The prince was named by his grandfather, the
Yongzheng Emperor. The character
lian (璉) in his name means vessel for holding grain offerings in an ancestral hall, which suggests that he would eventually inherit the imperial throne. Yonglian was intelligent, noble and was the only legitimate son of the Qianlong Emperor at that time. His father secretly appointed him as his heir. On 8 August 1736, the Qianlong Emperor issued a secret decree to establish Yonglian as the crown prince. The decree was hidden behind a plaque in the
Qianqing Palace. He suffered from smallpox and died on 23 November 1738, while he was staying in Ningshou Palace (宁寿宫). The Qianlong Emperor and Empress Fuca were devastated. The Qianlong Emperor didn't go to court for five days, and he made public the secret appointment of Yonglian as crown prince. The Qianlong Emperor ordered Yonglian's funeral to be treated as that of a crown prince. Yonglian was given the posthumous name
Duanhui (端慧) and his father built a garden for his dead son to be buried. The garden is known as Crown Prince Duanhui's Garden. == In popular culture ==