Chinese there is a proverb "Kangqian Shengshi" to refer to the extremely prosperous development of the Qing Dynasty under the reigns of the two emperors, Kangxi and Qianlong. Among them, it can be said that during the Qianlong period, he enjoyed countless achievements left by Kangxi's grandfather and Yongzheng's biological father.
Since ascending the throne, Qianlong has not had to worry about the state treasury and the political policy system. Therefore, for his ruling dynasty, the Qianlong Emperor was very satisfied and confident. However, it was his overconfidence that gave Daqing a wrong decision...
600 boxes of gifts directly "thrown away"
The story begins on September 26, 1792, when the British government sent a 700-member delegation led by a general named Magani to celebrate the 80th birthday of the Qianlong Emperor.
Qianlong received a delegation from Britain
The delegation brought 600 boxes of gifts to the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. These boxes included state-of-the-art technical equipment in the UK at the time. For example: telescopes, hot air balloons, cannons, models of battleships, and some other modern weapons.
It can be said that during this trip to the Qing Dynasty, the British gave Qianlong the "technological achievements" that they were most proud of. This sincerity of the British is the embodiment of its desire to cooperate with the Qing Dynasty.
However, when presenting gifts to Qianlong and expressing the sincerity and wishes of the country, the head of the delegation, General Magani, was "poured with cold water" because of the emperor's attitude. Qianlong was not only not interested in the precious gifts of the British, but ordered them to be sent to the warehouse!
The British sent countless precious gifts for the Qianlong Emperor's birthday
In the face of Qianlong's indifferent attitude, the Delegation from Britain could not help but be surprised. They believe that their country has already expressed such a sincere desire, so why not receive it accordingly?
So why did the Qianlong Emperor not hesitate to "throw away" these precious gifts into the warehouse?
Qianlong's unscrupulous behavior is hidden behind it
Qianlong's move was because he believed that all the weapons in the British gift box, especially boats and firecrackers, did not need to be used by the Qing Dynasty. The Qianlong Emperor always had confidence in the country's national defense potential.
Qianlong's self-confidence came from the country's topography. Because China is surrounded by walls "built" by nature, such as the mountains in the southwest, the desert in the northern part, the ocean in the southeast, and the vast plains in the central part.
Therefore, the most disturbing crisis in the Qing Dynasty at that time was the Mongolian steppe in the north. However, most of the weapons donated by the British were weapons of war at sea, and Qianlong did not think they needed to be used.
The British delegation was disappointed to see the gift of national pride being carried away. Finally, General Magani held back his anger and made final proposals for cooperation through a pre-prepared Treaty prepared by Britain, such as opening ports, allowing Westerners to do business in the Qing Dynasty, and free international trade,... However, the delegation of this country was once again rejected by the Qianlong Emperor.
From the perspective of today's historians, the unpleasant and even humiliating experience of the British delegation to the Qing Dynasty at that time was one of the deep causes of the Opium War in China. (Opium Wars: The British invaded Britain in 1840-1842 under the pretext that China banned British merchants from selling opium.)
If Qianlong had modestly received gifts from Britain and abandoned the "closed port" policy, China might not have experienced this fierce war.