Fuquan was born in the ManchuAisin Gioro clan as the second son of the Shunzhi Emperor. His mother was Consort Ningque (寧愨妃) from the Donggo (董鄂) clan.[1] Fuquan was conferred the title of "Prince Yu of the First Rank" (裕親王) on February 6, 1671.[2] In August 1690, the Kangxi Emperor granted Fuquan the title of "Generalissimo Who Pacifies Distant Lands" (撫遠大將軍) and sent him to lead a campaign against Galdan Boshugtu Khan, leader of the Dzungar Khanate. Assisted by the Kangxi Emperor's eldest son Yinzhi, Fuquan took his army north through the Gubeikou pass while his brother Changning led his troops through another pass, planning to converge on Galdan's position.[3] Fuquan met and attacked Galdan at Ulan Butung (350 kilometers north of Beijing) on September 3, 1690.[4] Galdan's troops protected themselves from Qing artillery by hiding behind rows of camels and by finding refuge in a nearby forest.[5] Although Galdan suffered losses, the battle was a standstill, yet Fuquan reported it as a victory.[6] He returned to the capital on December 22.[7] The Qing commanders who let Galdan escape were punished. Fuquan himself was stripped of his military post and dismissed from the council of princes and high officials.[8] He then retired from political life and later spent most of his time in literary circles.[9]
Family
Primary Consort
Primary consort, of the Siluk clan (嫡福晉 西魯克氏)
First daughter (7 March 1671 – October/November 1675)
Changquan (昌全; 16 January 1676 – 27 May 1677), first son
Third daughter (26 October 1680 – January/February 1683)
Secondary Consort
Secondary consort, of the Gūwalgiya clan (側福晉 瓜爾佳氏)
Fourth daughter (1 March 1681 – December 1682 or January 1683)
Qingshi gao 清史稿 ["Draft History of the Qing"]. Edited by Zhao Erxun 趙爾巽 et al. Completed in 1927. Citing from 1976-77 edition by Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, in 48 volumes with continuous pagination.