Difference between revisions of "Kangxi Emperor"
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*''Chinese/Japanese'': 康熙帝 ''(Kāngxī dì / Kouki tei)'' | *''Chinese/Japanese'': 康熙帝 ''(Kāngxī dì / Kouki tei)'' | ||
| − | The Kangxi Emperor was the fourth emperor of China's [[Qing Dynasty]], and the second to rule over [[China proper]] (i.e. following the fall of the [[Ming Dynasty]]). | + | The Kangxi Emperor was the fourth emperor of China's [[Qing Dynasty]], and the second to rule over [[China proper]] (i.e. following the fall of the [[Ming Dynasty]]). His lengthy reign is often described as a period of the consolidation of Qing rule. |
| − | The Kangxi Emperor ruled for sixty years, from [[1661]] when he was seven years old, wielding actual power from the age of 13 until his death in [[1722]] at the age of 68. He is said to have woken up early every day to read memorials to the throne, before meeting with officials, presiding over palace [[Chinese imperial examinations|examinations]], and engaging in other obligations. | + | The Kangxi Emperor ruled for sixty years, from [[1661]] when he was seven years old, wielding actual power from the age of 13 until his death in [[1722]] at the age of 68. He is said to have woken up early every day to read memorials to the throne, before meeting with officials, presiding over palace [[Chinese imperial examinations|examinations]], and engaging in other obligations. The emperor is said to have been an extremely knowledgeable scholar, and a great supporter of scholarship, supporting the compilation of [[Kangxi Dictionary|a new dictionary]], [[Imperial Encyclopedia|a vast 5,000 volume encyclopedia]]<!--古今圖書集成-->, and the official [[History of the Ming]] (''Míng shǐ''), the last of which was begun under his predecessor, the [[Shunzhi Emperor]], and was completed under the [[Qianlong Emperor]] in the 1730s. |
| − | The emperor | + | The emperor also made six tours of the southern provinces, and oversaw the renewal of dikes on the Huai and Yellow Rivers, the dredging of the [[Grand Canal]], and the opening of four ports to foreign trade. He maintained [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] astronomers in his court and encouraged the continued adoption of elements of European science. |
| − | + | He also enforced continued policies of ethnic separation aimed at ensuring that [[Manchus]], and not [[Han Chinese]], retained superiority and control of the state. Though clearly devotedly engaged in pursuits of Chinese scholarly cultivation, the Kangxi Emperor also practiced and performed his Manchu identity, building a summer palace on the Mongolian steppe, where he often engaged in falconry and hunted on horseback. However, he also took various steps to earn the support of the Chinese scholar-bureaucrats, and of Han Chinese more broadly. | |
| − | + | The Kangxi reign saw the suppression of the [[Revolt of Three Feudatories]] ([[1673]]-[[1680]]) and the final defeat of the last of the [[Ming loyalists]], as the Qing took [[Taiwan]] in [[1684]]. Kangxi strengthened the borders of the empire, and established in [[1668]] a "willow palisade" blocking off Han Chinese access to large portions of the [[Manchuria|Manchu homelands]]. He also restored the [[Chinese imperial examinations|civil service examination system]], improved official communication networks (including those for covert state information). Kangxi's reign also saw considerable agricultural and commercial expansion, but the Court failed to revise its tax codes appropriately to best capture state revenues from these developments.<ref>Jonathan Spence, ''The Search for Modern China'', Second Edition, W.W. Norton & Co. (1999), 4-5.</ref> | |
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==References== | ==References== | ||
*[[Albert M. Craig]], ''The Heritage of Chinese Civilization'', Third Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 115. | *[[Albert M. Craig]], ''The Heritage of Chinese Civilization'', Third Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 115. | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
[[Category:Emperors]] | [[Category:Emperors]] | ||
[[Category:Edo Period]] | [[Category:Edo Period]] | ||
Revision as of 22:52, 16 February 2015
The Kangxi Emperor was the fourth emperor of China's Qing Dynasty, and the second to rule over China proper (i.e. following the fall of the Ming Dynasty). His lengthy reign is often described as a period of the consolidation of Qing rule.
The Kangxi Emperor ruled for sixty years, from 1661 when he was seven years old, wielding actual power from the age of 13 until his death in 1722 at the age of 68. He is said to have woken up early every day to read memorials to the throne, before meeting with officials, presiding over palace examinations, and engaging in other obligations. The emperor is said to have been an extremely knowledgeable scholar, and a great supporter of scholarship, supporting the compilation of a new dictionary, a vast 5,000 volume encyclopedia, and the official History of the Ming (Míng shǐ), the last of which was begun under his predecessor, the Shunzhi Emperor, and was completed under the Qianlong Emperor in the 1730s.
The emperor also made six tours of the southern provinces, and oversaw the renewal of dikes on the Huai and Yellow Rivers, the dredging of the Grand Canal, and the opening of four ports to foreign trade. He maintained Jesuit astronomers in his court and encouraged the continued adoption of elements of European science.
He also enforced continued policies of ethnic separation aimed at ensuring that Manchus, and not Han Chinese, retained superiority and control of the state. Though clearly devotedly engaged in pursuits of Chinese scholarly cultivation, the Kangxi Emperor also practiced and performed his Manchu identity, building a summer palace on the Mongolian steppe, where he often engaged in falconry and hunted on horseback. However, he also took various steps to earn the support of the Chinese scholar-bureaucrats, and of Han Chinese more broadly.
The Kangxi reign saw the suppression of the Revolt of Three Feudatories (1673-1680) and the final defeat of the last of the Ming loyalists, as the Qing took Taiwan in 1684. Kangxi strengthened the borders of the empire, and established in 1668 a "willow palisade" blocking off Han Chinese access to large portions of the Manchu homelands. He also restored the civil service examination system, improved official communication networks (including those for covert state information). Kangxi's reign also saw considerable agricultural and commercial expansion, but the Court failed to revise its tax codes appropriately to best capture state revenues from these developments.[1]
| Preceded by Shunzhi Emperor |
Emperor of Qing 1661-1722 |
Succeeded by Yongzheng Emperor |
References
- Albert M. Craig, The Heritage of Chinese Civilization, Third Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 115.
- ↑ Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China, Second Edition, W.W. Norton & Co. (1999), 4-5.
