Prince Gong in official dress

Prince Gong (Chinese: 恭親王; Wade-Giles: Prince Kung) (January 11, 1833 - May 29, 1898), commonly known in his days as the Sixth Prince (六王爺), was born Yixin (Chinese: 奕訢; Wade-Giles: I-hsin), of the Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing Manchu imperial family ruling over China). He was in charge of the government of China in the 1860s and 1870s, and is remembered for his strong ties with Westerners and his attempts at opening and modernizing China. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... January 11 is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... Aisin Gioro (Chinese: 愛新覺羅; pinyin: àixīn juéluó1; Japanese: Aishin Kakura) was the family name of the Manchu emperors of the Qing dynasty and Manchukuo. ... The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: qīng cháo; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of Inner Asia, establishing the... The Manchu (manju in Manchu; 滿族 (pinyin: mǎnzú) in Chinese, often shortened to 滿 (pinyin: mǎn) are an ethnic group who originated in Manchuria. ... Events and trends Italian unification under King Victor Emmanuel II. Wars for expansion and national unity continue until the incorporation of the Papal States (March 17, 1861 - September 20, 1870). ... Events and Trends Technology Invention of the telephone (1876) and phonograph (1877) WTF Science Ludwig Boltzmanns statistical definition of thermodynamic entropy War, peace and politics Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) results in the collapse of the Second French Empire and in the formation of both the French Third Republic...

He was popularly nicknamed "devil number six" (鬼子六) in Chinese, in reference to his frequent intercourse with Westerners (the "foreign devils"). He was given the posthumous name Zhong (忠 - meaning "loyal"), so that his formal title before 1912 (end of the empire) was actually Prince Gong the Loyal (恭忠親王). 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ...

He was the sixth son of the Daoguang Emperor (1782-1850). His mother was the concubine of the third rank Jing (靜妃) (1812-1855), who later became Concubine Dowager Kangci (康慈皇貴太妃), and was made posthumously Empress Xiaojing Cheng (孝靜成皇后). She was the daughter of a Mongol official in the government, from the Borjigid clan (the descendants of Genghis Khan). The Daoguang Emperor (September 16, 1782 - February 25, 1850) was the seventh emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1820 to 1850. ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... For the German pop band, see Dschinghis Khan Genghis Khan (1155/1162/1167 - August 18, 1227) (Cyrillic: Чингис Хаан), (also spelled as Chingis Khan, Jenghis Khan, etc. ...

In February 1850, Emperor Daoguang was dying, so he ordered to reveal the secret edict of succession: Yixin was made Prince of the First Rank Gong while his older half-brother Yizhu (奕詝) was proclaimed heir to the throne, which he ascended the following month as the Xianfeng Emperor. Prince Gong did not play a major role during the reign of Xianfeng, as his brother was suspicious of him and kept him at bay. His mother, the concubine Jing, the highest ranking surviving concubine of Emperor Daoguang (whose empresses were all dead already), was not made an Empress Dowager, but merely a Concubine Dowager, which Prince Gong bitterly resented. 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Xianfeng Emperor (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ...

Prince Gong's disgrace actually became his good fortune when, in 1860, in the middle of the Second Opium War, Emperor Xianfeng left him behind in Beijing to negotiate with the British and French armies who had invaded northern China, while the court was fleeing to the Rehe Traveling Palace (熱河行宫), 230 km./140 miles northeast of Beijing. Prince Gong thus obtained a position of great influence due to his newly acquired credit with the Western Powers, and his control of the militia in Beijing. On August 22, 1861, the Xianfeng Emperor died in Rehe. His only heir, the son of the concubine Yi (later known as Empress Dowager Cixi), was only 5-year-old. Prince Gong played the essential role in the ensuing struggle over who would assume the regency, as he had the troops capable of tilting the balance in favor of the concubine Yi and her party or in favor of the opposing party with the Manchu official Sushun (肅順) at its head. In November 1861, after secretly meeting the concubine Yi and deciding to side with her, he carried out the Xinyou Coup (辛酉政變), arrested the opposing princes and had them commit suicide, while Sushun was beheaded. 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... The Second Opium War or Arrow War began in 1856 and ended in 1860. ... Beijing  listen (Chinese: 北京; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Pei-ching; Postal System Pinyin: Peking) is the capital city of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Xianfeng Emperor (July 17, 1831 - August 22, 1861) was the eighth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1850 to 1861. ... Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi (Chinese: 慈禧太后; Wade-Giles: Tzu-hsi) (November 29, 1835–November 15, 1908), popularly known in China as the Western Empress Dowager (西太后), and officially known posthumously as Empress Xiaoqin Xian (孝欽顯皇后), was a powerful and charismatic figure who was the de facto ruler... Sushun was one of the eight ministers appointed by Emperor Xianfeng before he passed away to help his six-year old son, Zaitian or Emperor Tongzhi to rule China. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Prince Gong, informal in his garden

The concubine Yi became co-regent under the name Empress Dowager Cixi, along with the less politically involved Empress Dowager Ci'an, ruling behind the curtain (a court official required that the two co-regents, both women, attend imperial audiences behind a curtain). This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... A regent is an acting governor. ... Empress Dowager Cian (慈安太后) (1837 - April 8, 1881), popularly known in China as the Eastern Empress Dowager (東太后), and officially known posthumously as Empress Xiaozhen Xian (孝貞顯皇后), was the empress consort of the Xianfeng Emperor (b. ...

Prince Gong with the support of the two dowagers, ruled China until the 1880s, but was demoted after being accused of being rude in front of the dowagers. He was then overshadowed by his younger half-brother the 1st prince Chun (醇賢親王), who had closer ties with Cixi. Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... 1st Prince Chun The 1st Prince Chun (Chinese: 醇賢親王, officially Prince of the First Rank Chun Xian) (October 16, 1840 - January 1, 1891), commonly known in his days as the Seventh Prince (七王爺) was born Yixuan (Chinese: 奕譞; Wade-Giles: I-hsüan), of the Manchu Aisin-Gioro clan (the Qing...

In the 1890s, after the death of the 1st prince Chun, Empress Dowager Cixi asked Prince Gong to return to the court, but he died shortly afterwards.

In 20th century China, Prince Gong was for a long time vilified as the man who sold the country to the Western powers. In recent years however, he was somehow rehabilitated, and is now recognized as a great statesman, on par with Li Hongzhang, especially when compared to his brother the hapless Emperor Xianfeng. Alive, he was admired by Westerners with whom he had close contacts, and still keep much of this credit in Western historical circles. Li Hongzhang (Chinese: 李鴻章; pinyin: Lǐ Hóngzhāng, Wade-Giles: Li Hung-chang) (February 15, 1823 - November 7, 1901) was a general who ended several major rebellions, and a leading statesman of the late Chinese Qing Empire. ...