Real-life prototype of Ham Huong

Not only famous in the movie Hoan Chau Cach Cach more than 10 years ago, the character Ham Huong or also known as "Huong Phi" often appeared in many works in the late Qing Dynasty.

This name was used in the 18th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1875-1908), i.e. 1892, in the work "Xijiang Miscellaneous Poems" by writer Xiao Xiong. This writer wrote that Ham Huong during the Qianlong period was a Khach Thach Nhi, of extraordinary origin, with a fragrant body, honest personality, loved his mother but had to leave home.

According to Chinese archaeologists, this is a real person in Chinese history. They discovered Ham Huong's tomb at the Tuan Hoa Thanh Dong mausoleum, in Tangshan city, Hubei province.

In the tomb there is a statue, below it is written "Ham Huong is a Hui Bo person (now Xinjiang), she is extremely beautiful, her whole body exudes fragrance without using any medicine so she is called Ham Huong".

Emperor Qianlong (1735-1796) had more than 40 concubines and indeed had one Hui concubine, Consort Dung. Whether or not she really emitted a fragrance cannot be verified.

Ham Huong was born into the Ho Trac family, of the Uyghur ethnic group in Xinjiang, so she was also called the Ho Trac family. Her older brother was Do Nhi Do, the 29th leader of the Hui people.

In 1760, after suppressing the Hui rebellion, Tu'erdu and his assistants arrived in Beijing, where they were warmly received by Emperor Qianlong and granted the title of First-class Grand Consort. Tu'erdu's younger sister, then 27 years old, was also allowed to enter the palace and was granted the title of Noble Lady He, which was Hanxiang. After unifying Xinjiang, Emperor Qianlong immediately requested a marriage alliance for political purposes.

Legend has it that when Ham Huong entered the palace, there was a good omen, the lychee tree planted in the palace that year bore more than 200 fruits. Therefore, she was highly respected and loved by the king. The third year after she entered the palace, in 1762, the queen mother appointed her as Dung Tan.

Real-life prototype of Ham Huong - the concubine loved by Emperor Qianlong - 2 — Portrait of Concubine Dung during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. (Photo: Sohu)

In 1765, Emperor Qianlong went on an inspection tour of the south, bringing with him more than 1,000 members of the royal family, including Ham Huong. On the way, the emperor greatly favored her, giving her more than 80 types of food. Ham Huong's beauty and love for her homeland made the emperor love and trust her even more. In 1768, the empress dowager made her Dung Phi and gave her Manchu dynasty clothes and jewelry.

The Queen passed away, and Emperor Qianlong did not want to establish another queen. In 1775, the Imperial Noble Consort was sentenced to death, leaving only Consort Dung as the person with the highest status in the palace, respected by the Emperor. In 1788, Ham Huong passed away at the age of 55.

HAI YEN (Source: Qingchao)

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