The Qing Dynasty was the last feudal dynasty in the history of our country, and we may not know much about the history of the Qing Dynasty, but I believe you have heard a little about the "Prosperous Era of Kangqian".
With the efforts of the three emperors Of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, the Qing Dynasty entered a situation of extreme prosperity. It was also the last prosperous era of feudal society. But in recent years, many experts and scholars have come to a shocking conclusion:
The "prosperous life of Kangqian" is only a self-deceptive deception.
So what is the truth? Is Kangqian's prosperity really a scam?
Photo: Stills of a portrait of the Great Qing Dynasty
As we all know, Kangxi ascended the throne at the age of only 8 years old, and consolidated the government during his reign, laying a solid foundation for the Qing Dynasty to enter a prosperous and prosperous world. Then the Yongzheng Emperor came to power, diligent and earnest, and worked hard to govern, and the qi pulse of the Qing Dynasty gradually improved.
During the reign of Qianlong, the country was rich and the people were strong, and the Qing Dynasty was a prosperous scene. The description of this period is recorded in historical records: political, economic and cultural fields have entered a highly developed level, which can be called the peak of development in feudal society!
Such a record naturally presents a highly developed civilized society.
So are these records true or false? You know, many times the record of history is to cater to the intentions of the rulers, and it is impossible to record it truthfully.
So is this "Kangqian prosperous world" the biggest deception of the Qing Dynasty?
Photo: Stills of a world-famous scene in the Qing Dynasty
As we all know, during the prosperous period, the country was peaceful and stable, and the people's lives were healthy. Therefore, the "prosperous world of Kangqian" naturally must also conform to such a phenomenon. Under the rule of the three emperors of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, he did make a lot of contributions to the Qing Dynasty.
Their contribution is worthy of recognition, but the greatest contribution is not in the economic and cultural fields, but in the expansion of territorial territory. Previous dynasties, although nominally in some special areas, could not actually control. The Qing Dynasty quelled the rebellion and brought all those separatist forces under its actual rule and control.
Therefore, from the perspective of territorial expansion, the "prosperous era of Kangqian" is well deserved. However, from the perspective of other fields, this "prosperous world" is somewhat unworthy of the name.
Photo: Stills of a portrait of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty
From the perspective of total industrial output, the situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty was chaotic, and the total industrial output value of the Ming Dynasty was not high. However, what is shocking is that the total industrial output value of the Qing Dynasty during the "Kangqian Prosperous Era" period was actually not as good as that of the late Ming Dynasty.
In this regard, after reading some relevant records, Mr. Lu Xun, a famous great scholar, had great doubts about the "prosperous world of Kangqian", and suspected that this prosperous world was simply an empty boast and amplification.
As we all know, during the Song Dynasty, the pressure of the rulers on the industrial and commercial circles became less, so industry and commerce flourished rapidly during this period. In the Ming Dynasty, it also adopted the management methods of the Song Dynasty and relaxed the control of the industrial and commercial circles, which was further developed.
Let's look at the Qing Dynasty, in 1840 AD, shortly after the end of the "Kangqian Prosperous Era", the total industrial output value at this time accounted for only six percent of the world. It can be seen from this that the Qing Dynasty has lagged far behind the world, and the so-called "prosperous world" is nothing more than the self-deception of the Rulers of the Qing Dynasty.
Photo: Stills of The Qing Emperor Kangxi
In addition, from the perspective of the territorial issue, although the territory of the Qing Dynasty was expanded, it also paid a great price. During the Qing Dynasty, many minority regimes were unable to communicate effectively with the imperial court, resulting in many contradictions, followed by rebellions.
During the reign of the Kangxi Dynasty, there were ethnic minority rebellions, and with the eventual suppression of the rebellion, it was only after a short period of unification and stability. However, the hidden dangers have not disappeared, and the rebel forces are bound to make a comeback.
However, by the time of Yongzheng's reign, he did not anticipate this defect and did not take effective measures, which also led to the Qing Dynasty having to face the "problem of division" once again.
As we all know, war is the most expendable for society, and the people suffer money. Because of this, Kangxi fought many battles, and after his death, the national treasury was only more than 5 million taels.
Image: Yongzheng Emperor cartoon
Since the "prosperous world of Kangqian" is so unbearable, why is it attached to the name of "prosperous world"? In addition to the imposition by the rulers, another reason is that a "legend" was created at that time.
At that time, the crop sweet potato was vigorously promoted, and the effect was to feed countless people, creating a feudal population legend, with the highest population reaching 300 million people. This is a feat worth showing off in the Qing Dynasty.
So many people can fill their stomachs, which can also be regarded as the prosperous years of the feudal period. However, under this superficial prosperity, there has been a scene of withering in the cultural field.
You know, the higher the economy develops, the less the culture lags behind and will follow. However, the culture of the Qing Dynasty is indescribable, the situation of Confucianism is no longer respected, and the highly prosperous philosophy of the late Ming Dynasty has disappeared.
I believe that you have all heard of the "literal prison" implemented by the Qing Dynasty, although all the dynasties have had it, but the Qing Dynasty has the greatest strength. Moreover, during the reign of Qianlong, the prison of writing reached its most tragic point. The slightest mistake is punishable by imprisonment. How can culture develop in such a situation?
People's thinking is bound, which is conducive to the consolidation of the rule of the ruler, but it erases the development path of culture and makes it difficult for culture to flourish.
In addition, the Qing Dynasty prevailed in the Eight Strands of Literature, and the literati had to learn the Eight Strands of Literature if they wanted to enter the career path. Those previous classics were slowly ignored by the literati. This is the reason why it is difficult to have classic masterpieces during the Qing Dynasty.
Photo: Stills of the Qianlong Emperor writing
"Prosperous world" is the praise of a country with outstanding achievements in all fields, while the Qing Dynasty is superficially prosperous and actually corrupt, which is not called a prosperous world at all.
The Qing Dynasty was derailed from world civilization, and even "closed the country" long ago, and finally locked out of the situation of being beaten. If it is really a prosperous world, how can it end up in such a depressed situation?
It can be seen that the "prosperous life of Kangqian" is only a pretext. Many emperors wanted to win a good reputation and were praised by future generations. Therefore, with a little merit in his rule, he wanted to exaggerate this achievement so that the world would be impressed by his rule.
In fact, the three emperors of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong all had many achievements in their rule, but they also had mistakes. For example, in the late Kangxi dynasty, social corruption, and official corruption and bribery were very serious. During the reign of Qianlong, there were also corrupt officials like He yan. How can such a rule be prosperous?
Photo: Stills of the corrupt officials and yan during Qianlong's reign
Now everything has become clear, the so-called "Kangqian prosperous world" does not live up to its name, although there has been development, but this speed of development is like a snail, and it does not even advance and retreat. In real comparison, the "Prosperous Era of Kangqian" is at the bottom of all the prosperous times.
Such a prosperous world has its own appearance, and it is difficult to gain praise from future generations.
Article author: Dahui
The entire graphic was produced by the team of the Big Cafe Say History Studio!