Prince Gong (恭亲王)

Prince Gong (Yi Xin, 1833-1898) was the sixth son of the Daoguang Emperor (1782-1850). He never became emperor but acted as regent ruling China in the 1860s and 1870s. He is remembered for his dealings with the West and his attempts at modernizing China.

In 1860, during the Second Opium War, Emperor Xianfeng (Prince Gong’s older half brother) left him to negotiate with the approaching Western invaders while the court fled Beijing. Prince Gong negotiated the Convention of Peking after the Western troops destroyed much of the city. Although a humiliating defeat, the negotiations allowed Prince Gong to strengthen personal contacts with Western representatives and gain personal control over the Beijing militia.

In 1861, when the Xianfeng Emperor died, Prince Gong and the Noble Consort Yi (soon to become the Empress Dowager - Cixi) launched a coup and took power. Prince Gong was named prince-regent and appointed to a variety of important posts in government, including the Grand Council.

In 1861, Prince Gong established the Zongli Yamen, which functioned as the Qing Empire's foreign ministry. As the long-time head of the Zongli Yamen, Prince Gong was responsible for much of the reforms of the early Self-Strengthening Movement. He founded the Tongwen Guan in 1862 so Chinese scholars could study foreign languages and technology.

Prince Gong, with the support of the Empress Dowager, ruled China until the 1880s, but when he lost her support his younger brother, Prince Chun, became regent. Prince Gong was long vilified as the man who sold out the country to the West. Yet recently, historians have begun to reevaluate him, emphasizing his role as statesman and reformer.

Read about Prince Gong's former residence open to the public in Beijing.