Preface
The Qing Dynasty Aixin Jueluo family, as the ruler of the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history, once shined on the entire East with its glory and glory. However, with the torrent of history continues to move forward.
Their glory is a thing of the past, and now, we can't help but ask: Is there still a descendant of the Aixin Jueluo family? How do they live? Will they still worship the ancestral tomb like their ancestors?
You and I may have doubts about these questions. Today, let's walk into the lives of the descendants of the Qing Dynasty royal family and find out.
The Qing Dynasty Imperial Family, Aixin Jueluo Family: The Mystery of Population Explosion
As the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history, the demographic changes of the Qing Dynasty's rulers, the Aixin Jueluo family, are truly breathtaking. From the mid-to-late sixteenth century, this family was only a small clan among the Jurchen tribes, with only twenty or thirty people. However, with the establishment of the Houjin regime by Nurhachi, the Aisin Jueluo family began to flourish gradually.
When Nurhachi established the Later Jin regime, although the Aixin Jueluo family did not have a prominent position among the Jurchen tribes, this family contained a strong vitality. Nurhachi himself came from this family, and with his resourcefulness and bravery, he eventually established the Later Jin regime, laying the foundation for the rise of the Manchus. With the consolidation of the Later Jin regime, the Aixin Jueluo family also began to grow gradually.
By the time of the Huang Taiji period, the population of the Aixin Jueluo family had reached more than 100 people. This was mainly due to the preferential treatment of the Manchus by the Qing government. As the main clan of the Manchus, the Aixin Jueluo family received special care. Huang Taiji not only gave them abundant economic resources, but also vigorously encouraged them to multiply, laying the demographic foundation for Manchu rule.
When Emperor Shunzhi entered the customs and ruled the whole of China, he grabbed more resources, and the population of the Aixin Jueluo family also increased significantly. Among them, the secret lies in the Qing government's strong support for the birth of royal family members.
Generous rewards encourage childbearing
In order to stabilize its rule, the Qing government implemented a series of policies to encourage members of the imperial family to have more children. The emperor's sons, if favored, were made princes, and the other sons were also made princes or bailes. And the annual income from these titles is quite considerable.
The prince received 10,000 taels of silver and 10,000 hulu rice per year, which is about 5 million yuan in modern times, 5,000 taels of silver and 5,000 hulu rice for the prince of the county, about 2.5 million yuan, and 2,500 taels of silver and 2,500 hulu rice for the beylor, about 1.2 million yuan. In addition, lower-level titles such as Beizi and Zhenguo Gong also have quite a lot of income.
Such a generous treatment will naturally greatly stimulate the desire of the royal family to have children. Not only that, the Qing Dynasty also stipulated that even close relatives of the royal family who did not receive the title could get an income of 36 taels of silver and 42 Hulu rice every year, which is about more than 200,000 yuan in modern times. And the distant relatives of the royal family can also get 24 taels of silver and 21 Hulu rice every year, about more than 100,000 yuan.
Such treatment is enough to make the royal family members worry about food and clothing, no need to work, just walk birds, go shopping, and "walk birds" every day to live a worry-free life. In such an environment, it is natural that members of the royal family will be more active in giving birth to offspring and contribute to the population growth of the Aisin Jueluo family.
The emperor set an example by opening the door to fertility
And the emperor himself set an example and opened the door to childbirth. Although Emperor Shunzhi died at the age of 24, he had 14 children. His son, Emperor Kangxi, was even more fertile, giving birth to 55 children.
This fertility has injected a strong impetus into the population growth of the Aixin Jueluo family. By the Kangxi period, the number of Aixin Jueluo family had nearly 500 people. In the Yongzheng, Qianlong, and Jiaqing periods, the population swelled to thousands or even tens of thousands. It can be said that during the reign of the Qing Dynasty, the population of the Aixin Jueluo family grew explosively.
This population explosion was not only due to the preferential policies of the Qing government, but also closely related to the emperor's own example. As the ruler of the Manchus, the Qing emperor knew that only through large-scale fertility could a solid demographic foundation be laid for Manchu rule.
Therefore, they not only formulated generous incentive policies, but also took the lead in themselves, using their fertility to inspire members of the royal family to contribute to the rule of the Manchus. Under the dual effect of this policy and example, the population of the Aixin Jueluo family naturally showed explosive growth. It can be said that this is an important support for the maintenance of the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
Aixin Jueluo Family: Fell apart after the death of the Qing Dynasty
However, the wheels of history always roll forward. In 1912, the Qing Dynasty fell, and the Aixin Jueluo family fell apart. At that time, the population of this once glorious royal family was about 100,000.
The fall of the Qing Dynasty brought a huge impact to this once glorious imperial family. As Manchu rulers, the Aixin Jueluo family once enjoyed supreme glory and privileges during the reign of the Qing Dynasty. However, with the fall of the Qing Dynasty, these privileges disappeared and were replaced by an uncertain future.
In order to avoid retaliation, many members of the Aixin Jueluo family changed their names and surnames, mainly with the surnames Jin and Zhao, and some changed their surnames to Wang, Sun, Luo, E, etc. Among them, the surname Jin is because "Aixin" has the meaning of gold in Manchu, and the surname Zhao is because "Jueluo" means a distant place in Manchu, which is the same as the Manchu pronunciation of the Han surname Zhao.
This act of changing names and surnames reflects the anxiety and uneasiness of the members of the Aisin Jueluo family. Fearing that their identities would be targeted by the new regime, they had to hide their true identities in order to survive. This practice of hiding their identities also makes it difficult for the descendants of the Aixin Jueluo family to count the exact number of people.
Parting ways between Beijing and the Northeast
After changing his name and surname, the members of the Aixin Jueluo family also parted ways and scattered all over the place. Some remained in Beijing, such as Puyi's biological father Zaifeng and his children, while others moved with Puyi to the northeast, such as Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County in Fushun, Liaoning, where Nurhachi's ancestors and ancestors were buried, and many members of the royal family settled here.
For the members of the Aixin Jueluo family who stayed in Beijing, their choice to stay in this familiar city was undoubtedly out of nostalgia for their hometown and worries about the future. As direct descendants of the Qing imperial family, they were well aware that their identities might be persecuted under the new regime, so they chose to keep a low profile in order to survive.
The members of the royal family who moved to the Northeast with Pu Yi were more out of trust and dependence on Pu Yi. As the last Qing emperor, Pu Yi was in an awkward position before the new regime, but still received a certain degree of preferential treatment. These members of the royal family chose to follow Pu Yi, undoubtedly hoping to be able to rely on him and gain a certain living space.
However, even in the Northeast, it has not been all smooth sailing for these royals. Although Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County is Nurhachi's hometown, it is still a strange land for these royals who have become accustomed to life in Beijing. They had to readjust to life here and find a new way to survive.
Others are scattered at home and abroad, but the exact number is not available. However, it is certain that the descendants of the Aixin Jueluo family now have reached hundreds of thousands. These scattered descendants may no longer be able to maintain the glory of the former family, but they are still using their own ways to continue this once glorious royal family.
The difficulty of sacrifice The descendants of the royal family are helpless
As the last feudal dynasty in China, the fall of the Qing Dynasty left a deep scar on the Chinese people. Therefore, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Forbidden City, the Qing Dongling, the Qing Xiling and other royal sites were listed as key cultural relics protection units and opened to the outside world.
This practice is motivated by the protection and inheritance of historical and cultural heritage. But for the descendants of the Aisin Jueluo family, it is also a heavy blow. They could no longer sacrifice on a large scale in these places as their ancestors did. They can only buy tickets to enter as tourists, and simply kowtow, bow, offer flowers, and offer incense.
As direct descendants of the Qing royal family, they should have the right to worship in these places. However, under the system of the new China, these places no longer belong to them, but have become the common heritage of the people of the whole country.
The only exception is that it has been criticized by public opinion
Once, the seventh grandson of the Qianlong Emperor, Ai Xinjueluo Hengshao, openly held a grand sacrifice in the Qing Yongling Mausoleum in Xinbin Manchu Autonomous County. He played the appearance of the emperor, and led a group of people wearing palace maids, eunuchs, and ministers to pay solemn respects to their ancestors.
This kind of behavior has also aroused strong repercussions from public opinion. Many people believe that Aixin Jueluo Hengshao just wants to resurrect the Qing Dynasty. This view reflects the complex psychology of the Chinese people towards the Qing Dynasty.
Although during the more than 200 years of his rule in China, there was also the glory of the "prosperous Kangqian era", but in the middle and late period of the Qing Dynasty's rule, the imperial court was corrupt and incompetent, pushing China into a situation of backwardness and being beaten, causing China to suffer from imperialist aggression and bullying, loss of power and humiliation of the country, and oppression of the people.
This kind of historical trauma still exists in the hearts of the Chinese people. Therefore, when Aixin Jueluo Hengshao publicly held such a grand sacrificial event, many people would inevitably think of the resurrection of the Qing Dynasty, and thus have strong opposition.
Low-key life, the descendants of the royal family are indifferent
In fact, the vast majority of the descendants of the Aixin Jueluo family live a low-key and ordinary life. They have received a modern education, and their sense of family identity has been weakened, so naturally they will no longer go to worship their ancestors.
Even the famous calligrapher Mr. Qi Gong is such a low-key member. He never put the surname Aixin Jueluo on his lips. In contrast, most of those who claim to be descendants of the royal family all day long are distant and have ulterior motives.
This low-key life reflects the change in the mentality of the descendants of the Aixin Jueluo family. As direct descendants of the Qing royal family, they once enjoyed supreme glory and privileges. However, with the fall of the Qing Dynasty, these privileges disappeared and were replaced by an uncertain future.
In order to avoid retaliation, many members of the Aisin Jueluo family had to change their names and hide their identities. This practice of hiding their identities also makes it difficult for the descendants of the Aixin Jueluo family to count the exact number of people.
This indifferent attitude reflects the re-understanding of their own identity by the descendants of the Aixin Jueluo family. They are no longer obsessed with their royal bloodline, but choose to integrate into modern society and live a life that is no different from ordinary people. This change also marks that this once glorious royal family is gradually moving into the dust of history.
epilogue
The Qing Dynasty is a thing of the past, and it is difficult to regain the former glory of the imperial family. However, the descendants of the Aixin Jueluo family are living in their own way, ordinary and precious. They may no longer worship their ancestors, but the blood connection will always flow in their hearts.