A Prince’s Paradise in the Mountain Retreat

In the eighth month of the 1860 lunar calendar, the young imperial heir Zaichun arrived at the Chengde Mountain Resort, finding himself in a world utterly different from the stifling confines of the Forbidden City. While his mother, the Noble Consort Yi, viewed their exile from Beijing as a national humiliation following the Anglo-French occupation, the six-year-old crown prince discovered unprecedented freedom amidst the lakes and mountains of the imperial retreat.

The strict palace protocols enforced by the Empress and his biological mother suddenly lifted. No longer restrained by constant supervision, Zaichun reveled in his new environment where “everything felt fresh” – the natural landscapes became his playground, a stark contrast to the rigid formality of Beijing’s palace courtyards. This sudden liberation stemmed from his father Emperor Xianfeng’s indulgent attitude, marking the beginning of a crucial period that would shape China’s future ruler.

An Ailing Emperor’s Dangerous Indulgence

Xianfeng’s permissive parenting emerged from tragic circumstances. The emperor’s health had deteriorated alarmingly since fleeing to Chengde, with his tuberculosis symptoms – particularly the ominous “red phlegm” mentioned in historical records – signaling impending mortality. Recognizing Zaichun as his only surviving heir and likely successor, Xianfeng abandoned traditional imperial discipline in favor of doting affection.

This paternal indulgence took a scandalous turn when the theater-obsessed emperor began exposing his young son to inappropriate performances. The Qing court archives preserve a remarkable exchange between Xianfeng and the Shengping Office eunuchs regarding his favorite play, “The Little Sister” (also known as “Yearning for Spring”). This Kunqu opera, originally published in the Qing-era anthology “Zhui Baiqiu,” contained explicit lyrics about a jilted woman’s lament:

“In the beginning, before you had your way with me, you claimed to thirst for me like water, to need me like shade in heat, like clothes in cold, like food when starving… Now I know once satisfied, you flew far away… faithless villain! Do you remember when we burned love marks beneath the moon?”

Shockingly, Xianfeng knew the script by heart, correcting actors during performances. His obsession reached such heights that he ordered special casting of beautiful actresses and eventually participated onstage himself. When the court relocated to Chengde, these scandalous performances followed, with the young heir frequently in attendance.

The Imperial Women’s Intervention

This reckless environment alarmed the palace women, particularly the Empress and Noble Consort Yi (later known as Empress Dowager Cixi). Their joint intervention marked a pivotal moment in Zaichun’s upbringing. Approaching Xianfeng together, they argued that such irresponsible parenting endangered the heir’s moral development and future reign.

Historical accounts describe Xianfeng’s reaction as one of shame-faced realization. While the Empress shared blame for educational neglect, it was Noble Consort Yi who delivered the crucial reminder: according to dynastic tradition, Zaichun must begin formal schooling at age six. Her kneeling petition before the emperor underscored the urgency – the heir’s birthday on the twenty-third day of the third lunar month would trigger strict imperial education protocols.

The Qing royal education system demanded extraordinary rigor. Princes endured a grueling schedule with minimal holidays, studying Manchu language, Confucian classics, and martial skills under multiple tutors. Court officials often remarked on the punishing regimen, comparing it to the intense preparation for civil service examinations.

Selecting the Heir’s Tutor

The search for an appropriate tutor led to the summoning of Peng Yunzhang, Grand Secretary and Head Instructor of the Imperial Study. Notably, Xianfeng deliberately excluded his powerful minister Sushun from this decision, perhaps recognizing the political implications of shaping the future emperor’s mind.

Peng recommended Li Hongzao, a scholar-official then serving as Education Commissioner of Henan. Three qualifications stood out: his distinguished lineage (including Ming and Qing dynasty grand secretaries), his orthodox academic background (a 1852 jinshi degree holder), and most importantly, his reputation for moral integrity and fearless remonstration. Both imperial women approved the choice, and Li embarked immediately from Henan to assume his historic role.

Political Undercurrents in Exile

While Xianfeng indulged his heir in Chengde, Beijing’s affairs rested with Prince Gong (Yixin), who had negotiated the humiliating Treaty of Beijing with Western powers. Despite his crucial service, Prince Gong received cold acknowledgment from his imperial brother, reflecting Xianfeng’s lingering distrust dating back to their childhood succession rivalry.

The political tension intensified during two symbolic occasions in 1861. On Zaichun’s sixth birthday (March 23), Prince Gong carefully extended greetings to both the emperor and the palace women, signaling his political awareness. More significantly, during Xianfeng’s own birthday celebration (“Longevity Festival” on June 9), the dying emperor staged a calculated political theater – the formal debut of his heir before court officials.

The Heir’s Calculated Debut

This unprecedented introduction served multiple urgent purposes. With Xianfeng’s health failing (“red phlegm frequently appearing” as records note), the succession needed clarification. External threats from Western powers and internal rebellions (Taiping and Nian movements) demanded clear imperial continuity. Contemporary accounts describe young Zaichun making an excellent impression, his dignified demeanor and precise movements reassuring officials about the dynasty’s future.

Conspicuously absent was Prince Gong, who grew increasingly anxious about being excluded from Chengde. Xianfeng’s paranoid refusal of all meeting requests – even using the fifth anniversary of their shared foster mother’s death as pretext – revealed profound distrust. The emperor feared a repeat of the Dorgon scenario (where a regent overshadowed a child emperor), determined to control the succession narrative alone.

Legacy of Rehe’s Revelries

This brief Chengde interlude proved historically consequential. Xianfeng’s death later that year would thrust the young Tongzhi Emperor (Zaichun’s reign name) into power under a regency led by his mother Cixi. The educational foundation laid during these months, combined with the political tensions surrounding his debut, set the stage for the late Qing’s turbulent power struggles. Meanwhile, the scandalous theatrical indulgences offered a poignant glimpse into Xianfeng’s complex character – a dying emperor seeking escape through art while his empire crumbled.

The Chengde sojourn thus represents a microcosm of Qing dynasty crises: Western imperialism, domestic rebellion, court intrigue, and the perpetual challenge of preparing child emperors for unimaginable responsibilities. Through the lens of a young prince’s fleeting freedom and an emperor’s desperate pleasures, we witness the human dimensions behind imperial history’s grand narratives.