Noble Dowager Consort Wan

Noble Dowager Consort Wan (1716 - 1807) was a concubine of the Qianlong Emperor of the qing dynasty.

Noble Dowager Consort Wan was a Han Chinese by birth and her family name was Chen (陳). Her personal name is unknown. Her father was Chen Tingzhang (陳廷章). Around the late 1720s Lady Chen became a concubine of the Yongzheng Emperor's fourth son Hongli, who later became the Qianlong Emperor. The Qianlong Emperor granted Lady Chen the title of a Noble Lady (貴人) after his enthronement. In 1749 she was promoted to Imperial Concubine Wan (婉嬪) and held this rank for more than four decades. In 1794 the Qianlong Emperor elevated her to the status of Consort Wan (婉妃).

The Qianlong Emperor died in 1799 and his successor, the Jiaqing Emperor, granted Lady Chen the title of Noble Dowager Consort Wan (婉貴太妃) in 1801. In his imperial edict, the Jiaqing Emperor mentioned that Lady Chen deserved the honour because she had served his late father for a long time and was still in good health at a very old age. Lady Chen died in 1807 at the age of 92 (by East Asian age reckoning) and was interred in the Yuling Mausoleum in the Eastern Qing Tombs. She was the longest surviving consort of the Qianlong Emperor at the time of her death.

Last update 30-05-2012

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