The Three Empresses of Emperor Qianlong

Emperor Qianlong's harem has been cast into the spotlight recently––with a hit tv show airing at the moment and another to come. Coincidentally, the same three women, namely the three empresses of Qianlong, are heavily featured in the two dramas, albeit in entirely different lights.

It occurred to me that a side-by-side comparison between Emperor's Qianlong three Empresses and King Henry VIII's first three wives could be interesting. Of course, given the largely discrepant cultures and historical factors, such a comparison is only superficial at best. Bear in mind that this post by no means suggests that the women were by any means similar in temperament, or shared the exact same motivations and life trajectories.

For a full biography of Henry VIII's first two queens, read Celine's post here.

In the following sections, I will simply refer to the empresses by their family names/more familiar titles for easier identification. (Like honestly who's gonna remember a title like Empress Xiaoxian Chengzheng Dunmu Renhui Weigong Kangshun Futian Changsheng Chun. No, I didn't make this title up.)





Empress Fucha--Katherine of Aragon

Like Katherine of Aragon, Empress Fucha was high-born and brought up accordingly. Though not a member of royalty per se, her family, the Fucha clan, was a member of the "Bordered Yellow Banner", one of the top three banners among the eight Manchurian banners. The Empress' family welded immense power and authority and had matrimonial ties with the royal family.

Katherine of Aragon was known to have been highly educated. The scholar Erasmus noted that the queen was "well instructed"––not just in comparison to other women––and "is no less to be respected for her piety than her erudition". She also ensured her daughter Mary would receive the same comprehensive education as she had.



Similarly, Empress Fucha was well taught and known for her calligraphy skills. According to the memoirs[1] of a descendant of her clan, the Emperor Yongzheng (then still a prince) chanced upon their family home and caught her in the middle of calligraphy practice. He was greatly impressed by her calligraphy skills and by her knowledge of the classics. As he returned home later that day, he summoned his sons (including Fucha's future husband) and admonished them, "You'd better be diligent, else you'd lose out in comparison to a nine-year-old girl!"

Empress Fucha was personally picked out by the Emperor Yongzheng to be the primary wife of his fourth son, Hongli, later crowned as the Emperor Qianlong. Empress Fucha had two sons and two daughters in her marriage. Like Queen Katherine, whose only surviving child was the Princess Mary, Empress Fucha was rather unlucky in this respect: both of her sons and a daughter died in childhood. Her only surviving child was a daughter who lived to the relatively ripe old age of 61 years.

Unlike Queen Katherine, Empress Fucha never lost her husband's favour. Her conduct as queen was blameless; she fitted the archetype of the ideal Confucian wife perfectly. But the death of her only remaining son at the age of two proved too much for her. The Emperor, determined to cheer her up, took her on an excursion to Shantong. The royal couple visited several famous sites and even presided over a grand ceremony at the Confucius temple. All seemed well until they embarked on their return journey to the capital. Empress Fucha had fallen ill. The Emperor wanted to put off their return trip until her recovery; however, the Empress urged the Emperor to proceed with their journey back as scheduled. The journey, compounded by her grief, took its toll on her. She passed away on the boat, aged only 37.

The Emperor never got over his grief. His political style took a sharp turn after the Empress' demise; he admonished two of his sons for 'not displaying the appropriate amount of emotion' and even excluded them from his list of heirs apparent. Nor were his officials exempt from his bad temper. He found fault with the ceremonial offerings, was unhappy with the lack of attendance at the Empress' funeral, and even punished officials for shaving their heads within a hundred days of the Empress' death. In retrospect, this series of incidents could have been a long-awaited-for moment to punish offending officials; though several sources do agree that Qianlong was never the same again.

Empress Nala--Anne Boleyn
The aftermath of Empress Fucha's death was felt strongly by the entire court; no one was to bear the brunt more so than her ill-fated successor, Empress Nala.

At the time of Empress Fucha's death, Empress Nala was the "Noble Consort Xian", two ranks below the Empress. Her title, 'Xian', （娴), meaning "refined and demure", was supposed to be a reflection of her general character. She had been in attendance at the emperor's court ever since she was a girl of sixteen. Her rank and seniority were the highest among the palace ladies; her family background, though less prestigious than the late Empress, was high enough; her character, if official records were anything to go by, was blameless. In other words, she was perfect to assume the role of the new Empress.

No portrait of the empress survives. Perhaps
Qianlong had them destroyed. 

That was what the Empress Dowager had in mind as well. The Emperor, however, was not too eager to have her assume the role. As a compromise, he made her the "Imperial Noble Consort"––a sort of probationary position for her to carry out the responsibilities of an empress without the actual title. Lady Xian passed her probation without event. She was then coronated after the country's official mourning period was over.

At first glance, it would seem that Empress Nala and Anne Boleyn shared no similarities. While Anne Boleyn was witty, vivacious and determined, Empress Nala was set out to be another version of Empress Fucha. She toed the line cautiously, played by the rules, and never gave anyone any reason to doubt the legitimacy of her succession.

Nor was the Emperor ever infatuated with her the way King Henry was with Anne Boleyn; Empress Nala only began to bear children after her coronation as Empress. In other words, the relationship between the Emperor and his new Empress was respectful, proper, and fully fitted the official expectations of a royal couple who were bound together not by passion, but by duty.

It was only after a striking turn of events when Empress Nala's fate converged with that of Anne Boleyn's.

The brewing of the storm, for both Empress Nala and Anne Boleyn, was preceded by a period of apparent normalcy. Anne Boleyn was watching a game of tennis, carrying out her official duties as queen, when she was disturbed by messengers who ordered her to present herself before the privy council. A day before, her husband had left his seat abruptly at the May Day jousts. As argued by the historian Alison Weir, Anne probably had enough time to realize the gravity of her situation. Her situation had been highly precarious ever since her two miscarriages. Jane Seymour's ascension at court was also a threat to Anne, as King Henry began to openly flaunt his affection for her.

The disgrace of Empress Nala was, on the contrary, less obvious. The Emperor and his favourites were on an excursion to Hangzhou. Everything went fine at first with the Emperor celebrated the Empress' birthday en route. They arrived at Hangzhou and breakfasted together; the Emperor even bequeathed her with delicacies from his royal table––a sign of his favor. However, the Empress did not show up for dinner that night. It was soon apparent that she had been sent back to the palace in disgrace on that day itself.

Empress Nala played by Charmaine Seah

What triggered this chain of events is unknown. By the emperor's own admission, the Empress had willfully cut her own hair––a big no-no for Manchurian women. It was akin to cursing the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, for the Empress was only allowed to cut her hair as a sign of mourning at their deaths. Since there were no eyewitness accounts to support or counteract that claim, we have no choice but to take the Emperor at his word.


The reason behind Empress Nala's impulsiveness, given her clean record, is unknown and extremely baffling. There are many speculative theories circulating the net; one of which involves Noble Consort Ling, the "Jane Seymour" of this story. In this narrative, the Empress was greatly threatened by Noble Consort Ling's rapid ascension in the ranks of the Imperial Harem. The decision of the Emperor to promote her to the position of "Imperial Noble Consort" was the last straw that broke the camel's back––Empress Nala's action was, therefore, a desperate defiant act against the Emperor's plans. Though appealing in terms of its dramatic nature, this claim is highly speculative.

Empress Nala as depicted in the TV series
"Ruyi's Royal Love"

Unlike Anne Boleyn, Empress Nala was not put to death. Nor did she lose her position as Empress. However, her treatment was equivalent to demotion. The Emperor confiscated the ceremonial artefacts which marked her four promotions to the positions of Consort, Noble Consort, Imperial Noble Consort and Empress respectively; he also reduced the number of her servants to two, which was the equivalent of the lowest-ranking consort in the palace.

Empress Nala died a year later. Her funeral was simply-done and did not befit her rank. Her coffin was then stuffed into a corner of the tomb of another concubine. No ceremonial plaque was erected in her honor nor were any posthumous titles awarded. The Emperor never showed any sign of grief at the news of his death. In fact, he exiled a hapless officer who was undiscerning enough to propose a proper funeral befitting her rank.




Consort Ling--Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was arguably King Henry's favorite. She was, after all, the one who begot him his long-wished-for son. King Henry had their family portrait painted together long after her death, effectively leaving the then-reigning queen Katherine Parr out. He even joined her in death, while his other wives, some without their heads, had to content themselves with singlehood for eternity.

Jane Seymour was lady-in-waiting to King Henry's first two wives. As for Consort Ling, the details of her life prior to her ascension as the consort is unknown. The tv series Story of Yanxi Palace, (延禧攻略) portray her as the maid-in-waiting to Empress Fucha. This is not without historical basis. In an elegy to the Empress, Emperor Qianlong mentioned that the Consort had benefitted from the 'education' offered by the Empress. The exact meaning of this is unknown. The tv series take it literally to the extent of having Empress Fucha teach Consort Ling calligraphy and literacy skills.

Others have speculated that Consort Ling had not begun her career as a palace maid, but was immediately promoted to the position of guiren, or 'Noble Person', five ranks below the Empress. That would still place her under the guidance of the Empress who was in charge of overseeing the discipline and character of the imperial concubines.

Consort Ling, depicted as the maid-in-waiting to Empress Fucha
in "The Story of Yanxi Palace"

Jane Seymour, though of noble birth, started out from a considerably lower station in life as compared to Katherine of Aragon. In a similar vein, Consort Ling's background was considerably weaker than Empress Fucha, Empress Nala, or many of the other imperial consorts for that matter. Her rapid ascension across the ranks is therefore remarkable. She rose from the fifth rank to the second rank of Noble Consort within fourteen years. After the unexpected fall of Empress Nala, she was made the Imperial Noble Consort, a rare honor commonly reserved for concubines of prominent families.

Consort Ling, as depicted in the 90s TV Series "Princess Returning Pearl".
In this series, she is depicted as a kindly figure who is symphathetic to
the main characters and often intercedes on their behalf.

It was not that easy to be promoted in the Qing imperial harem. For starters, Manchurian women of the foremost banners were more likely to be promoted. The ability to give birth to sons was also a chief determining factor; though the Emperor could promote childless favorites as well. Like Jane Seymour, Consort Ling was the birth mother of the Emperor's immediate successor, though it wasn't entirely evident at that point. As dictated by custom, the Emperor would write his successor's name in a will hidden behind the plaque in his throne room. It was only at the point of the Emperor's death (or abdication) when the will would be retrieved and revealed.

Jane Seymour died shortly after her son's birth. Consort Ling was more fortunate; she lived for quite a long while until her death at 47. Like Jane, she did not live long enough to see her son ascend the throne. In a final display of favor, Emperor Qianlong awarded her the title of 'Empress' posthumously.

Depictions in Popular Culture

The Tudors have long been the favorites of historical fiction and tv series. The same can be said of Emperor Qianlong, though historical dramas in the past had focused solely on his role as emperor and his doings in the politcal scope.

Qianglong's Empire

Unlike Western history, I find that Chinese history has been more secretive about the doings of the Imperial family. Reading the obituaries and biographies of the Qing empresses and concubines brings to mind images of virtuous women, whose sole purpose in life was to serve the king and follow rules. It is hard to guess at their personalities or motivations.

Though frustrating for historians, this lack of information has provided novelists and filmmakers with a blank canvas on which imaginations run wild. And we now find ourselves at this interesting point in Chinese popular culture where not one, but two historically-inspired tv series are being aired/to-be-aired at the point of writing.

Yingluo (Consort Ling) vs Ruyi (Empress Nala).

One of this, Yanxi Gonglue, or "The Story of Yanxi Palace"[2] (延禧攻略) has been taking over the Chinese internet by storm. In this version, Consort Ling is the central character, an ally of Empress Fucha, and the deadly opponent of Empress Nala. In the second version, "Ru Yi's Royal Love in the Palace" (如懿传), Empress Nala, reimagined as Ulanala Ruyi[3], is the central character, while Consort Ling is the main villain. In this retelling of events, Empress Nala is the Emperor's true love, and the couple became estranged after a series of misunderstandings. (which I find really unconvincing)

Promo poster for Ruyi's Royal Love

Better than the power struggle between Empress Nala and Consort Ling is the real-life power struggle between the two tv series, its producers, and fans to emerge as the ultimate winner of the day. While Yanxi promotes itself as an accurate representation of historical dress and accessories, (read a full discussion here and here), Ruyi's crew promotes itself as a faithful reconstruction of the elaborate Qing dynasty palace rituals. (video below)

At the time of writing, things seem a little more challenging for Ruyi, given that the audiences have been won over by Yanxi's depiction of Consort Ling as a fearless, quick-witted and capable young lady.

Watch the promotional videos below and decide for yourself. Who is the ultimate winner of this 21st-century palace power struggle?

1) Promotional Video for Yanxi Palace

2) Promotional video for Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

[1]: I am unable to find citations or the original source for this anecdote. This information is lifted from baidu and is uncited. It would be wise to treat this as just a story.

[2]: In my opinion, "A Survival Guide to Yanxi Palace" would be a better translation

[3]: In history, Empress Nala's family name is ‘Hoifa Nala', not 'Ula Nala'. The TV series' version is a common misconception.