Heshen

Who was Heshen?

Niohuru Heshen, commonly known mononymously as Heshen or Hesen, was from the Manchu Niohuru clan and an official of the Qing dynasty who was favoured by the Qianlong Emperor. Born Shanbao, his given name was later changed to Heshen. His courtesy name was Zhizhai. He was a member of the Plain Red Banner, and known as the most corrupt official in Chinese history. Heshen was born as the son of a Manchu military officer and was selected to go to the most privileged school for Manchu aristocratic boys. He lost his mother when he was young and it was said he and his younger brother had a hard life under his stepmother. However, it was reported that Heshen was an excellent student, knowing several languages including Mandarin, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan. In 1772, he began work in the Imperial Palace, assigned as an imperial bodyguard and was stationed at the gates to the Forbidden City.