Consort Jin - Biography

Biography

Consort Jin was born of the Manchu Tatara (他他拉) clan. Her personal name is unknown. Her family was under the Bordered Red Banner of the Eight Banners. Her father was Zhangxu (長敘), who served as Vice Minister of Rites (禮部侍郎). She had a younger sister, known as Consort Zhen, who was also a concubine of the Guangxu Emperor.

Lady Tatara entered the Forbidden City in 1888 together with her younger sister. On 25 February 1889 she was granted the title of Consort Jin (瑾妃). It is thought that the Jadeite Cabbage sculpture, which is now a treasured item in Taiwan's National Palace Museum, was part of the dowry settlement. The Guangxu Emperor did not really like her, but favoured her younger sister.

During the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, the Qing imperial court moved to Xi'an in western China. It is said that the court forgot about Lady Tatara, and left her in the capital Beijing. Eventually, Lady Tatara was brought to Xi'an with the help of a prince. Lady Tatara's younger sister, Consort Zhen, died after being thrown into a well, allegedly on Empress Dowager Cixi's order, but there are claims that she committed suicide.

When the imperial court returned to Beijing in 1902, the Qing Dynasty has lost its influence. The Guangxu Emperor died six years later in 1908, followed by Empress Dowager Cixi, who died one day after the emperor. Before her death, Cixi named Zaifeng, Prince Chun's son Puyi as the successor to the throne. The Guangxu Emperor's empress, Empress Longyu, would become Empress Dowager, and Lady Tatara would become Dowager Consort Jin.

Puyi, who would become China's last emperor, had five other adoptive mothers in addition to his own biological mother, Princess Consort Chun. Among the five, Empress Dowager Longyu was the highest in rank while Lady Tatara was the lowest. The other three, Consort Zhuanghe, Consort Jingyi and Consort Ronghui were concubines of the late Tongzhi Emperor (the Guangxu Emperor's predecessor).

In 1912, Empress Dowager Longyu signed the abdication documents on behalf of Puyi, bringing an end to the Qing Dynasty. Longyu died a few months later in 1913, and Lady Tatara became the next highest ranked woman in the palace. She was honoured as Dowager Consort Duankang (端康太妃). In 1921 Puyi's birth mother Princess Consort Chun committed suicide by swallowing opium after being scolded in public by Lady Tatara for the misconduct of Puyi.

Puyi wrote in his autobiography that Lady Tatara saw Empress Dowager Cixi as a role model even though Cixi was responsible for the death of Lady Tatara's younger sister, Consort Zhen. Lady Tatara's strictness often angered the young emperor Puyi, but she became nicer and easier on him after his birth mother died.

When the time came for Puyi to marry, Lady Tatara and Dowager Consort Jingyi (敬懿太妃) had an argument over who should be the empress (the emperor's primary spouse). Lady Tatara favoured Wanrong while Jinyi preferred Wenxiu. In Lady Tatara's opinion, Wenxiu was not beautiful enough to be empress and she came from a lesser family background as compared to Wanrong. Despite so, Puyi's first choice was Wenxiu, and this frustrated Lady Tatara. She held a discussion with other nobles and officials in the imperial court, and they succeeded in persuading Puyi to select Wanrong as his empress and name Wenxiu as a consort.

Lady Tatara died in 1924 in the palace just before Puyi was forced to leave the Forbidden City.