The Qing Dynasty, as the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history, was once glorious. However, in the long course of history, it could not escape the fate of decay after all. So, which emperor began the decline of the Qing Dynasty, and why did this emperor become a turning point in the decline of the Qing Dynasty?
Let's go back in time to the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Emperor Qianlong, known as the "Ten Perfect Old Men", under his rule, the Qing Dynasty reached unprecedented prosperity. However, it was this emperor who, to some extent, also laid the groundwork for the decline of the Qing Dynasty. So, why Emperor Qianlong?
First of all, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, although the country was economically prosperous, it relied too much on the feudal land system, resulting in a heavy burden on the peasants. In Qianlong's later years, peasant uprisings occurred frequently, such as the "White Lotus Uprising" in Sichuan and the "Miao Uprising" in Guizhou. Although these uprisings were eventually suppressed, they exposed the contradictions and crises within the Qing Dynasty.
Secondly, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, he implemented a policy of closing the country to the outside world, which led to the gradual weakening of the country's connection with the world. This made the Qing Dynasty gradually lag behind the world in terms of science and technology, culture, etc., and laid hidden dangers for the country's development. Moreover, in the later years of Emperor Qianlong, political corruption was serious, and the bureaucratic system was increasingly paralyzed. This laid the foundation for later social unrest such as the Opium War and the Taiping Rebellion.
Of course, we cannot blame the Qianlong Emperor for the decline of the Qing Dynasty. In fact, the decline of the Qing Dynasty was a long process, involving many aspects such as politics, economy, culture, and society. However, the Qianlong Emperor was indeed an important node in this process.
After Emperor Qianlong, although emperors such as Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng tried to reform and save the Qing Dynasty from decay, they could not change the trend of history after all. A series of external and internal troubles, such as the Opium War, the Taiping Rebellion, the Second Opium War, and the First Sino-Japanese War, caused the Qing Dynasty to decline day by day. Finally, in 1912, Emperor Xuantong announced his abdication, and the Qing Dynasty fell.
Looking back at the history of the Qing Dynasty, we can find that Emperor Qianlong was indeed an important turning point. The prosperity of the country during his reign to a certain extent concealed the decay of the feudal system. In his later years, political corruption, peasant uprisings and other problems laid the groundwork for the decline of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, we can say that the Qing Dynasty began to decline from the Qianlong Emperor.
However, history does not happen overnight. The decline of the Qing Dynasty was a long process that involved many aspects such as politics, economy, culture, and society. In this process, there is not only the impact of external forces, but also the intensification of internal contradictions. And Emperor Qianlong is only an important node in this process.
Through the review of the history of the Qing Dynasty, we can better understand the law of historical development. For us modern people, we should take this as a lesson, always be vigilant, and strive to promote the prosperity and development of the country, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the Qing Dynasty.