Imperial Concubine Chun

Imperial Concubine Chun (died 13 October 1819) was a consort of the Jiaqing Emperor of the Qing dynasty.

Life

Imperial Concubine Chun was born in the Manchu Donggiya (董佳) clan. Her personal name is unknown. Her father, Shitai (時泰), served as a weishu ku zhang (委署庫長; executive bureau store officer). It is not known when she entered the Forbidden City, but it is estimated to be sometime in the early reign of the Jiaqing Emperor. She received the rank of Noble Lady under the title "Noble Lady Chun" (淳貴人). In 1801, she was promoted to "Imperial Concubine Chun" (淳嬪). She died in 1819.

Qing palace regulations stipulate that only six consorts in the imperial harem were allowed to hold the rank of Imperial Concubine. Lady Dongiya was the fifth to be promoted to this rank during the Jiaqing Emperor's reign.

Portrayal in media

Charmaine Sheh portrayed Imperial Concubine Chun in the 2004 Hong Kong television series War and Beauty. The character's name is Dongiya Erchun (董佳·爾淳) and her title is Noble Lady Chun (淳貴人). In the television series, Noble Lady Chun is actually a Han Chinese who was given a fake Manchu identity by her adoptive father so that she can join the imperial harem and win the favour of the Jiaqing Emperor. This could provide Noble Lady Chun with an opportunity to request that the emperor pardon her father for his treacherous acts in the past. At the end of the series, she is seen leaving the Forbidden City with a palace guard to start a new life.

See also

• Ranks of imperial consorts in China#Qing
• Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty

References

• Zhao, Erxun (1928). Draft History of Qing (Qing Shi Gao) (in Chinese). Volume 214.