Yinchang
Yinchang | |
---|---|
廕昌 | |
Xuantong Emperor | |
Prime Minister | Yikuang, Prince Qing |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Wang Shizhen |
Personal details | |
Born | 1859 Xinhai Revolution |
Yinchang or In-ch'ang (
Biography
In the Qing dynasty
Originally Yinchang was a student of the Guozijian, and by 1872 he was studying German at the Tongwen Guan, Beijing. In 1877 he was sent to Germany as an attaché to the recently established Chinese Embassy in Berlin which had offices in Vienna and Amsterdam. On his arrival in Berlin he was not fluent with spoken German and changed from 3rd to 4thclass translator. However, he quickly compensated for any deficiency by mastering High German, the Berlin manner of speech, as well as the vernacular of the Imperial Grenadiers.[5][6] Georg von der Gabelentz, the founding father of German Sinology, in the introduction of his 1883 publication “Chinesische Grammatik” acknowledged his friendship with Yinchang praising his work in reviewing the book's manuscripts and command of German grammar.[7] While in Berlin Yinchang married a German woman, with whom he had a daughter.[8]
In 1879 Yinchang enrolled in the
Yinchang was recalled to China in 1884 and initially assigned to the Tianjin Naval Academy; however in December he was summoned to Beijing to serve as translator for the German military envoy to the Emperor.[1][2][10] By June 1885 Yinchang was appointed an instructor in military science at the Tianjin Military Academy (天津武備學堂), where he introduced German officers to teach the study and practice of German military techniques. The following year he was promoted to superintendent of the academy. The future President of the Republic of China, Feng Guozhang, was a student under his direction.
After the First Sino-Japanese War, Germany entered the negotiations of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and used the assassination of two German missionaries to claim the Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory in Shandong Province. In 1898, Prince Heinrich of Prussia, with his East Asia Naval Squadron, sailed into Tianjin. Yinchang was summoned to negotiate German claims on the region of Kiaochow Bay and the port of Qingdao. Yinchang turned Prince Heinrich's mission into a diplomatic rather than military success, by making him the first foreign potentate to be received by the Imperial Court. In the winter of 1899, Yinchang headed the negotiations with Germany for railway and mining rights in Shandong province, and the concession in Qingdao. His negotiations became part of the Boxer Protocol, signed on September 7, 1901, in Beijing.[11] Subsequently, these terms were integrated into the Tianjin Protocol, which in 1918 became part of the peace treaty with Germany that ended World War I.[12]
It is said that during the
In 1901 Yinchang was named Lieutenant-General of the Plain White Banner Garrison (正白旗漢軍副都統)[1][2][10] That August 1901 he was appointed the Chinese Ambassador to Germany (Berlin).[14] Additionally, in September 1901, by Imperial Edict,[15] Yinchang was charged with accompanying Prince Chun to Germany with the special mission to convey China's regret to Kaiser Wilhelm II for the murder of Baron Clemens von Ketteler during the Boxer Rebellion. The mission proved an unexpected success, with Prince Chun, the first member of the Imperial family to venture outside China, eagerly awaited by curious, enthusiastic crowds.[16] After some negotiation[17][18] the Kaiser accorded Prince Chun a splendid reception and delighted with the young prince, invited him to review the military maneuvers of 50,000 troops in Danzig.[19] The international press covered his every step and his popularity created some anxiety in the Empress Dowager causing her to curtail the rest of his European tour.[20][21]
As ambassador Yinchang was a polyglot, brought up speaking Manchu and Chinese (Mandarin), and in addition to his mastery of German, he knew French, the diplomatic language, and English. The Kaiser and his court were charmed by his command of the Berlin dialect making him a popular figure.[5] During Ambassador Yinchang's time in Germany, it has been noted in Ambassadorial reports that he was the Kaiser's occasional drinking companion.[22] Kaiser Wilhelm II was interested in the problems of modernizing a country's military forces.[6][23] The Kaiser taught Yinchang much about the organization, training, discipline, and the equipment of a modern army. Also during this time, Yinchang was asked to step in as ambassador to the Netherlands for a term. Back in Germany he arranged a state visit to China for Prince Adalbert of Prussia the third son of Kaiser Wilhelm II.[24]
In 1905 he was recalled to China and appointed the director of the Nobles' College (貴冑學堂總辦) in Beijing.
In September 1906 Yinchang became Commander-in-Chief in northern
In the Xinhai Revolution and the Beiyang Government
In September
In May 1911 Yinchang attained the rank of full general but also remained in the Cabinet. On the outbreak of the
With the establishment of the Republic of China, on March 10, 1912, when Yuan Shikai became the interim President in Beijing, the Beiyang government appointed Yinchang as High Diplomatic Advisor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[38] He also took on the responsibility of special envoy between the small court at the palace and the Beiyang Republic. In December 1912 Yinchang was reinstated a full general while also serving as Military Chief of Staff to President Yuan Shikai (總統府軍事處處長).[39] Yinchang, following the cautionary example of other officials of the Empire, felt the need to purchase property in German controlled Qingdao in 1913.[40] When the Senate was established for the Republic in May 1914, Yinchang became one of two national representatives of the Manchus.[9] The following January 13, 1915, the first members of the Senate were sworn in at Guanyue Temple by Yinchang who officiated the oath of office ceremony on behalf of President Yuan Shikai. In May 1915, Yuan Shikai abandoned the national anthem promulgated by Sun Yat-Sen, and launched a new national anthem for the Republic of China, “China stands heroically in the universe….”(1915-1921) the lyrics by general Yinchang, music by Wang Lu. In these years, Yuan Shikai bestowed his seventh daughter, the beautiful Zhen Yuanfu, on Yinchang's son, Yin Tiege also known as Yinchang, thus forming an alliance.[41] When despite all of Yinchang's efforts to dissuade him, Yuan Shikai declared himself Emperor in August 1915,[42] he resigned from the government. After Yuan Shikai's death the following June 1916, Yinchang was recalled to his position as military chief of Staff under President Li Yuanhong.
When on the morning of July 1, 1917, the royalist general Zhang Xun's army entered Beijing and proclaimed the restoration of Puyi as Emperor of China, Yinchang resigned from the Republic and entered the Forbidden City to become Commander of the Imperial Guard. After ten days when this restoration failed, leaving Yinchang with no alternative, he attempted suicide. Officially he remained the chief military advisor, and resuming his duties in October, he was awarded a first class golden medal.
By December 1917, Yinchang was reinstated Chief of the General Staff for the Republic. In January 1919 he was reappointed to Military Chief of Staff to the President by Xu Shichang, a position he held for succeeding presidents Li Yuanhong, Feng Guozhang, and Xu Shichang.[43]
In 1922 on the 21st of October, Yinchang, representing the Republic, attended Emperor Puyi's wedding to Princess Wanrong of Gobulo House of the Plain White Banner Clan. In January 1923 the Manchu court had its last great celebration in The Forbidden City. Yinchang was commissioned to publicly convey the official congratulations of the Republic to the Emperor and present him with the special gift of President Li Yuanhong. Yinchang concluded saying, “What just happened was done on behalf of the Republic, now I will pay homage to the Emperor personally,” and carried out the traditional kowtow. His involvement in Republican service did not negate the fact that Yinchang never broke with the old dynasty.[20][9]
In the last years of his life he served as Military Adviser to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. In October 1923 he was awarded the title of Marshal with "Zhuang Wei" (莊威將). He died in Beijing in 1928 or 1934.[2][1][3]
Awards and honours
- Order of the Double Dragon (China)
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f Xu (main ed.) (2007), p.2209. Translated by Erich Gütinger
- ^ a b c d Who's Who in China 3rd ed. (1925), p.938.
- ^ a b "In General Yintschang We Lost a True Friend of Germany". Deutsch-Chinesische Nachrichten. Translated by Erich Gütinger. Tientsin. April 15, 1934.
- ISBN 9780295804125. Archivedfrom the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
Manchu men had abandoned their original polysyllabic personal names infavor of Han-style disyllabic names; they had adopted the Han practice of choosing characters with auspicious meanings for the names; and they had assigned names on a generational basis... Except among some Hanjun such as the two Zhao brothers, bannermen still did not, by and large, use their family name but called themselves only by their personal name—for example, Yikuang, Ronglu, Gangyi, Duanfang, Xiliang, and Tieliang. In this respect, most Manchus remained conspicuously different from Han.
- ^ a b "China's Minister at Berlin". London Times; New York Times. April 26, 1902.
- ^ a b Afflerbach, Holger, Falkenhayn: Politische Denken ang Handeln im Kaiserreich. Oldenburg: Wissenschaft verlag, 1994.
- ^ von der Gabelentz, Georg (1883). Anfangsgründe der chinesischen Grammatik.
- ISBN 3-8309-1457-1.
- ^ a b c d Seuberlich, Wolfgang (1971). Lydia Brüll, Ulrich Kemper (ed.). Yin-ch'ang Aufzeichnungen über einen Mandschu-General und Diplomaten der übergangszeit. Asien. Tradition und Fortschrift (in German). Translated by Erich Gütinger. Wiesbaden: Tradition und Fortschrift. Festschrift für Horst Hammitzsch zu seinem 60. Geburtstag, Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 569–583.
- ^ a b Gaimusyô Zyôhôbu (1928), p.4.
- ^ Treaties and Agreements with and Concerning China, 1894-1919 (Vol. 1 ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. 1921.
- ^ U.S. Congress Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 66th Congress. “Treaty of Versailles, Part 1,” p. 1090. U.S. Govt. Printing Office, 1919.
- ^ Ch'ien, Wen Hsuan (1908). Essentials In Chinese and English Documents (in English and Chinese). Tsingtau: E. Kin & Co. pp. 17 (Imperial flight from Beijing), 25 (Yin Chang promotion).
- ^ "Yin Chang Minister to Germany". London Times. August 14, 1901.
- ^ Rockhill, William W. (1901). Report: Boxer Protocol, Annex No. 2, 57th Congress, 1st Session. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
- ^ London Times, "The Sketch: A Journal of the Arts," September 4, 1901.
- ^ "China and the Powers, Prince Chun's Mission". The Age, Melbourne Australia. September 4, 1901.
- ^ Jiang, Debbie (September 4, 1901). "Prince Chun's Mission". The Guardian, London, England.
- ^ Japan Daily Mail, September 18, 1901, Vol. 36, p. 303.
- ^ a b Pu-Yi, Aisin-Gioro, From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro, Pu-Yi. Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1989.
- ^ "Neues Wiener Tagblatt". New Vienna Daily. 35 (198). Translated by Erich Gütinger: 3–4/16. July 22, 1901.
- ^ "职业官迷荫昌的纷乱人生". www.wenshitiandi.com. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
- ^ a b c d Edmund S.K. Fung, The Military Dimension of the Chinese Revolution: The New Army and Its Role in the Revolution of 1911. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1980, pp. 47-53; 277-278
- ^ Gütinger, Erich; Simon, Oliver (2006). "Kurzbeitrag". Zeitschrift für Chinesisches Recht (The "Report of the Chinese Study Commission from 1906 on its visit to Germany“ (Bericht der chinesischen Studienkommission aus dem Jahr 1906 über ihren Besuch in Deutschland) reports on Yinchang’s knowledge of German affairs and his excellent language skills and is addressed to the Dowager Cixi, and the Emperor. Sent to China on April 9th, 1906 from Berlin, the Chinese Emperor confirmed having read the report 20 days later.). 13, Nr.1: 77–85.
- ^ “Yin Chang interview: The Defiant Chinese.” The Christian Register, March 22, 1906. The Christian Register Association, Boston, Mass.
- ^ Reilley, Ralph (1912). Wartime Changes to the German Field Uniform.
- ^ Morrison, G. E. The Correspondence of G. E. Morrison, 1895-1912. Page 615
- ^ Chang, Yin (1906). "The Awakening of China". The Dresden Daily (English Edition). no. 88.
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:|volume=
has extra text (help) - ^ Gütinger, Erich (1910). "Sport im Bild". Berlin / Wien. 16 (22): 15/84.
- ^ a b Who's Who in China 3rd ed. (1925), p.939.
- ^ Gaimusyô Zyôhôbu (1928), pp.4-5.
- ^ According to Xu(main ed.) (2007), p. 2209. Who's Who in China 3rd ed. (1925), p. 938.
- ^ “The Revolution Starts,” San Francisco Call, Oct. 25, 1911.
- ^ Prescott Clarke, A Research Guide to China Coast Newspapers 1822-1911. Harvard East Asian Monographs, ed. Frank H.H. King. Harvard University Press
- ^ Gaimusyô Zyôhôbu (1928), p. 5.
- ^ According to Who's Who in China 3rd ed. (1925), p.939
- ^ P. H. Kent, The Passing of the Manchus. London: Edward Arnold (1912).
- ^ Erik Nystrom, Det Nya Kina [The New China]. Stockholm: P. A. Norstedt & Sons (1913). Book from the collection of Marshal Yinchang's great-grandson, Alexander Ruas, Stockholm.
- ^ Journal of the American Asiatic Association, Vol. 12, 1912
- ^ "Höhere Beamte und Gelehrte des chinesischen Kaiserreiches, die zwischen 1911-14 sich in Tsingtau niederließen oder vorübergehend sich dort aufhielten". www.tsingtau.org. Translated by Erich Gütinger.
- ^ "The Young Companion" Liángyǒu (Chinese: 良友) (YUAN Shi Kai`s 7th daughter, YIN Fu Zhen (荫复祯), was the wife of YIN Tie Ge (荫铁阁), also known as Yin Chang.). Translated by Gütinger, Erich. February 1934.
- ^ “Change and Reaction: Resistance, Change, New Talent. Chicago Commerce, Vol. 2, 1915.
- ^ Howard Boorman, ed. Biographical Dictionary of Republican China. 4 vols.
General sources
- Seuberlich, Wolfgang. “Yin-Ch’ang Notes on a Manchu General and Diplomat of the Transitional Period" Lydia Brüll & Ulrich Kemper (Eds.) «Asien. Tradition und Fortschrift. Festschrift für Horst Hammitzsch zu seinem 60. Geburtstag», Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden, 1971, pp. 569 - 583.
- Xu Youchun (徐友春) (main ed.) (2007). Unabridged Biographical Dictionary of the Republic, Revised and Enlarged Version (民国人物大辞典 增订版). ISBN 978-7-202-03014-1.
- Gaimusyô Zyôhôbu [Intelligence Department of Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Japan] (1928). Gendai Sinazin Meikan Kaitei [The Directory of Current Chinese, revised edition]. Tôa Dôbunkai Tyôsa Hensyûbu [Researching and Compilation Department of Toua Doubunkai].
- Who's Who in China 3rd ed. The China Weekly Review (Shanghai), 1925.
- ·Yin Chang, “The Awakening of China”, trans. unknown, The Dresden Daily(English Language Daily), No. 88, Saturday, May 19, 1906.
- Hauptmann Friedrich Heyer von Rosenfeld Archives, Berlin State Library, Prussian Cultural Heritage.