Chonghou

Chonghou (, ), courtesy name Dishan (地山), art names Ziqian (子謙) and Hecha (鶴槎), was an official and diplomat of the Qing dynasty. He was a member of the Wanyan clan, descended from the Emperor Shizong of Jin.

==Early life and career== He was the second son of Linqing (麟慶) of the Jurchen Wanyan clan, and is thus said to have been a lineal descendant of the imperial clan of the Jin dynasty of the 12th and 13th centuries. Graduating as juren in 1849, he became a department magistrate in Gansu province in 1851. His brother Chongshi contributed 10,000 taels to the government for military expenses, and as a result, Chonghou was named as a prefect in Henan province. In 1853, the Xianfeng Emperor appointed him to the army to aid in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion. Following that, he served in various posts in Zhili for several years, including as a Taotai in 1858. He assisted Prince Gong during the negotiations of the Convention of Peking (1860), and the prince made him Superintendent of Trade in 1861 for the three northern treaty ports of Tianjin (where he was stationed), Yantai, and Yingkou. During this time, Chonghou negotiated with Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, and Austria.