Ministers › Statesman / Official
Zai Yi
Manchu prince whose son was named heir designate in 1900 and who led the court faction backing the Boxers, ending his life in exile and disgrace
In the courtyard of a district government hall, a line of petitioners waits before a raised bench with a long table and document boxes; a blue umbrella stands beside it, a large drum stands at the gate where a few people wait, and a lake with sailboats lies beyond.
Also known as Prince Duan
- Roles
- Statesman / Official
Zaiyi, a son of Yicong, Prince Dun, was born in 1856 and adopted as heir to Yizhi, Prince Ruimin; in 1894 he was made Prince Duan of the second rank, and he was a first cousin of both the Tongzhi and Guangxu emperors. In January 1900 Cixi named his son Pujun heir designate, apparently as a prelude to replacing the Guangxu emperor. That year Zaiyi commanded the Divine Engine Division, briefly ran the Zongli Yamen and, with Zaixun and others, led the faction urging the court to use the Boxers against the foreign powers. After the allied capture of Beijing the powers named him a principal culprit; in 1901 he was stripped of his title and sentenced to permanent confinement in Xinjiang, and Pujun lost his status as heir. He was pardoned after Zhang Xun's restoration attempt of 1917 and died in 1922.
Life and times
Dates 1856 CE–1922 CE