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 the 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.

经历

宗室禄康继嗣子。以荫生授宗人府主事。

1838年，任盛京将军。

1842年3月奕经在浙江战败，清政府命耆英署理杭州将军。4月，他被任命为钦差大臣，同伊里布一起赴浙江向英军求和。8月，英军闯入南京下关长江江面，耆英同伊里布赶奔南京，跟英国代表砵甸乍谈判，签订了中英《南京条约》。

1843年，耆英再任钦差大臣，与英国签订《中英五口通商章程》和《虎门条约》。

1844年，耆英任两广总督兼办通商事务，与美国签订了《望厦条约》，与法国签订了《黄埔条约》，与瑞典签署了《中瑞广州条约》。

1858年第二次鸦片战争期间，耆英被派赴天津协助桂良与英法联军交涉，由于英军在占领广州期间查获两广总督衙门大量档案文件，发现耆英在上报朝廷时对英国言辞不恭，因此拒绝与其交谈。桂良请耆英回京，咸丰帝大怒，下狱议罪，拟绞监候，肃顺上疏立即正法，咸丰帝赐其自尽。嫡妻瓜尔佳氏，将军观明之女、继妻博尔济吉特氏，吉拉敏之女。

世系

• 太祖清显祖塔克世

• 烈祖诚毅勇壮贝勒穆尔哈齐

• 天祖辅国公祜世塔（1615-1663）

• 高祖父越龄（1653-1700）辅国公祜世塔七子。

• 曾祖父宗学副管常祥保（1694-1756）。

• 祖父京畿道监察御史、头品顶戴炳文(1730-1812)。祖母宜特墨氏。

• 父广西道监察御史宗室禄丰。母伊尔根觉罗氏。

• 养父东阁大学士禄康。

• 妻瓜尔佳氏，其父镶黄旗满洲、嘉庆朝盛京将军观明。

• 子

　• 宗室庆锡，马兰镇总兵兼管内务府大臣。孙宗室德昌，妻杨佳氏（父内务府镶黄旗汉军继振，堂伯道光二十五年乙巳科进士宜振，祖父道光己丑科进士、浙江嘉兴府知府锺裕）。

　• 宗室庆贤，宗人府理事、二等侍卫班领。孙宗室德本，鸿胪寺少卿；孙宗室德祜（1870-1911），陕西凤翔府知府，辛亥时与两幼子皆殉难，其妻佟佳氏（父镶黄旗满洲、同治五年署西安将军穆隆阿；胞姊佟佳氏嫁同治六年丁卯科举人、度支部尚书宗室溥頲，其祖父户部尚书奕纪 (清朝宗室)）。曾孙光绪十八年（1892年）壬辰科进士宗室长绍。

以他命名的事物

• 耆英号，一艘中国帆船，曾创下中国帆船航海最远的纪录

延伸阅读