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Created page with "*''Born: 1654'' *''Died: 1722'' *''Reign: 1661-1722'' *''Chinese/Japanese'': 康熙帝 ''(Kāngxī dì / Kouki tei)'' The Kangxi Emperor was the fourth emperor of..."
*''Born: [[1654]]''
*''Died: [[1722]]''
*''Reign: [[1661]]-1722''
*''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]]). He is often described as a model emperor, and is known for his many positive policies.

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 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.

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<center>
{| border="3" align="center"
|- align="center"
|width="35%"|Preceded by<br>'''[[Shunzhi Emperor]]'''
|width="25%"|'''Emperor of [[Qing Dynasty|Qing]]<br>[[1661]]-[[1722]]'''
|width="35%"|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Yongzheng Emperor]]'''
|}
</center>

==References==
*[[Albert M. Craig]], ''The Heritage of Chinese Civilization'', Third Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 115.

[[Category:Emperors]]
[[Category:Edo Period]]
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