Prince Gong

Prince Gong, Yixin, was a Qing imperial prince and statesman who negotiated with the Anglo-French forces during the Second Opium War. He helped establish the Zongli Yamen and supported the Self-Strengthening Movement, becoming a leading advocate of selective diplomatic and military adaptation.

Prince Gong also held the offices or ranks of Grand Council and Junji dachen. Prince Gong belonged to the Aisin Gioro and operated within Qing dynasty. Prince Gong was born in Beijing.

Anchee Min’s Empress Orchid brings Prince Gong into the struggle that follows the Xianfeng Emperor’s death, when he allies with the future Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Nuharoo to overthrow the regents and establish a new governing coalition. Pearl S. Buck’s Imperial Woman places him within the same court world as a senior prince whose authority and rivalry help define Cixi’s path to power. Jung Chang’s Empress Dowager Cixi examines his partnership with Cixi in the 1861 coup and his important role in diplomacy and the Self-Strengthening era before their relationship deteriorated. Robert Elegant’s Mandarin uses the crises of the Taiping Rebellion, foreign intervention and succession to place Prince Gong within the political machinery of the late Qing court.