Emperor qian long biography

In this hunt, the year-old Qianlong reportedly sat on his horse calmly while a bear charged him before an archer could kill it. Kangxi himself observed the incident and was genuinely impressed with the bravery of his grandson. As emperors were very busy and often had many children, they rarely had a close relationship with their children.

The young princes and princesses were educated by tutors and grew up in the imperial harem. Their relationship with their mother was usually a close and intimate one as the two shared not only the common bond between mother and child, but also common interests in the intensely political atmosphere of the royal court, riddled with rumors, gossip, and intrigue.

Qianlong was particularly close to his mother and showered her with honors in his years as emperor, often going to unusual lengths to spend time with her, such as taking her on imperial trips which were designed primarily for her pleasure. Taken from C. Malone's book, History of the Peking Summer Palaces under the Ch'ing Dynasty, Qianlong's regard for her shows in this poem he wrote to commemorate a visit to a Buddhist temple which he had built for her:.

My mother's benevolent heart sincerely honors the doctrines of Buddhism. She is charmed with the scene, she claps her hands in devotion, and her face beams with joy, a joy which comes partly from what I have done for her. One of the major problems facing the imperial institution was succession to the throne. While the emperor could in theory select any of his sons, the assumption was always that it would be the eldest son if he were capable.

But for an emperor to name his successor before his own death invited trouble as cliques would invariably form around the future emperor and self-interested men would try to gain his ear. If an emperor lived for a long time, heirs might even grow impatient and plot to kill or imprison the emperor so that they might succeed him. But the alternative, to not name an heir, was hardly preferable as this option created the same cliques around all possible successors who were tempted to plot and intrigue against each other to clear their own way to the throne.

The Kangxi emperor, because he had ruled for more than 60 years, had a number of such problems and made and unmade several heirs. In his old age, these problems became critical, and he entered his decline without naming an heir. Qianlong's father seized the opportunity, organized supporters and shouldered aside other possible heirs, ascending the throne inthough he cloaked his actions in Confucian respectability.

Perhaps because of the problems of the Kangxi succession, Yong Zheng named his heir secretly and early: Qianlong. Raised in an unusually secure atmosphere a series of early deaths of other children made him the obvious heirQianlong was systematically trained and educated from a young age to be the future emperor of China. He particularly loved the study of history, one of the foundations of Confucian learning.

He was also interested in Western science, which had been brought to China by a series of Jesuit missionaries who hoped to win the soul of the Chinese emperor for Christianity. Including Jesuits among his teachers, Qianlong also had a high regard for Western technology. The most important part of any emperor's education was the classical studies of Confucianism.

Confucius c. Elite status in Chinese society depended in part upon a good foundation in the classical works of Confucianism, and all boys of good family were expected to be fully grounded in a study of them. Qianlong was an adept student and fully appreciated the importance of Confucian stereotypes in creating the public aspects of the imperial institution.

He presented himself throughout his life as an ideal Confucian ruler who loved his parents, study, and Confucian wisdom, based his conduct on the values of the Confucian tradition; respected historical precedent; took a strong paternalistic interest in the welfare of the common man; and appreciated the fine arts of calligraphy, poetry, and painting.

Harold Kahn, who has written the most comprehensive study of the monarchical institution under Qianlong, Monarchy in the Emperor's Eyes, argues that Confucian models were so strong that it is impossible to separate out the character of the Qianlong emperor from them: he made himself the ideal Confucian emperor. Qianlong's father was a competent emperor who inherited the strong and stable foundation created by the Kangxi emperor.

Furthering the process of improving upon the traditional Chinese political institutions, Yong Zheng created a stable and wealthy country. When he died inQianlong succeeded him without incident. Like that of all Chinese emperors, Qianlong's personal life was complex. He married before ascending the throne, to the Empress Xiao-Xian in She bore him a son who lived for only eight years.

He took a second wife, a Manchu woman Ula Nara who bore him additional children. She broke with him in to become a Buddhist nun for reasons which are unclear. It was said that the Qianlong Emperor had made a promise during the year of his ascension not to rule longer than his grandfather, the Kangxi Emperorwho had reigned for 61 years.

The hall had been conventionally dedicated for the exclusive use of the reigning sovereign, and in the emperor ordered the beginning of construction on what was ostensibly intended as his retirement residence in another part of the Forbidden City: a lavish, two-acre walled retreat called the Palace of Tranquil Longevity Ningshou Palace[ 41 ] which is today more commonly known as the "Qianlong Garden".

The Qianlong Emperor abdicated the throne at the age of 85, after almost 61 years on the throne, to his son, the year-old Jiaqing Emperorin He never moved into his retirement suites in the Qianlong Garden [ 1 ] and died in Enthroned in as KhanHong Taiji changed the dynastic name to "Great Qing" in and claimed the title of emperor.

Inthe Shunzhi Emperor began to rule over China properreplacing the Ming dynasty. Thonburi dynasty Kings. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In emperor qian long biography projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item. Emperor of China from to This article is about the Chinese emperor.

For the sauropodomorph dinosaur species, see Qianlong shouhu. Portrait by Giuseppe Castiglione Yu Mausoleum, Eastern Qing tombs. Empress Xiaoxianchun. Empress Nara. Empress Xiaoyichun. This article contains Manchu text. Without proper rendering supportyou may see emperor qian long biography marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Manchu alphabet.

Early years [ edit ]. This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. May Learn how and when to remove this message. Accession to the throne [ edit ]. Frontier wars [ edit ]. Cultural achievements [ edit ]. Burning of books and modification of texts [ edit ].

Literary works [ edit ]. Languages [ edit ]. Tibetan Buddhism [ edit ]. Anti-Islam laws [ edit ]. Christianity [ edit ]. Palaces [ edit ]. European styles [ edit ]. Other architecture [ edit ]. Descendants of the Ming dynasty's imperial family [ edit ]. Banner system [ edit ]. Main article: Eight Banners. Anti-gun measures [ edit ]. Chinese political identity and frontier policy [ edit ].

Han settlement [ edit ]. Later years [ edit ]. Macartney Embassy [ edit ]. Main article: Macartney Embassy. Titsingh Embassy [ edit ].

Emperor qian long biography: Sep 25, - Feb 7, The

Abdication [ edit ]. Family [ edit ]. Ancestry [ edit ]. In popular culture [ edit ].

Emperor qian long biography: Qianlong (born September 25,

Works by the Qianlong Emperor [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. Notes [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Citations [ edit ]. The New York Times. Beijing Book Co. Retrieved 13 February The art of weaving in the Qing. Chunfeng Cultural Press. Military history of the Qing Dynasty, vol.

Emperor qian long biography: The fourth and favourite son

Leiden: Brill. ISBN Retrieved 22 April Manchu Studies Group. Retrieved 19 February Class of Stanford University Press. Retrieved 24 April Harvard East Asian monographs. Harvard University Asia Center. Damals in German. Harvard University Press. Burma 3rd ed. Hutchinson University Library. Modern Asian Studies. JSTOR Journal of Intercultural Studies.

Kobe University: Archived from the original PDF on 1 June Retrieved 1 June The Search for Modern China 3rd ed. New York: Norton. Freer Sackler. Archived from the original on 16 August The Royal Academy of Arts. Archived from the original on 12 December World Monuments Fund. Retrieved 7 October Built Heritage. Bibcode : BuHer ISSN Asia Major. Retrieved 16 May In Millward, James A.

London: Routledge. Retrieved 10 March University of Washington Press. University of Kansas. Palace Museum, Beijing in Chinese. Archived from the original on 25 February World Digital Library in French. Xinjiang, China. A History of Chinese Civilization. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 28 May During the late emperor qian long biography and early eighteenth centuries, the Qing enacted policies to win the adherence of the Chinese officials and scholars.

The civil service examination system and the Confucian curriculum were reinstated. Qing Ch'ing emperors learned Chinese, and addressed their subjects using Confucian rhetoric, as their predecessors had. More than half of the important emperor qian long biography positions were filled by Manchu and members of the Eight Banners, but gradually large numbers of Han Chinese officials were given power and authority within the Manchu administration.

Under the Qing, the Chinese empire trebled its size and the population grew from , to , Many of the non-Chinese minorities within the empire were Sinicized, and an integrated national economy was established. The Qianlong Emperor was born HongliSeptember 25, Certain myths and legends claim that Hongli was actually a Han and not of Manchu descent, others say that he was half Manchu and half Han Chinese.

It is apparent from historical records that Hongli was loved both by his grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor and his father, the Yongzheng Emperor. Some historians argue that the Kangxi Emperor appointed Yongzheng as his successor to the throne because of Qianlong, who was his favorite grandson; he felt that Hongli's mannerisms and character were very similar to his own.

As a teenager, Hongli was skilled at martial arts, and possessed considerable literary ability. Like many of his uncles, Hongli entered into a battle of succession with his older half-brother Hongshi, who had the support of a large faction of court officials, as well as with Yinsi, the Prince Lian. For many years the Yongzheng Emperor did not endorse the position of Crown Prince, but many speculated that he favored Hongli as his successor.

Hongli was sent on inspection trips to the south, and was known to be an able negotiator and enforcer. Hongli was also chosen as chief regent on occasions when his father was away from the capital. The young Hongli had been a favorite of his grandfather, Kangxiand his father, and Yongzheng had entrusted a number of important ritual tasks to him while Hongli was still a prince, and included him in important court discussions of military strategy.

The name in the box was to be revealed to other members of the imperial family in the presence of all senior ministers only upon the death of the Emperor. When Yongzheng died suddenly inthe will was taken out and read aloud before the entire Qing Court; Hongli became the 4th Manchu Emperor of China. The Qianlong Emperor was a successful military leader, presiding over a consolidation of the expansive territory controlled by the Qing dynasty.

This was made possible not only by Chinese military strength but also by the declining strength and the disunity of the Inner Asian peoples. Under Qianlong, Chinese Turkestan was incorporated into the Qing dynasty's rule and renamed Xinjiangwhile to the West, Ili was conquered and garrisoned. Throughout this period there were continued Mongol interventions in Tibet and a reciprocal spread of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia.

Qianlong sent armies into Tibet and firmly established the Dalai Lama as ruler, with a Qing resident and garrison to preserve Chinese suzerainty. Further afield, military campaigns against the Burmese, Nepalese, and Gurkhas forced these peoples to submit and send tribute. In the last Le king fled a peasant rebellion in Vietnam and formally requested Chinese aid to restore him to his throne in Thanglong Hanoi.

The Qianlong Emperor agreed and sent a large army into Vietnam to remove the Tay Son peasant rebels who had captured all of Vietnam. The capital, Thanglong, was conquered inbut a few months later, the Chinese army was defeated in a surprise attack during Tet by Nguyen Hue, the second and most capable of the three Tay Son brothers. The Chinese government gave formal protection to the Le emperor and his family but did not intervene in Vietnam for another 90 years.

The Qianlong Emperor's military expansion captured millions of square miles and brought into the Chinese empire non-Han-Chinese peoples, such as UyghursKazakhs, Kirghiz, Evenks and Mongolswho were potentially hostile. It was also a very expensive undertaking; the funds in the Imperial Treasury were almost depleted due to the military expeditions.

Though the wars were an overall success, they did not bring total victory. The size of the army declined noticeably, and Qing encountered serious difficulties with several enemies. The Siku Quanshu was also the largest project of the Qianlong Emperor. He gathered an elite team of China's best scholars and tasked them with collecting, editing, and printing the incredibly large collection on Chinese philosophy, culture, history, and literature.

The project didn't only want to show off the Manchu culture. The Qianlong Emperor was a great writer himself.