The Lesser Known Stories of the Emperors - Shunzhi’s Mysterious Death

Compiled from Secrets of the Chinese Palace

        While he was just six years old, the Qing Dynasty emperor, Shunzhi came to the throne. He ruled in his own name at 14 years of age before dying at 24. In the official Qing histories, there are only a few words devoted to his death, none of which stated the reason. One theory is that Shunzi died of smallpox. The other one is that he did not die at all but instead became a monk at a monastery on Mt Wutai.

        Emperor Shunzi was devastated by the death of his beloved concubine, Dong E, and lost the will to go on. He even personally wrote a 4,000 character essay, ‘The Deeds of Concubine Dong’, and ordered imperial scholars to write a biography of her and posthumously granted her the title of empress. On account of this, Shunzhi wished to retire from the corporeal world to become a monk in Mt Wutai. An emperor becoming a monk was a monumental event. Hence, it is believed that Qing officials had woven the story of his death to prevent people from knowing the truth. It was said that Kangxi, who next ascended the throne visited his father on Mt Wutai under the pretext of going there to burn incense and pray. This story is not without any factual basis as Emperor Shunzi was a devout Buddhist, and once wrote a poem, ‘Return to the Mountain (also called Chant on Becoming a Monk)’, expressing his interest in becoming a monk. He often assembled high-ranking monks in the palace to discuss the sutras and even had a Buddhist name, Xingchi.

        Recently, a third theory emerged – it was that Shunzhi was killed by Ming rebel leader, Zheng Chenggong’s troops at Xiamen. In May of 1660, when Zheng Chenggong withdrew to Xiamen, the Qing sent troops to attack. In February of 1661, Zheng Chenggong repulsed the Qing troops. In the official histories, it was not recorded that Emperor Shunzi was involved in all this. However, according to the handwritten records of the Zheng clan, ‘The True Records of the Prince of Yanping’s Revolt’, it was stated that Emperor Shunzhi died in Xiamen after being hit by cannon fire. This version of history has yet to be verified, and is even more controversial than the theory that he became a monk.