As the last feudal dynasty in history, the Qing Dynasty has always been able to attract the attention and discussion of many people. Although the Qing Dynasty withdrew from the stage after ruling for 276 years. But in any dynasty, there is a time when it is most prosperous. The Qing Dynasty was no exception, and the most famous thing is what everyone often calls "Kangqian's prosperous life".
The kangqian dynasty was the peak of the Qing Dynasty, referring to the three years of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, which lasted for 134 years. More importantly, the Qing government recovered many lost lands. The foundation was laid for the current map, and the population exceeded 300 million. The amount of silver in the treasury reached 80 million, and agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce were all developing. Since kangqian's prosperous world developed well, how was the life of the common people at that time? You may not believe it when you say it.
The answer to this question is poignant and sad, and experts believe that these civilians have not been able to live a comfortable life, but only slightly better than beggars. At that time, the British mission came to the Qing Dynasty, and according to the description of Marco Polo's Travels, they had earlier had a beautiful fantasy about this dynasty, and everyone could wear silk and silk, wear gold and silver, and live in a comfortable house.
But what really appeared in front of the British delegation was the people wearing tattered clothes and the thatched houses on the street that would leak wind at any time, and many people's expressions were with a hint of numbness and confusion, which was far from the description in the book. In the prosperous era of Qianlong, a folk song was circulated, the content of which intuitively and vividly described the current situation of the people's lives: "The father-in-law pastes lanterns, the mother-in-law pulls out her teeth, the son works as a domestic worker, the daughter-in-law works as a tailor, the family has no idle mouth, it is still as poor." ”
From this, it can be seen that although several members of the family are working, they still suffer from low income and are still poor. In fact, it is equivalent to working in vain. At that time, the income of ordinary people in the Qing Dynasty would not exceed 33 taels a year, but they still had to be in debt for 3 taels of silver, and in the year of famine, they might also face the dilemma of selling their children. On the contrary, British farmers can still get 11 pounds after a year of consumption, that is, 33 to 34 taels of silver.
Therefore, this prosperous era only belongs to the upper class society and the nobility of the Qing Dynasty, and has nothing to do with ordinary people. The rulers of the Qing Dynasty did not think about thinking about problems for this class of people at all, but just constantly squeezed them, so that these people continued to run for their livelihood, and there was no time to think about other things, nor did they do anything against the Qing Dynasty.
Such a situation was exactly the scene that the Nobles of the Qing Dynasty most wanted to see at that time. However, when foreign invaders oppressed the Qing Dynasty, the Qing rulers would once again carry out a new round of oppression of the common people, and finally, the Qing Dynasty also perished for various reasons, and the prosperity of Kangqian was only the calm before the storm.