Consort Zhen
| Consort Zhen 珍妃 |
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| Born | 27 February 1876 | ||||
| Died | 15 August 1900 (aged 24) | ||||
| Spouse | Guangxu Emperor | ||||
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| House | Tatara (by birth) Aisin Gioro (by marriage) |
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| Father | Changxu | ||||
| Posthumous name | |
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| Imperial Noble Consort Keshun (恪順皇貴妃) |
| Consort Zhen | |||||||
| Chinese | 珍妃 | ||||||
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| Imperial Noble Consort Keshun | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 恪順皇貴妃 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 恪顺皇贵妃 | ||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Zhēn Fēi |
| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Kèshùn Huáng Guìfēi |
Imperial Noble Consort Keshun (27 February 1876 – 15 August 1900), better known as Consort Zhen or popularly as the Pearl Concubine, was a consort of the Guangxu Emperor, the penultimate emperor of the Qing dynasty and imperial China. Her elder sister, Consort Jin (1874–1924), was also a consort of the Guangxu Emperor.
Consort Zhen was born in the Manchu Tatara clan (他他拉氏) as a daughter of Changxu (長敘), who served as a you shilang (右侍郎; Right Vice-Secretary) of the Ministry of Revenue. Her personal name is unknown. Her grandfather, Yutai (裕泰), was a former Viceroy of Shaan-Gan. Her uncle, Changshan (長善), served as General of Guangzhou (廣州將軍).
Lady Tatara entered the Forbidden City in 1889 at the age of 13 and was awarded the title "Imperial Concubine Zhen" (珍嬪). Her elder sister, who also entered the Forbidden City at the same time as her, became "Imperial Concubine Jin" (瑾嬪). In the spring of 1894, both of them were promoted to the rank of Consort (妃) during Empress Dowager Cixi's 60th birthday celebrations.
Initially, Empress Dowager Cixi appreciated Consort Zhen's talents, and she hired top artisans to teach her to paint and play musical instruments. However, Consort Zhen urged the Guangxu Emperor to be "strong and independent", and encouraged his attempts to introduce political reforms and the teaching of foreign languages. It was also said that Consort Zhen liked photography, and she invited foreigners into the Forbidden City to teach her about photography. This explains the large number of extant photographs of Consort Zhen, an unusual occurrence for a consort. Her association with foreign customs, in addition to her peculiar habit of dressing in men's clothes, inspired even more disdain from Empress Dowager Cixi. Once, in response to her arrogant attitude, Cixi teased Consort Zhen by calling her "Grandmother Zhen".
Apparently, Consort Zhen also antagonised Empress Dowager Cixi when it was discovered that she had abused her influence over the Guangxu Emperor by interfering in regular procedures for civil appointments. The transactions became public in November 1894, during the First Sino-Japanese War, resulting in a series of embarrassing public scandals for the imperial court. In retaliation, Cixi ordered Consort Zhen and Consort Jin to be demoted, and ordered the execution of a palace eunuch who collaborated with Consort Zhen. Zhirui, a cousin of the two consorts who served as an official, was banished from Beijing.
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Wikipedia