Editing Prince Yongxing

[[Image:Toj 02 learning chinese 72dpi.jpg|thumb|200px|Yongxing teaching Temeraire Chinese. (c) Anke Eissmann]]
{{People|name=Yongxing|dob=unknown; died in 1806|service=Empire of China|rank=Prince|nationality=Chinese|billets=}}

== Biography ==
Yongxing was a brother of the [[Jiaqing Emperor]]. He believed strongly that companionship with [[Celestial]]s should be limited to the imperial family.  His belief was so strong that he adopted the albino [[Lung Tien Lien]] as a companion to prevent her being sent to a prince in Mongolia, even though by doing so he ended his own chances of becoming Emperor.  For the same reason as well as his strong anti-Western views, he opposed the intended gift of the second-born egg of [[Lung Tien Qian]] to the Emperor Napoleon, a gift made in order to avoid creating a rival candidate for the Chinese throne. 

Yongxing's point of view gained strength when the Chinese learned that the egg had hatched aboard a British ship and that [[Temeraire]] had been adopted by a "common soldier" and was serving in the [[Aerial Corps]].  Yongxing was sent to Britain to retrieve Temeraire as leader of a delegation that also included [[Liu Bao]] and [[Sun Kai]]. 

What no one except perhaps Lien may have known was that Yongxing was planning to use [[Temeraire]] in a plot to murder the Jiaqing Emperor and gain ''de facto'' control of the throne. Yongxing wanted to convince Temeraire to accept the child [[Prince Miankai]] as his new companion. Once the Jiaqing Emperor had been killed, Yongxing presumably then hoped to place Miankai on the throne in place of his adult brother [[Prince Mianning]], the rightful heir and the companion of Temeraire's twin, [[Lung Tien Chuan]].  Since Miankai was a child, Yongxing would rule as regent and would be able to sever all ties with the West

In pursuit of this plan, Yongxing tried to win Temeraire's trust by teaching him Chinese characters and literature, as well as by describing to him the pleasant conditions under which dragons lived in China.  Temeraire was quite interested by all of this, but reacted with fierce displeasure when Yongxing suggested that in China, he might have a companion more "worthy" than Laurence.

Yongxing also attempted to command Laurence to give up Temeraire; to cajole him into doing so; to bribe him with 10,000 taels (almost 900 pounds in weight) of silver and trade advantages for Britain; and, when all else failed, to have him murdered.  Yongxing's servant [[Feng Li]] made two attempts to kill Laurence during the voyage to China aboard the [[HMS Allegiance]].  Yongxing was also probably behind the ''hunhun'' attack on the British residence in Peking.  

His final attempt on Laurence's life, during a theatrical performance in Peking, cost him his own life.  At the performance, [[Emily Roland|Roland]] and [[Peter Dyer|Dyer]] recognized Miankai as the child whom Yongxing had brought to meet Temeraire.  With this evidence, [[Arthur Hammond]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Thomas_Staunton George Staunton] were at last able to make the connection between the attempts on Laurence's life and Yongxing's other actions.  Temeraire, who had ''already'' wanted to kill Yongxing after Feng Li's second attack on Laurence, was now more determined than ever to do so.

When one of the actors on stage was seen by Roland to throw a knife at Laurence, Temeraire killed the man, then turned to attack Yongxing.  Lien immediately came to Yongxing's defense, provoking a duel between her and Temeraire.  Ironically, Yongxing was killed by accident, when the two wrestling dragons knocked the stage over.  A flying shard of bamboo struck Yongxing in the eye and entered his brain, killing him instantly.

After Yongxing's death, Miankai testified that Yongxing had promised him his own Celestial and had asked if he would like to be Emperor.  Yongxing's supporters were cast into disgrace, leaving Mianning ascendant in the court.  Hammond was able to arrange to have Laurence adopted as a son by the Emperor, clearing the way for him and Temeraire to be sworn as companions.  

Lien, mourning Yongxing deeply, was persuaded by the French ambassador [[De Guignes]] to revenge herself on Temeraire and Laurence by travelling to France to assist Napoleon.

==East India Company opium smuggling==

Yongxing's attitude towards Western nations, although perhaps extreme, was not atypical of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_Dynasty Qing government] in China.  As he explained to [[William Laurence|Laurence]], China was sufficient unto itself and did not need Britain's "trinkets, your clockworks and lamps and guns."  He viewed Britain as a lesser nation, comparable to China's other tributary nations and therefore owing "threefold gratitude and submission to the Emperor."

Laurence in turn was baffled to hear Yongxing lump Christian missionaries in with opium smugglers and to refuse to acknowledge what Laurence considered to be "the benefits of free and open trade to both parties."  

Laurence may not have been aware that the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_East_India_Company#Opium_trade British East India Company] was smuggling hundreds of tons of opium into China each year.  The smuggling went on despite the fact that opium had been illegal in China since 1729 and that the [[Jiaqing Emperor]] had reaffirmed the opium import ban in 1799.  There was far more demand for Chinese tea, porcelain and silks in Britain than for British goods in China.  Britain's trade deficit was compounded by the fact where Britain operated under the gold standard, China insisted on the silver standard.  Britain was thus forced to buy silver from other European nations in order to trade to China for goods.

In order to address the British trade deficit, the East India Company pursued an opium monopoly in Bengal.  By 1773, they had obtained it.  Opium produced in Bengal was sold by the Company to various agents and traffickers in Calcutta with the understanding that it would end up in China.  The proceeds from illegal sales of opium in China were then paid into the Company's factory at Canton, where they were used to purchase tea and other Chinese goods.   

To understand Yongxing's attitude towards Britain, one need only imagine what would happen if a small 21st century nation attempted to balance its trade deficit with a larger and more powerful one - the United States, for example - by smuggling heroin or cocaine into the larger nation.


[[Category:A-Z|Yongxing, Prince]]
[[Category:Chinese|Yongxing, Prince]]
[[Category:People|Yongxing, Prince]]
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:Toj 02 learning chinese 72dpi.jpg|thumb|200px|Yongxing teaching Temeraire Chinese. (c) Anke Eissmann]]
-{{People|name=Yongxing|dob=1752? died in 1806|service=Empire of China|rank=Prince|nationality=Chinese|billets=}}
+{{People|name=Yongxing|dob=unknown; died in 1806|service=Empire of China|rank=Prince|nationality=Chinese|billets=}}
 == Biography ==
-'''Prince Yongxing''' was the older brother of the [[Jiaqing Emperor]]. If he had wife and children of his own, nothing was heard of them by [[William Laurence]].
+Yongxing was a brother of the [[Jiaqing Emperor]]. He believed strongly that companionship with [[Celestial]]s should be limited to the imperial family.  His belief was so strong that he adopted the albino [[Lung Tien Lien]] as a companion to prevent her being sent to a prince in Mongolia, even though by doing so he ended his own chances of becoming Emperor.  For the same reason as well as his strong anti-Western views, he opposed the intended gift of the second-born egg of [[Lung Tien Qian]] to the Emperor Napoleon, a gift made in order to avoid creating a rival candidate for the Chinese throne.
-===Cultural stance===
+Yongxing's point of view gained strength when the Chinese learned that the egg had hatched aboard a British ship and that [[Temeraire]] had been adopted by a "common soldier" and was serving in the [[Aerial Corps]].  Yongxing was sent to Britain to retrieve Temeraire as leader of a delegation that also included [[Liu Bao]] and [[Sun Kai]].
-Yongxing was strongly opposed to allowing Europeans to enter China. His attitude towards Western nations, although perhaps extreme, was not atypical of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_Dynasty Qing government] in China. He viewed Britain as a lesser nation, comparable to China's other tributary nations and owing "threefold gratitude and submission to the Emperor."
-Yongxing told Laurence that China was sufficient unto itself and did not need Britain's "trinkets, your clockworks and lamps and guns." Yongxing's equation of Christian missionaries with opium smugglers baffled Laurence, who thought that allowing Western merchants into China would bring "the benefits of free and open trade to both parties". However, Laurence may have been unaware of the pervasiveness of the [[#Historical context|opium trade by the British East India Company]].
+What no one except perhaps Lien may have known was that Yongxing was planning to use [[Temeraire]] in a plot to murder the Jiaqing Emperor and gain ''de facto'' control of the throne. Yongxing wanted to convince Temeraire to accept the child [[Prince Miankai]] as his new companion. Once the Jiaqing Emperor had been killed, Yongxing presumably then hoped to place Miankai on the throne in place of his adult brother [[Prince Mianning]], the rightful heir and the companion of Temeraire's twin, [[Lung Tien Chuan]].  Since Miankai was a child, Yongxing would rule as regent and would be able to sever all ties with the West
-Yongxing also insisted that companionship with [[Celestial]] dragons should be limited to the Chinese imperial family. When the albino [[Lung Tien Lien]] was hatched, there was a proposal to send her to a prince in Mongolia; Yongxing took her as his own companion, even though this ended his own chance of becoming Emperor.
+In pursuit of this plan, Yongxing tried to win Temeraire's trust by teaching him Chinese characters and literature, as well as by describing to him the pleasant conditions under which dragons lived in China.  Temeraire was quite interested by all of this, but reacted with fierce displeasure when Yongxing suggested that in China, he might have a companion more "worthy" than Laurence.
-Based on the same moral principle and his anti-Western views, he also opposed sending away the second-born egg of [[Lung Tien Qian]] to [[Napoleon Bonaparte]]. Even for proponents of this plan, the rank of the "Emperor of France" was less important than simply avoiding the creation of rival claimants to the Chinese throne. Yongxing was unable to prevent the egg from being sent away, but before it could reach Napoleon, it was captured by the British [[Royal Navy]] and hatched at sea. The dragonet chose Captain [[William Laurence]] as its companion and allowed him to name it [[Temeraire]].
+Yongxing also attempted to command Laurence to give up Temeraire; to cajole him into doing so; to bribe him with 10,000 taels (almost 900 pounds in weight) of silver and trade advantages for Britain; and, when all else failed, to have him murdered.  Yongxing's servant [[Feng Li]] made two attempts to kill Laurence during the voyage to China aboard the [[HMS Allegiance]].  Yongxing was also probably behind the ''hunhun'' attack on the British residence in Peking.
-Yongxing's stance was apparently vindicated by the news that the Celestial hatchling had been paired to a "common soldier" to enter active service in the British [[Aerial Corps]], both of which were unthinkable for Celestials in China.
+His final attempt on Laurence's life, during a theatrical performance in Peking, cost him his own life.  At the performance, [[Emily Roland|Roland]] and [[Peter Dyer|Dyer]] recognized Miankai as the child whom Yongxing had brought to meet Temeraire.  With this evidence, [[Arthur Hammond]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Thomas_Staunton George Staunton] were at last able to make the connection between the attempts on Laurence's life and Yongxing's other actions.  Temeraire, who had ''already'' wanted to kill Yongxing after Feng Li's second attack on Laurence, was now more determined than ever to do so.
-===Chinese Embassy===
+When one of the actors on stage was seen by Roland to throw a knife at Laurence, Temeraire killed the man, then turned to attack Yongxing.  Lien immediately came to Yongxing's defense, provoking a duel between her and Temeraire.  Ironically, Yongxing was killed by accident, when the two wrestling dragons knocked the stage over.  A flying shard of bamboo struck Yongxing in the eye and entered his brain, killing him instantly.
-A [[Chinese Embassy]] delegation was sent to retrieve Temeraire (whom they named Lung Tien Xiang). Yongxing led the delegation, which also included [[Liu Bao]] and [[Sun Kai]]. They travelled to Great Britain on four merchant ships belonging to the East India Company. The ships initially demanded payment, but were confiscated by Imperial edict. The ships' crews were incensed, as were other British personnel who learned of it, but the British government was anxious to avoid offending the embassy and tried to keep the confiscations secret.
-The embassy attempted to persuade Temeraire to come back to China, but he refused to leave Laurence. When voluntary separation proved impossible, the British government ordered Laurence and his crew of [[aviators]] to accompany Temeraire, the British envoy [[Arthur Hammond]], and Yongxing's embassy back to China on the ''[[HMS Allegiance]]''.
+After Yongxing's death, Miankai testified that Yongxing had promised him his own Celestial and had asked if he would like to be Emperor.  Yongxing's supporters were cast into disgrace, leaving Mianning ascendant in the court.  Hammond was able to arrange to have Laurence adopted as a son by the Emperor, clearing the way for him and Temeraire to be sworn as companions.
-On the return voyage, Yongxing tried to win Temeraire's trust by teaching him Chinese characters and literature, as well as describing the lifestyle of dragons in China. Temeraire was eager to learn these things, but rejected Yongxing's suggestion that in China, he might have a companion more "worthy" than Laurence.
+Lien, mourning Yongxing deeply, was persuaded by the French ambassador [[De Guignes]] to revenge herself on Temeraire and Laurence by travelling to France to assist Napoleon.
-Since Yongxing could not separate Temeraire from Laurence, he tried to separate Laurence from Temeraire. These attempts included outright commands, cajolery that life in China would be better for Temeraire, and the open offer of 10,000 taels (almost 900 pounds in weight) of silver for Laurence and general trade advantages for Britain. After all of these failed, Yongxing's servant [[Feng Li]] twice tried to kill Laurence before being washed overboard in a storm.
-===Return to China===
-On reaching China, Yongxing and Lien were affectionately reunited.
-Yongxing continued to apply pressure to both Temeraire and Laurence. He brought his nephew [[Prince Miankai]] for an incognito introduction to Temeraire. ([[Emily Roland]] and [[Peter Dyer]] had enough Chinese to learn the boy's name and identity while playing with him.) Perhaps knowing that Temeraire would spend the night with [[Lung Qin Mei]], Yongxing may have arranged a ''hunhun'' attack on the British delegation to take advantage of Temeraire's absence.
-At a theatrical performance in Peking, Roland pointed out Miankai beside his older brother Crown Prince [[Mianning]] and their uncle Prince Yongxing. Hammond and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Thomas_Staunton George Staunton] quickly deduced that Yongxing wanted Temeraire to accept Miankai, then place the boy on the throne as a puppet; Yongxing would then take actual power as Imperial Regent and sever all ties with the West. This gave Yongxing a motive for killing Laurence.
-Temeraire heard Hammond and Staunton, which intensified his existing desire to kill Yongxing. As the theatrical performance continued, another attacker disguised himself as an actor and hurled a knife into Laurence's shoulder. Temeraire promptly killed the attacker and turned on Yongxing. In the ensuing duel between Temeraire and Lien, Yongxing was accidentally killed by flying debris.
-===Aftermath===
+==East India Company opium smuggling==
-Prince Miankai confirmed that his late uncle had promised him his own Celestial and asked if he would like to be Emperor. Yongxing's supporters were cast into disgrace, leaving Mianning ascendant at the court.
-Hammond arranged to have Laurence adopted as a son by the Emperor, a technicality that allowed Temeraire to confirm his choice of companion in the traditional vein. Laurence was also granted an estate in the capital, which would be occupied in his absence by Hammond and the other British diplomats.
+Yongxing's attitude towards Western nations, although perhaps extreme, was not atypical of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qing_Dynasty Qing government] in China.  As he explained to [[William Laurence|Laurence]], China was sufficient unto itself and did not need Britain's "trinkets, your clockworks and lamps and guns."  He viewed Britain as a lesser nation, comparable to China's other tributary nations and therefore owing "threefold gratitude and submission to the Emperor."
-Lien, mourning Yongxing deeply, was persuaded by the French ambassador [[De Guignes]] to revenge herself on Temeraire and Laurence by travelling to France to assist Napoleon.
+Laurence in turn was baffled to hear Yongxing lump Christian missionaries in with opium smugglers and to refuse to acknowledge what Laurence considered to be "the benefits of free and open trade to both parties."
-==Historical context==
+Laurence may not have been aware that the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_East_India_Company#Opium_trade British East India Company] was smuggling hundreds of tons of opium into China each year.  The smuggling went on despite the fact that opium had been illegal in China since 1729 and that the [[Jiaqing Emperor]] had reaffirmed the opium import ban in 1799.  There was far more demand for Chinese tea, porcelain and silks in Britain than for British goods in China.  Britain's trade deficit was compounded by the fact where Britain operated under the gold standard, China insisted on the silver standard.  Britain was thus forced to buy silver from other European nations in order to trade to China for goods.
-During this historical period, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_East_India_Company#Opium_trade British East India Company] was smuggling hundreds of tons of opium into China each year.  This went on despite the fact that opium had been illegal in China since 1729 and that the [[Jiaqing Emperor]] had reaffirmed the opium import ban in 1799.
-There was far more demand for Chinese tea, porcelain and silks in Britain than for British goods in China.  Britain's trade deficit was compounded by the disparity in monetary policies between Britain's gold standard and China's silver standard.  Britain was thus forced to buy silver from other European nations in order to trade to China for goods.
 In order to address the British trade deficit, the East India Company pursued an opium monopoly in Bengal.  By 1773, they had obtained it.  Opium produced in Bengal was sold by the Company to various agents and traffickers in Calcutta with the understanding that it would end up in China.  The proceeds from illegal sales of opium in China were then paid into the Company's factory at Canton, where they were used to purchase tea and other Chinese goods.
@@ Line 50: / Line 33: @@
 To understand Yongxing's attitude towards Britain, one need only imagine what would happen if a small 21st century nation attempted to balance its trade deficit with a larger and more powerful one - the United States, for example - by smuggling heroin or cocaine into the larger nation.
-===Deviations from History===
-Historically, Yongxing (Prince Cheng; 1752-1823) was the eleventh son of the Qianlong Emperor. From a young age, he excelled in calligraphy, even arousing the admiration of the emperor himself. During his father’s reign, he was appointed one of the chiefs in charge of editing the ‘Collectanea of imperial books’. He led an enjoyable artistic life dedicated to the study of calligraphy and poetry, except for a year or so, during his brother Jiaqing’s reign in 1799, when he temporarily undertook two positions as acting minister for the Board of Revenue and as minister of the Board of Civil Office.
-See Wikipedia article ''Prince Cheng of the First Rank'' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Cheng_of_the_First_Rank)
-==References==
-[http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/features.php?searchterm=012_PrinceChunMansion.inc&issue=012  The Vicissitudes of Prince Chun's Mansion] : sections "The Villa of Mingju" and "Transforming a Mansion into a Princely Residence".
-Rhoads, Edward JM. ''Manchus & Han: Ethnic Relations and Political Power in Late Qing and Early Republican China, 1861-1928'', [http://books.google.com/books?id=QiM2pF5PDR8C&pg=PA78&lpg=PA78&dq=yongxing+cheng+prince+1752&source=bl&ots=xUF3-GJPlB&sig=sTOtXQCinLbpJsfTUdT_A1Htul0&hl=en&ei=ljmJTIPnOYqKtgPMpYWSBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=yongxing%20cheng%20prince%201752&f=false, p78]. University of Washington Press. 2001.
 [[Category:A-Z|Yongxing, Prince]]
 [[Category:Chinese|Yongxing, Prince]]
 [[Category:People|Yongxing, Prince]]