, as well as the accompanying gifts, be confiscated. In addition, the Step-Empress' tenfold maid workforce was reduced to two, the same number of maids that a second class attendant (答應; lowest imperial consort) was allowed to have. Furthermore, the Qianlong Emperor conferred the title of imperial noble consort on Noble Consort Ling half a month after his return to the capital. Under Qing dynasty's ranking of consorts, an imperial noble consort was only a step below the empress, meaning that while Noble Consort Ling was not explicitly granted administrative powers over the harem, the Step-Empress had definitely fallen out of favour with the Emperor.

Death

The Step-Empress died in the 7th month of the 31st year of Qianlong. However, the exact date of her death is a matter of debate. The Draft History of Qing, which has accuracy and reliability concerns, states that she died on the Jiawu, while modern works typically list her death as having happened on the 14th day of the 7th month.

The Step-Empress was already seriously ill by the 6th month of that same year, but despite her illness, Qianlong did not delay his trip to the summer residence in Chengde.

At the time of the Step-Empress' death, the Qianlong Emperor was on his annual hunting excursion at the Mulan Hunting Grounds (木蘭圍場; in present-day Weichang Manchu and Mongol Autonomous County). Instead of ending his excursion immediately to head back to the Forbidden City, he ordered his 12th son, Yongji (the Step-Empress' biological son), to return to the palace to handle the funerary affairs.

By the Qianlong Emperor's order, the Step-Empress' funeral was treated as that of an imperial noble consort, but in reality, the ceremony was a much more scaled-down affair. For example, the usual cancellation of cabinet meetings for five days was not carried out, and the requirement for princesses, nobles, and high-ranking court officials to attend the mourning sessions was waived. In addition, the coffin used for the Step-Empress was of a much lower quality. For her burial, the Step-Empress was laid to rest in the Yu Mausoleum of the Eastern Qing tombs, next to Imperial Noble Consort Chunhui, instead of being entombed beside the Emperor's future resting place.

Titles

  • During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661–1722):
    • Lady Nara (那拉氏)
  • During the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor (r. 1722–1735):
    • Secondary Consort (側福晉; from 2 December 1734)
  • During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735–1796):
    • Consort Xian (嫻妃; from 23 January 1738), fourth rank consort
    • Noble Consort Xian (嫻貴妃; from 9 December 1745), third rank consort
    • Imperial Noble Consort (皇貴妃; from 20 May 1749), second rank consort
    • Empress (皇后; from 2 September 1750)

Issue

  • As empress:
    • Yongji (永璂), Prince of the Third Rank (貝勒; 7 June 1752 – 17 March 1776), the Qianlong Emperor's 12th son
    • Unnamed daughter (23 July 1753 – 1 June 1755), the Qianlong Emperor's fifth daughter
    • Yongjing (永璟; 22 January 1756 – 7 September 1757), the Qianlong Emperor's 13th son

In popular culture

Notes on Chinese years

Many historical materials on the Step Empress utilize the ancient Chinese lunisolar calendar, coupled with the Chinese era name system. The following Gregorian calendar dates were derived, using developed by the Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

References

Sources

References

  1. Disputed. See the [[#Early life. Early life]] section of this article.
  2. Disputed. See the [[#Death. Death]] section of this article.
  3. {{harvnb. Xu. 2013
  4. {{harvnb. Zhang. Wu. 1928: "皇后，烏喇那拉氏，佐領那爾布女。(The Empress, of the Ula-Nara, daughter of ''niru ejen'' Narbu)."
  5. Chuang, Chi-fa. "清史館與清史稿: 清史館未刊紀志表傳的纂修及其史料價值".
  6. "八旗滿洲氏族通譜卷二十四 輝發地方納喇氏".
  7. (15 October 2018). "【有雷】周迅、范冰冰、佘詩曼都演過乾隆繼皇后！從《如懿》《延禧》解開烏拉（輝發）那拉氏的歷史爭議之謎". [[Harper’s Bazaar]].
  8. {{harvnb. Chung. 2018: 那拉氏是滿清八大姓之一，支系繁多，烏拉那拉、輝發那拉、葉赫那拉、哈達那拉都屬那拉氏的分支。而所謂分支，即地域之分，也就是說，「那拉」才是真正姓氏，而前面的「烏拉」、「輝發」等則是地域上的區分。因此，這位乾隆繼后，無論是來自「烏拉」地區還是「輝發」地區，都不影響她被稱作「那拉氏」。(The Clan Nara is one of Qing Dynasty's 8 major clans, and has a complicated system of branches. Ula-Nara, Hoifa-Nara, Yehe-Nara, Hada-Nara are all branches of the Clan Nara. As for what "branches" mean, it's a geographical distinguisher, meaning "Nara" is the real surname, and that the prefix, such as "Ula" and "Hoifa", is merely a geographical identifier. That means, for this Qianlong Emperor consort, it doesn't matter whether she hails from the Ula or Hoifa area, she is still of the Clan Nara.)
  9. "乾隆二年十二月上4日". 高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun).
  10. (29 August 2018). "佘詩曼周迅同演繼皇后 為何斷髮失常成千古謎團". Bastille Post.
  11. {{harvnb. Chung. 2018: 據《清皇室四譜》，那拉氏出生年份不詳，只知生於二月，鑲藍旗佐領那爾布之女... (According to the ''Four Genealogies of the Qing Royal House'', Lady Nara's year of birth is unknown. It is only known that she was born in the second month. She was the daughter of ''niru ejen'' Narbu, of the Bordered Blue Banner.)
  12. "乾隆十年十一月下17日". 高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun).
  13. (10 October 2012). "明清第一任皇后之悲（下）". [[Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]].
  14. "乾隆十四年四月上9日". 高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun).
  15. "乾隆十五年七月上12日". 高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun).
  16. {{harvnb. Xu. 2013
  17. {{harvnb. Xu. 2013
  18. {{harvnb. Zhang. Wu. 1928: "三十年，從上南巡，至杭州，忤上旨，后剪髮，上益不懌，令后先還京師。(On the 30th year, [the Step Empress] followed the Emperor for a southern tour. She defied an imperial order in Hangzhou, and cut her hair, causing growing displeasure with the Emperor, who ordered the Step Empress to return to the capital.
  19. {{harvnb. Chen. 2018
  20. "乾隆四十三年九月上9日". 高宗純皇帝實錄 (Factual History of Gaozhong, Emperor Chun).
  21. {{harvnb. Xu. 2013
  22. (8 February 2019). "【皇上吃什麼】繼皇后如懿失寵的關鍵時刻 藏在乾隆南巡餐單內！". [[HK01]].
  23. (20 January 2019). "《皇上吃什麼》：從乾隆南巡菜單，一窺如懿失寵的秘密". [[The News Lens]].
  24. {{harvnb. Xu. 2013
  25. {{harvnb. Xu. 2013
  26. {{harvnb. Zhang. Wu. 1928: "三十一年七月甲午，崩。上方幸木蘭，命喪儀視皇貴妃。(Died on the ''Jiawu'' of the 7th month of the 31st year [of Qianlong]. His Majesty was at Mulan at the time, and ordered to treat the funeral as that of an Imperial Noble Consort.)
  27. {{harvnb. Xu. 2013
  28. "列傳八 諸王七". [[Draft History of Qing]].
  29. (25 July 2018). "【延禧攻略】嫻妃大戰《還珠格格》小燕子 兩劇角色「駁得埋」？". [[HK01]].
  30. (9 May 2016). "演甄嬛儿媳不讨喜 她曾是中国史上最小影后！". [[China Times]].
  31. (24 May 2017). "Cannes Film Review: 'The Lady in the Portrait'". [[Variety (magazine).
  32. (3 September 2018). "4 biggest back-stabbing female villains in Chinese imperial palace TV dramas". [[South China Morning Post]].

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consorts-of-the-qianlong-emperorqing-dynasty-empresses1718-births1766-deaths18th-century-chinese-people18th-century-chinese-women