Princess Rongchang – The Ming Dynasty Princess who died from starvation

Princess Rongchang is considered to be one of the most miserable princesses of the Ming dynasty.^[1] Princess Rongchang was the last Ming princess that survived to the early Qing dynasty. She was deeply loved and respected. With the fall of the Ming dynasty, Princess Rongchang fell onto hard times. She lost four of her sons and died of starvation. This story tells the tragedy of a beloved princess who suffered so much misery at the hands of her enemies.

Princess Rongchang was born in June of 1582 C.E. She was the eldest daughter of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty (also known as the Wanli Emperor) and the only child of Empress Wang Xijie.^[2] Her birth name was Zhu Xuanying.^[3] In 1596 C.E., Emperor Shenzong made her the Princess of Rongchang. Emperor Shenzong also believed that it was time for Princess Rongchang to be married. It was the Ming Dynasty rule that Princess Rongchang must marry a commoner.^[4] However, Princess Rongchang was his eldest daughter, and he loved her dearly.^[5] He wanted Princess Rongchang’s husband to come from a good family. Therefore, Emperor Shenzong broke the rules for his daughter and married her to Yang Chunyuan, the son of a deputy commander of the Nancheng Army. Emperor Shenzong promoted her husband to Lieutenant of the Nancheng Army.^[6]

Princess Rongchang and Yang Chunyuan loved each other deeply.^[7] Yang Chunyuan saw Princess Rongchang’s goodness and admired her filial piety to his parents.^[8] He found her to be a fitting wife. Princess Rongchang proved to be a devoted wife and was obedient to the Yang family.^[9] Yang Chunyuan treated her well.^[10] In 1600 C.E., she bore him a son named Guangkui. She also bore him two more sons.

In 1604 C.E., Princess Rongchang and Yang Chunyuan quarrelled over a trivial matter.^[11] Emperor Shenzong was upset over the fight that his daughter had with her husband.^[12] Emperor Shenzong scolded Yang Chunyuan.^[13] Furious over the Emperor’s reprimand, Yang Chunyuan left Beijing and went back to his hometown.^[14] Emperor Shenzong was outraged at how his son-in-law responded to his scolding. Emperor Shenzong demoted Yang Chunyuan’s father and sent his men to capture Yang Chunyuan.^[15] Shortly afterwards, Yang Chunyuan returned back to Beijing and repented his sins.^[16] Emperor Shenzong sent Yang Chunyuan to the Imperial College, where he was to reflect upon himself for a hundred days.^[17] After this incident, Princess Rongchang and Yang Chunyuan never quarrelled again.^[18] They resumed their happy marriage.^[19] Princess Rongchang bore him two more sons.^[20]

In 1606 C.E., Princess Rongchang’s mother-in-law died. Yang Chunyuan was a filial son and deeply mourned the loss of his mother.^[21] He refused to eat or drink. He died seven days later. Yang Chunyuan left Princess Rongchang a widow and was forced to care for her five children alone.^[22] Despite losing her husband and having to raise five sons on her own, Princess Rongchang managed to carry out her duties as a princess until 1620 C.E. In 1620 C.E., Princess Rongchang’s parents died, and she greatly mourned their deaths.^[23]

On 24 April 1644 C.E., Li Zicheng attacked Beijing. The Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide. Princess Rongchang’s property in Beijing was confiscated, and four of her sons perished in the attack.^[24] To save her only surviving child, Princess Rongchang moved to her husband’s hometown. However, she was so poor that she could barely manage to survive.^[25] In 1647 C.E., she died of starvation in a crumbling hut.^[26] She was sixty-five years old.

Princess Rongchang was the cherished daughter of Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Shenzong spoiled his daughter and broke the rules for her to marry a man of wealth and status. While there were some rifts in her marriage, her marriage was mostly happy. It is sad that her husband died young and forced her to raise her five children alone. However, she was to suffer more tragedies at the hands of the Qing dynasty. The most respected Princess of the Ming dynasty died pitifully and tragically. It is no wonder why she was considered to be one of the Ming dynasty’s most miserable princesses.

Sources:

DayDayNews. (16 June 2022). “Princess Rongchang of the Ming Dynasty: Beloved by all, after experiencing prosperity, she finally starved to death in the hut”. Retrieved on 27 August 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/620463.html.

Laitimes. (6 January 2022).“What happened to the two Ming dynasty princesses, Princess Rongchang and Princess Changping? Who is more miserable?”. Retrieved on 27 August 2022 from https://www.laitimes.com/en/article/1ld1r_1pe2o.html.

McMahon, K. (2016). Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing. NY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.