Rong Fei

• Official rank :
• Qianglong reign
• 25th year 2/4 Gwei Ren 贵人
• 27th year 5/21 Ce Feng 册封 Ceremony ranked Rong Bing 容嫔[1]
• 30th yr 4th Southern Expedition 南巡
• 33rd yr 10/26 Ce Feng 册封 Ceremony ranked Rong Fei 容妃 [1]
• 53rd year died from illness; buried Yuling Consort Mausoleum 裕陵妃园寝f>

[2] Rong Fei 容妃 was a favored consort of the Qianlong Emperor. The story was embellished over time, transforming her into a fictional character Xiang Fei 香妃 around the early 1920s. Movies and TV series were made about the fictitious Xiang Fei 香妃. The fiction was very different from historic facts. There was no Qianlong consort called Xiang Fei 香妃 (Fragrant Consort).

Consort Rong Fei 容妃 满服 in Manchu robe and text from Ce Feng Ceremony.

The actual Rong Fei 容妃 was a cherished consort of Qianglong in his later years. Her progression in the palace was well documented in different official records. She was from an important Uyghur clan family named He Zhuo 和卓 which helped Qianglong in quelling rebellions. They are apparently from the Uyghur Hetian region. Qianlong moved the family to Beijing with all kinds of gifts and honors. Her father 和札赉 was ranked as a Qing Protectorate nobleman Tai Jie 回部台吉.[1] She was beautiful but 26 and previously married when taken into the palace as Gwei Ren 贵人 under the tutelage of the Empress Dowager. Next year she became Gwei Bing 贵嫔. This was the 6th rank imperial consort. She went up steadily. Both the Emperor and Empress Dowager favored and trusted her. Two years later she was inducted as Rong Bing 容嫔 and officially recorded in Ce Feng 册封 ceremony decreed by the Dowager Empress. Her brother Turdi 图爾都迪 was also honored with a higher rank at that time. Ce Feng literally means confer by booklet. This is an elaborate ceremony to confer official rank. Qianglong decreed a Minister 尚书 and an Imperial Scholar 大学士 to compose an essay in her honor. This luxuriously bound booklet was read and presented to her. She next goes to the hall for the Empress Dowager, bows 6 times, kneels 3 times and kowtows 3 times. She then goes to another hall and repeats for the Emperor. Finally she repeats for the Empress.

Qianlong thirty third year 6 month 5th day at 35, she became Rong Fei 容妃 in similar ceremony the next day. She never climbed higher in the consort hiarchy. But her actual position continued to ascend within the palace. She often went on the southern and eastern expeditions. In later years the higher ranking consorts died and Qianlong often did not replace them to the point that there was no Empress from his 31st reign year. Her seating at the formal banquets continued its way to the head.[3][4][5][6]

She accompanied him on his 4th southern expedition 南巡 with other consorts in his 30th reign year. He decreed imperial gifts for her on 80 occasions during the trip. These included many ruyi scepters 如意 , agate drinking vessels in addition to exotic food and jewelry 。 She went on several expeditions and numerous gifts were recorded each time .[5]

Jade plaque with verse, Imperial gift to Rong fei 御赐蓉妃 乾隆

The Emperor entirely redecorated the Bao Yue Lou Pavilion 宝月楼 for her within the Forbidden City. She could live there and take respite from the palace consort compound. And looking down to the South she could see the Moslem community in Beijing. She had a full retinue there including a Moslem kitchen and chefs, tailors for her native dress and other Moslem attendants. There was a large portrait of her in the hall. She was indulged, but likely with purpose. Qianlong developed a keen interest in the Uyghur tribes which cost him 4 distant campaigns to pacify. He acquired a working knowledge of the Uyghur language, inscribing 4 Castiglione battle paintings in Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian and Uyghur.[7] The Emperor ordered the construction of a mosque in the Moslem area within sight of Bao Yue Pavilion. Upon completion in 1764, he wrote the dedication in the same 4 languages above. Rong Fei could help the Emperor with the Uyghur language.[8]

At a Yuanming Yuan 圆明园 宴会 banquet in his 46th year, she headed the first table on the west. At the end of the same year she was 48 and seated second at the East first table for the Qian Qing Gong Great banquet 乾清宫家宴. She died seven years later of illness. Afterwards she was buried in a golden coffin. In the 1970s they measured her physicals, height 1.67m, blood type O, etc. Remains of a Koran was found near her. All of the above are variously recorded in the Qing chronicles 清史 and ministry chronicles such as Ceremonies 礼部, Medicine 御医, etc.[4]

Qing Chronicles 清史稿 后妃传 [1]

Looks like Qianlong was infatuated by her and probably respected her. No children so she was neutral in succession plots. She was tall, beautiful, intelligent, "good natured and well mannered, careful but rigorous, serves with benevolent intent in the palace and without offense, an exemplary woman to all". (Liberal paraphrase of the Ce feng booklet text: “爾容嬪霍卓氏，端謹持躬，柔嘉表則，秉小心而有恪，久勤服事於慈闈，供內職以無違，夙協箴規於女史，茲奉皇太后慈諭，冊封爾為容妃……。” ).[4] She was politically important and relatively neutral on Han Chinese, Manchu and eunach intrigues. Probably a solace and help to Qianlong in the palace which had no Empress for a long time and the last one died long before her.

Copies of Rong Fei's portraits were used for pictures of The fictional Xiang Fei. It's also said that her body wafted perfume naturally. Hence the fictitious Xiang Fei 香妃 (fragrant consort) name.