There has been a question that has puzzled historians and observers: Why did the Qianlong Emperor take the friendship and goodwill of the British with contempt? This question has become the key to interpreting Qianlong's historical events. If Qianlong hadn't treated the British birthday gift as garbage, China might have been able to become a first-class power. Let's delve into this history and understand its teachings and lessons.
We go back to 1792, when the Industrial Revolution was booming in Britain. British businessmen began to realize the importance of establishing trade relations with China. They recognise that China is rich in resources and that the Chinese market is a huge attraction for British goods. As a result, the British business community actively lobbied the government to send a mission to China, hoping to carry out trade and establish friendly relations with China.
The British government eventually agreed to this suggestion and decided to send a mission to China. The head of the mission was an admiral named George Macartney. Macartney was considered an excellent diplomat and negotiator, and he was appointed head of the mission. In order to ensure the success of the visit, Macartney carefully prepared the gifts and training for the visit.
However, the mission encountered a series of difficulties when entering China. On the one hand, the identity of the mission is not fully recognized due to official misidentification and identity issues. This brings a lot of hassle and inconvenience to the visit. On the other hand, on matters of etiquette, the mission was at odds with the Qing court. These disagreements relate to aspects such as the manner, occasion and etiquette of the meeting.
The first problem the mission encountered was that when it entered Beijing, it was misidentified by officials because of its identity. This led to a series of misunderstandings and confusion that caused a lot of unnecessary trouble for the mission's visit. Despite the mission's efforts to explain its identity and mission, communication with the Qing court was bogged down.
Another problem was that there was a disagreement with the Qing court on matters of etiquette. Following British etiquette, the mission hoped to have an official meeting with the Qianlong Emperor. However, the Qing court had reservations about this approach, arguing that the status of the mission was not high enough to conform to Chinese etiquette. Such disagreements have led to delays and uncertainty in the meeting.
Eventually, the Qing court proposed to change the location of the meeting to the Chengde Summer Resort. This is a serious challenge for the mission and requires more time and effort to prepare and arrange. However, the mission still insisted on moving forward, hoping to achieve good interaction and cooperation with the Qianlong Emperor.
Eventually, the mission made its way to Beijing, and Macartney presented three precious birthday gifts to the Qianlong Emperor. The gifts included a jade seal crafted by British artisans, a set of ornate silk garments, and a book on British culture and technology. These gifts represent Britain's friendship and goodwill towards China.
However, Emperor Qianlong's attitude towards these gifts was disappointing. Instead of giving these gifts the attention and respect they deserve, he treated them as garbage. Emperor Qianlong's contempt and denial showed that China's good intentions towards Britain were not welcome. This was a huge blow to the mission and meant that the visit ended in failure.
At the end of the mission's visit, Macartney reported to the British government on his experiences and observations during his trip to China. These reports made the British government aware of the attitudes and biases of the Chinese government towards foreign missions. It also made the British government realize that friendly diplomacy alone would not achieve the desired results.
Based on these observations and analysis, the British government has decided to take a tough stance on negotiations with China. They believe that only through strong diplomatic means can China be forced to change its attitude towards opening up to the outside world. Eventually, this decision led to the outbreak of the Opium War, which had a profound impact on Chinese history.
If Emperor Qianlong had not shown arrogance and prejudice at that time, Sino-British cooperation might have achieved a mutually beneficial and win-win result. However, Qianlong's contemptuous attitude became the trigger for tensions between China and Britain. This historical event reminds us that we should respect and embrace the friendship and goodwill of different countries and cultures. Only in this way will we be able to avoid missing opportunities for development and prosperity through prejudice and arrogance and bring about a better future for our country.
Looking back at the historical events of Qianlong, we should consider a question: "How can the prejudice of a monarch change the fate of a nation?" Emperor Qianlong's contemptuous attitude towards Britain had an important impact on the development of the Qing Dynasty. This historical event has brought us an important lesson that we should respect and embrace the friendship and goodwill of different countries and cultures. In this way, we will be able to build a mutually beneficial relationship that will lead to a more prosperous and prosperous future for our country. Let us learn from history, avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, and create a better tomorrow for our country.