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Keying
Portrait of Keying, 1844
Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Library
In office 1848–1850
Assistant Grand Secretary
In office 1845–1847
Viceroy of Liangjiang
In office 1842–1844
Preceded by	Niu Jian (acting)
Succeeded by	Bichang (acting)
Viceroy of Liangguang
In office 1844–1848
Preceded by	Qi Gong
Succeeded by	Xu Guangjin
Minister of Personnel
In office 30 August 1836 – 7 November 1836Serving with Tang Jinzhao
Preceded by	Mujangga
Succeeded by	Yijing
Minister of Revenue
In office 25 December 1834 – 30 August 1836Serving with Wang Ding
Preceded by	Mujangga
Succeeded by	Yihao
Minister of Works
In office 17 August 1834 – 25 December 1834Serving with Wang Shouhe (until 1834), Shi Zhiyan (1834), Wang Yinzhi (1834)
Preceded by	Boqitu
Succeeded by	Jingzheng
Minister of Rites
In office 15 October 1829 – 17 August 1834Serving with Tang Jinzhao (until 1830), Wang Yinzhi (1830–1832), Wang Shouhe (since 1832)
Preceded by	Fuqitu
Succeeded by	Shengyin
Personal details
Born	21 March 1787 Beijing, China
Died	29 June 1858(1858-06-29) (aged 71) Beijing, China
Profession	Diplomat, governor

Keying (21 March 1787 – 29 June 1858), also known by his romanized Mandarin Chinese name Qiying or Ch'i-ying (Wade–Giles) and his Manchu name Kiyeng, was a Manchu statesman during the Qing dynasty of China. An imperial clansman of the house of Aisin Gioro, he began his career in the Imperial Clan Court. He conducted several peace treaties with Western powers, beginning with the Treaty of Nanking, which ended the First Opium War with Britain in 1842. Keying was sent to negotiate again in 1858 to settle the Arrow War with Britain and France, but the settlement was repudiated by the Xianfeng Emperor and he was forced to commit suicide.

Early career

Keying was born on 21 March 1787. A descendant of Nurhaci's ninth son Babutai (Duke Kexi of the First Rank), Keying was a member of the imperial house of Aisin Gioro, and belonged to the Manchu Plain Blue Banner in the Eight Banners. He held several prominent posts in the Qing government and was demoted several times because of corruption in office, but managed to regain his position as a leading official in the Qing court.

Opium Wars

In 1842, the Daoguang Emperor entrusted Keying to conclude a peace treaty with Britain following the First Opium War, and he was chiefly responsible for negotiating and signing the Treaty of Nanking. The following year, he signed the Treaty of the Bogue to supplement the Treaty of Nanking. He also concluded the Treaty of Wanghia (1844) with the United States, the Treaty of Whampoa (1844) with France, and the Treaty of Canton (1847) with Sweden-Norway. This is the first group of what the Chinese later called the unequal treaties. In November 1845, Keying was well received in Hong Kong.

In 1858, the Xianfeng Emperor ordered Keying to negotiate a peace treaty with Britain and France to conclude the Second Opium War. During the negotiations, the British interpreters Horatio Nelson Lay and Thomas Francis Wade sought to expose Keying's duplicity by producing documents the British had captured in Guangzhou, in which Keying expressed his contempt for the British. Humiliated, Keying promptly left the negotiations in Tianjin for Beijing and he was later arrested for having left his post in contravention of imperial order. He was sentenced to death by the Imperial Clan Court, but was allowed to commit suicide instead.

Namesakes

• Keying, trading junk and the first Chinese ship to sail to Britain and America.
• Keying and Marine House c. 1845, became part of the Hong Kong Hotel in 1866. It was demolished in 1858 and now site of Central Building at Pedder Street and Queen's Road Central.

Notes

1. Koon, Yeewan (2012). "The Face of Diplomacy in 19th-Century China: Qiying's Portrait Gifts". In Johnson, Kendall (ed.). Narratives of Free Trade The Commercial Cultures of Early US-China Relations. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 131–148.
2. Fang, Chao-ying (1943). "Ch'i-ying" . In Hummel, Arthur W. Sr. (ed.). Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. Vol. 1. United States Government Printing Office.
3. Gao Zhonghua (2005). Sushun yu Xianfeng zhengju. Jinan: Qilu shushe. p. 165, n. 1.
4. Curiosities of Modern Travel: A Year-book of Adventure. London: David Bogue. 1847. p. 69.
5. Hsu, Immanuel (1960). China's Entrance into the Family of Nations: The Diplomatic Phase, 1858–1880. Harvard East Asian Studies. pp. 40–41.
6. Hsu, Immanuel (1960). China's Entrance into the Family of Nations: The Diplomatic Phase, 1858–1880. Harvard East Asian Studies. p. 43.
7. "Our History". The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. 2012-02-22.
8. "Rustomjee & Co. / Keying House / The Parsee's residence [1845-1868] | Gwulo". gwulo.com. Retrieved 2023-11-22.

References

• Hummel, Arthur W. Sr., ed. (1943). "Ch'i-ying" . Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. United States Government Printing Office.
• Fairbank, John King (1953). Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast; the Opening of the Treaty Ports, 1842-1854. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
• The Indian mail, Issue 1. 1843.

• 1787 births
• 1858 deaths
• Forced suicides of Chinese people
• Manchu politicians
• Political office-holders in Guangdong
• Political office-holders in Jiangsu
• Qing dynasty diplomats
• Grand secretaries of the Qing dynasty
• Assistant grand secretaries
• Viceroys of Liangjiang
• Viceroys of Liangguang
• Manchu Plain Blue Bannermen