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Throughout history, the transition from prosperity to decline of each dynasty has been a gradual process. However, the Qing Dynasty seems to be an exception.
As we all know, the heyday of the Qing Dynasty was in the three dynasties of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, known in history as "Kangqian Shengshi", which was also the last prosperous era of China's ancient feudal dynasty, so it was also jokingly called "the return of the light of China's feudal society". Similarly, there is also a historical term for the transformation of the Qing Dynasty from prosperity to decline - "Jia Dao".
"Jiadao" zhongluo, harmonic "family road in the fall", as the name suggests, the decline of the Qing Dynasty began from the Jiaqing and Daoguang dynasties.
From the prosperity of "Kangqian" to the fall of "Jia Dao", from prosperity to decline, it is a seamless connection, what happened in the middle? This is a question worth pondering.
As the successor of the Qianlong Emperor, the lord of the prosperous world, the Jiaqing Emperor was recognized by historians as a key figure in the transformation of the Qing Dynasty from prosperity to decline, and of course, it can also be said to be the "culprit".
The Jiaqing Emperor was the heir to the throne carefully selected by the Qianlong Emperor, but the Qing Dynasty was ultimately defeated in his hands.
To be fair, the Jiaqing Emperor was neither a tyrant nor a tyrant, but he was indeed mediocre about that crucial period of history. As historian Zhang Hongjie said in the article "Jiaqing 'Slipping Curve'"
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"The misfortune of the Qing Dynasty lies in the fact that when great people are needed, sitting in this position is a mediocre good person.
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It is true that the Jiaqing Emperor was kind to the literati, rehabilitated the literary prison, diligently loved the people, sympathized with his courtiers, and generally speaking, he was indeed a good person. In addition, the Jiaqing Emperor was particularly disgusted by official corruption, and the first thing he had just done when he came to power was to eliminate the officials, rectify the corrupt officials, and put qianlong's favored subjects and the Yan family to death.
Speaking of Hezhen, we have to mention the famous sentence "Hezhen falls, Jiaqing is full". According to relevant historical statistics, the total amount of property confiscated by the Jiaqing Emperor from the Hezhen family reached a staggering 1.1 billion taels of silver, equivalent to the sum of the 15 years of fiscal revenue of the Qing Dynasty at that time.
Jiaqing reigned for a total of 25 years, of which the first 4 years were still ruled by emperor Qianlong, and the 15 years of fiscal revenue copied from the Hezhen family were distributed to the 21 years he held real power, it is reasonable to say that the financial situation of the Jiaqing Dynasty will not be too bad, but why is it not the case?
First of all, the so-called 1.1 billion taels of silver is a total income, not really silver or grain that can be used directly, and a large part of it is antique calligraphy and paintings and rare treasures that cannot be cashed.
In addition, Jiaqing's wayward father Qianlong was the most extravagant emperor in the Qing Dynasty, and he was even more profligate in his later years. Therefore, at the beginning of the Jiaqing Emperor's ascension to the throne, the Qing Dynasty seemed to have unlimited scenery, but in fact, there were many hidden dangers, and the national treasury deficit was serious. This pit can only be filled by the Jiaqing Emperor, and this bitterness can only be swallowed silently by the Jiaqing Emperor himself.
More importantly, the Jiaqing Emperor's luck was really bad, and his 25 years on the throne coincided with the decline of national fortunes, and various incidents emerged at the same time.
The beginning of the 19th century when the Jiaqing Emperor was in power, it was the period of the rise of the industrial revolution in the Western world, with the advent of the steam age, Britain, France, Germany and other Western powers rose rapidly, and the Jiaqing Emperor was influenced by the Qianlong Emperor's good and great happiness, still immersed in the daydream of the "Heavenly Dynasty and the Kingdom of Heaven", do not you know that blindly conservative and rejecting reform has made the Qing Dynasty far behind the West in all aspects, and in the long run, it is destined to be bullied by the Western powers in the future.
In addition to external troubles, the Jiaqing period was full of internal worries, the White Lotus Sect revolted one after another, the Eight Banners livelihood and river waterway transport and other problems became increasingly prominent, and what was worse was that at this time opium also began to flow into China, poisoning the health of the people, weakening the morale of officials, and laying the groundwork for the upcoming Opium War.
To sum up, from the prosperity of "Kangqian" to the fall of "Jiadao", the sudden change of the Qing Dynasty from prosperity to decline has both the reasons for the emperor and the reasons for the national fortune, and it is really the surging when the national fortune comes, the national fortune is running endlessly, and the mediocre Jiaqing Emperor really cannot bear such a historical burden, so it will inevitably lead to tragedy.
Resources:
Draft History of the Qing Dynasty