Muyin

In this Manchu name, the given name is Muyin. In accordance with Manchu custom, it should be used alone or with titles but not with the clan name Tohoro.
Muyin
Regent of Qing Dynasty
In office
22 August – November 1861
Serving with Zaiyuan, Duanhua, Sushun, Jingshou, Kuang Yuan, Du Han and Jiao Youying
Appointed byXianfeng Emperor
MonarchTongzhi Emperor
Chief Grand Councillor
In office
1860–1861
Preceded byPeng Yunzhang
Succeeded byYixin, Prince Gong
Grand Councillor
In office
10 April 1851 – 2 November 1861
Minister of War
In office
30 December 1859 – 8 November 1861
Serving with Chen Fu'en (until 1860), Shen Zhaolin (1860–1861), Zhu Fengbiao (since 1861)
Preceded byQuanqing
Succeeded byLinkui
Ministry of Lifan Yuan
In office
1 February – 30 December 1859
Preceded byRuichang
Succeeded byChunyou
Personal details
Born
Muyin (穆蔭)

1814
Died23 January 1872(1872-01-23) (aged 57–58)
Beijing
Educationcentral government school (guanxue)
Occupationpolitician
Clan nameTohoro (托活洛)
Courtesy nameQingxuan (清軒)
Military service
AllegianceQing dynasty
Branch/serviceManchu Plain White Banner

Muyin (Chinese: 穆蔭, 1814–23 January 1872[1]), courtesy name Qingxuan (清軒), was a Qing dynasty official from the Manchu Tohoro clan[2] (托活洛氏) and the Manchu Plain White Banner.[3]

Muyin had studied in central government school ("guanxue", 官學). He was appointed the Secretary of the Cabinet (內閣中書), the General of Military Secrets (軍機章京), then the Reader-in-waiting Secretary of the Cabinet (內閣侍讀學士). He was appointed the Grand Councillor by Xianfeng Emperor in 1851.[3]

In 1853, Northern Expeditionary Force of the Taiping rebels harassed Henan and Zhili. The capital was under martial law, Muyin, Sengge Rinchen, Huashana (花沙納) and Dahūngga (達洪阿) were ordered to handle patrol matters for the various battalions in the capital.[3] Later, he had served as the Senior Deputy Minister of Rites (禮部左侍郎), Junior Deputy Minister of Personnel (吏部右侍郎), Minister of Lifan Yuan (理藩院尚書), and Minister of War (兵部尚書) and other positions.[1][4] In 1860, during the Second Opium War, he and Zaiyuan (Prince Yi) made the Imperial Commissioners in charge of peace negotiations with Anglo-French army. They met British and French officials in Tongzhou. When the negotiations failed, the members of the British delegation, including Sir Harry Parkes, were arrested by Qing soldiers and escorted to Beijing for trial, where they were incarcerated and tortured. In the meantime, Anglo-French expeditionary forces closed in on Beijing, Muyin and Zaiyuan were replaced by Prince Gong as negotiator for peace. However, the Allies continued to advance on Beijing.[5] Muyin fled with the Xianfeng Emperor to the Chengde Mountain Resort in Hebei.[3]

Before the Xianfeng Emperor died in 1861, the emperor appointed eight men to assist his son, whom later enthroned as the Tongzhi Emperor. The eight regents were: Zaiyuan, Prince Yi of the First Rank; Duanhua, Prince Zheng of the First Rank; Sushun, the Minister of Revenue; Jingshou (景壽), a prince consort; Muyin, the Minister of War; Kuang Yuan (匡源), the Senior Deputy Minister of Personnel; Du Han (杜翰), the Junior Deputy Minister of Rites; and Jiao Youying (焦祐瀛), the Vice Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud.[6] Later that year, the eight regents were ousted from power in the Xinyou Coup orchestrated by Prince Gong and Empress Dowager Cixi.[3] Muyin was stripped of official positions and sent to serve at frontier military outposts (軍臺效力[7]) in Xinjiang.[8] In 1864, he completed the installment payment for the fine, and was allowed to return to Beijing. He died at home[3] in 1872.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "穆蔭（1814~1872.1.23）".
  2. ^ "Baqi Manzhou shizu tongpu 八旗滿洲氏族通譜".
  3. ^ a b c d e f Works related to 清史稿/卷387 at Wikisource (Draft History of Qing Volume 387)
  4. ^ "(托活洛)(托和洛)(托和絡)穆蔭".
  5. ^ Hummel, Arthur W. Sr., ed. (1943). "Su-shun" . Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. United States Government Printing Office.
  6. ^ Wakeman, Frederic (1975). The fall of Imperial China. ISBN 9780029336908.
  7. ^ "军台效力". National Qing History Compilation Committee website (in Chinese).
  8. ^ Works related to 清史稿/卷21 at Wikisource (Draft History of Qing Volume 21)