I hui [Aisin Gioro]

I-hui 奕繪 (T. 子章, H. 太素道人, 幻園居士), Feb. 20, 1799–1838, Aug. 26, Imperial Clansman and poet, was a great-grandson of Emperor Kao-tsung (see under Hung-li). His grandfather, Yung-ch'i 永琪 (H. 筠亭, posthumous name 純, 1741–1766), was the fifth son of Kao-tsung and held the rank of a first class prince with the designation, Jung (榮親王), conferred in 1765. His father, Mien-i 綿億 (posthumous name 1761–1815), on coming of age in 1784, was made a prince of the third degree but was raised in 1799 to a prince of the second degree with the designation, Jung. I-hui inherited in 1815 the rank of a prince of the third degree. He was well educated, excelling as a calligrapher, as a connoisseur of antiques, and as an architect. But he was chiefly famous for his poetry. He left a collection of ruled verse, entitled the 流水編 Liu-shui-pien, and another collection of verse in irregular meter (tz'ǔ 詞), entitled 南谷樵唱 Nan-ku ch'iao-ch'ang. These works are collectively known as 明善堂集 Ming-shan t'ang chi, or as 子章子 Tzŭ-chang tzŭ. He served at Court as a junior assistant chamberlain of the Imperial Bodyguard (1825–35) and filled several concurrent posts. He retired in 1835 and died three years later.

I-hui took as his concubine a celebrated poetess named Ku-t'ai-ch'ing 顧太清 (T. 子春, H. 雲槎外史, 1799–?), sometimes known as Tai-ch'ing ch'un 太清春, or as Hsi-lin ch'un 西林春. It is not clear whether she was born in a Chinese or a Bannerman's family. She was not only a writer of verse, but could paint, and made a collection of art objects. She and I-hui led a happy life together and had seven children. After I-hui died his son, Tsai-chün 載鈞 (d. 1857), by an earlier wife, inherited the rank of a prince of the fourth degree. This son was not on good terms with his father's secondary wife and therefore expelled her from the princely mansion to live in a rented house. Ku-tai-ch'ing managed, however, to bring up her children so that they married into noble families. In 1875 she became blind, and a year later was still living. The year of her death is not certain.

In the poetic style known as tz'ǔ Ku-t'ai-ch'ing ranked with the best masters, such as Singde and Li Ê [qq.v.]. Her poems in this mode are simple and moving, and yet show a characteristic rhythm and a rich choice of words. The collection of her verse in both the ruled and the tz'ŭ forms is entitled 天游閣集 T'ien-yu ko chi, 7(?) chüan. In 1910 Mao Kuang-shêng (see under Mao Hsiang) printed it in 5 chüan (in reality only 4 of the original 7 chüan) from an incomplete manuscript, but without the poems in the tz'ŭ form. In 1914 he printed a collection of her tz'ŭ, under the title 東海漁歌 Tung-hai yü-ko, 4 chüan (in reality only the first, third, and fourth of the original 6[?] chüan). The Japanese scholar, Suzuki Torao 鈴木虎雄, records that he saw a manuscript of the T'ien-yu ko chi containing 7 chüan of ruled verse and 6 of tz'ŭ. The alleged missing chüan 2 of the Tung-hai yü-ko appears in the magazine 詞學季刊 Tz'ŭ-hsüeh chi-k'an (vol. I, no. 2, Aug. 1933). The same Journal (p. 26) states, on the authority of a descendant of I-hui, named Hêng-hsü 恆煦, that Ku-t'ai-ch'ing was the great-granddaughter of O-êr-t'ai [q.v.] and was reared by a Ku family belonging to a company of Chinese Bannermen controlled by the family of I-hui. The aforementioned Journal (vol. II, nos. 1 and 2) prints the poems of I-hui in irregular meter (tz'ŭ) under the title, 寫春精舍詞 Hsieh-ch'un ching-shê tz'ŭ. The poems are said to be based on I-hui's original manuscript. A later issue of the Journal (vol. II, no. 4) contains what is believed to be the portrait of Ku-t'ai-ch'ing.

An unfounded rumor to the effect that Kung Tzŭ-chên [q.v.] was in love with Ku-t'ai-ch'ing possibly had its origin in the reference to a lilac bush mentioned in the poems of both these writers. The lilac in question grew on the banks of the pond known as T'ai-p'ing hu 太平湖 in the southwest corner of the Tartar City, Peking, where the palace of I-hui was located. This palace later came into the possession of I-huan [q.v.] and thereafter was called Ch'i-yeh-fu (see under I-huan). It was the birthplace of Emperor Tê-tsung (see under Tsai-t'ien) and was later converted into classrooms for the Min-kuo University (民國大學).

[1/171/10b; 蘇雪林, 清代女詞人顧太清 in 婦女雜誌 Fu-nü tsa-chih, vol. 17, no. 7 (July, 1931); Ibid., 清代男女兩大詞人戀史的研究 in 文哲季刊 (Quarterly Journal of Liberal Arts, Wuhan University), vol. 1, no. 4 (Jan., 1931); Suzuki Torao, 支那文學研究 Shina bungagu kenkyū, pp. 248–66.]

Fang Chao-ying

多羅貝勒奕繪 五子

嘉慶四年己未正月十六日寅時生 母側福晉王佳氏 錫德之 嘉慶五年八月 賞給二品頂戴

       廿年六月 承襲多羅貝勒 賞戴三眼花翎 道光三年九月 管理正紅旗覺羅學事務

       五年七月 授散秩大臣

       六年二月 管理兩翼宗學事務 道光八年四月 授鑲紅旗總族長

       九年五月 緣事解去管理兩翼宗學事務

       十年七月管理武英殿事務

       是年十一月 授正白旗漢軍都統

       十一年十月 授內大臣

       十三年十一月 管理近支婚嫁事宜

       十五年閏六月 解去正白旗漢軍都統 武英殿事務 近支婚嫁事宜 鑲紅旗總族長 道光十八年戊戌七月初七日辰時溘逝 年四十歲

嫡夫人赫舍里氏 副都統福勒洪阿之女 妾顧氏 顧文星之女

字子章 一字太素道人 又號幻園居士 著有 《子章子》（《晚清簃詩匯》云未刻行） 《明善堂集》四十卷（稿本藏侗後齋將軍所） 《妙蓮華集》 《祕書集》 《寫春精舍詞》