In 1792, Britain sent a large fleet to China to congratulate Emperor Qianlong on his birthday and negotiate trade. The scale of this fleet is unprecedented, and it can be called "the largest mission to China in history". After the mission arrived in Beijing, the Qianlong Emperor not only rejected the British trade request, but also wrote a 976-word letter to the British king. The words of this letter show the arrogance of the "Celestial Empire", which is regarded by the British as extremely stupid. The mission then departed, but one of the young boys was angry about Qianlong's actions. Forty-seven years later, the boy grew up and personally promoted the outbreak of the Opium Wars, thus opening up China completely. The 976-character letter of Emperor Qianlong finally laid the foundation for the Qing Dynasty. What did Qianlong write in his letter, and why did it anger the British and cause a great disaster? Let us find out.
The huge British mission arrived in China for a twofold purpose
1792 was the 60th year of Qianlong's reign, and he was already 80 years old. In the same year, a British mission of unprecedented size arrived in China.
The mission was unprecedentedly large, consisting of five Royal Navy warships, including the famous battleship "Lion", which carried nearly 700 British personnel. The mission included military officers, missionaries, merchants, astronomers, etc., and it could be described as an all-round lineup.
Leading the mission was Lord Macartney, a famous British diplomat. The purpose of his visit was twofold: first, to congratulate Emperor Qianlong on his birthday, and second, to open a British embassy in China and expand trade between the two countries.
At that time, Britain had just started the industrial revolution, and its productivity had increased dramatically, and it was urgent to open up overseas markets. And China, a country with a large population and a rich country, has naturally become the object of their coveting. Therefore, before setting off for Macartney, King George III of Great Britain specifically instructed him to try to open an embassy in China to expand trade between the two countries.
It can be said that this huge mission is not only here to celebrate birthdays, but more importantly, to seek a foothold in China and open up the potentially huge market of China. Therefore, the scale and strength of the mission have their own profound meaning.
Upon arrival in China, Macartney and his entourage were received by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. They were first arranged to travel north along the Grand Canal, passing through Hangzhou, Suzhou, Yangzhou and other most prosperous cities in China at that time, in order to show them China's national strength.
However, the British mission did not buy it. On the contrary, they believe that the prosperity of these cities is only superficial, and that they are rotten inside. They looked down on the equipment of the Qing army at that time, and thought that the Qing army's swords, bows, arrows and guns were not worth anything at all.
Eventually, the British mission met with the Qianlong Emperor in Beijing. Qianlong felt very useful that the distant state of "Yidi" could send such a large delegation to congratulate him on his birthday. However, when Macartney proposed to expand trade between the two countries and set up an embassy in China, Qianlong directly refused.
Qianlong's arrogance angered the British
Despite the unprecedented scale of the British missions, the Qianlong Emperor was hard-line and unresponsive to their demands. From the very beginning, Qianlong treated the mission with an arrogant attitude.
When the British mission arrived in China, Qianlong arranged for them to travel north along the Grand Canal. Along the way, the mission saw the most prosperous cities in China, such as Hangzhou, Suzhou, Yangzhou and other places. Qianlong's intention was to demonstrate China's national strength to the mission and to demonstrate the wealth and strength of the Qing Empire.
However, the people of the British mission were unmoved. On the contrary, they believe that the prosperity of these cities is only superficial, and that they have long since decayed inside. They looked down on the equipment of the Qing army at that time, and thought that the knives, bows, arrows and guns held by the Qing army were not worth anything at all.
After arriving in Beijing, Qianlong gave the British mission another "dismount". According to the rules of the Qing Dynasty, all foreign envoys who came to see the emperor must kneel three times and kowtow nine times. The British Mission was deeply unhappy with this, believing that it would humiliate the face of the British Empire.
The two sides were at a stalemate, and finally a compromise was reached: the British envoy knelt but did not kowtow. However, in order to preserve the dignity of the Qing Dynasty, some ministers said that the knee joints of foreigners were different from those of Chinese, so they could not kowtow.
Although this incident temporarily resolved the contradictions between the two sides, it also allowed the British mission to see Qianlong's arrogant nature clearly. They believed that Qianlong simply regarded them as a small "Yidi" country that submitted to the Qing Dynasty.
What made the British mission even more angry was Qianlong's remarks to the British king in his reply. This 976-word letter shows the arrogant posture of the "Heavenly Empire".
At the beginning of the letter, Qianlong compared King George III of England to his younger brother who was "far away in the ocean" and praised him for his "deferential sincerity" and "devotion to the faith". This was undoubtedly to degrade Britain to a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty.
Next, Qianlong bluntly rejected the British request to set up a museum in China and expand trade, saying that "they are all customized and inconvenient." In other words, this is against the rules of the Qing Dynasty, so it must not be allowed.
Qianlong was also disdainful of the various gifts sent by the British king, boasting that "the Celestial Empire has all over the world, rare treasures, and everything." He believed that the gifts from Britain were not worth anything in his eyes.
In the end, Qianlong also said some "good words" to the British king, hoping that he would "take the treasures given to him and return to the Qing Dynasty". This was undoubtedly another relegation of Britain to the status of a vassal of the Qing Dynasty.
As soon as this letter came out, the British mission was outraged. They believe that Qianlong's style is undoubtedly a manifestation of extreme stupidity. How could Britain be so humiliated as "the most powerful country in the world"?
The British saw clearly that the Qing Dynasty was rotten, and prophesied that it would sink
Although Emperor Qianlong took a hard line on the British mission's requests, the British saw the true face of the Qing Empire during their visit to China.
At the outset of their arrival in China, the British mission was suspicious of what they would see along the way. Although Hangzhou, Suzhou, Yangzhou and other places are prosperous on the surface, they have long been decayed inside. They looked down on the equipment of the Qing army at that time, and thought that the knives, bows, arrows and guns held by the Qing army were not worth anything at all.
After arriving in Beijing, the British mission witnessed Qianlong's arrogance. Qianlong not only rejected their request to set up an embassy in China and expand trade, but also revealed the posture of "the upper kingdom of the Celestial Empire" everywhere in his reply, and belittled Britain as a vassal of the Qing Dynasty.
All this allowed the British mission to see the true face of the Qing Empire. They believe that although the Qing Dynasty is strong on the surface, it is rotten on the inside, and it is not worth anything at all.
Macartney, an important figure in the mission, was even more disgusted by the prospects of the Qing Empire. He believed that Qianlong was an incompetent "helmsman", and the Qing Empire was a "giant ship" that was about to sink.
Macartney's view stems from what he saw and heard in Beijing. At that time, in order to give the British mission insight, Qianlong specially asked them to review 2,000 elite soldiers.
However, the equipment of this elite army disappointed Macartney deeply. They wore gorgeous military uniforms, but they were armed with only some backward cold weapons, and there were no firearms as advanced as those in the West.
Macartney believed that this seemingly mighty army was not worth anything in the face of the artillery of Western countries. He even secretly wondered in his heart whether he could conquer this so-called "big country" by force.
In addition to the backward equipment of the army, Macartney also deeply resented some bad habits of the Qing Dynasty. For example, when they arrived in China, Qing officials repeatedly demanded that they must kneel three times and prostrate nine times.
Macartney believed that such a request was undoubtedly an affront to the dignity of the British Empire. In the end, the two sides reluctantly reached a compromise: the British envoys knelt but did not kowtow.
However, in order to preserve the dignity of the Qing Dynasty, some ministers said that the knee joints of foreigners were different from those of Chinese, so they could not kowtow. In Macartney's view, this is undoubtedly a ridiculous act of self-deception.
Taken together, Macartney was desperate for the prospects of the Qing Empire. He believed that if the Qing Dynasty continued to be ruled by such an incompetent "helmsman", its "giant ship" would sink sooner or later.
Therefore, on the way out of China, Macartney said to his entourage: "We can now change the way and directly open the door of the Qing Dynasty." After observation, I think that a few British warships will be able to destroy the Qing Dynasty navy. Moreover, the Qing Dynasty's 'giant ship' has been rotten internally, and as long as an incompetent person is at the helm in the future, it will only sink in the end. ＂
Forty-seven years later, the Opium War broke out, and the Qing Dynasty began to decline
Although Macartney hated the prospects of the Qing Empire, the Qing Dynasty was indeed strong at that time, and Britain did not dare to act rashly for the time being. However, Macartney's words are like a seed, buried deep in the hearts of the British.
Forty-seven years later, in 1839, the seed finally blossomed. An Opium War, later known as "the first in the history of the Eastern Wars," broke out in this year.
The impetus for this war was none other than George Thomas, a young boy who had come to China with the Macartney mission. Forty-seven years earlier, he had witnessed Qianlong's arrogance toward the British mission, and although he was still young at the time, he was deeply impressed by the incident.
Years later, Thomas grew up and became British Foreign Secretary. He has always remembered what happened to him and is determined to regain the dignity of Britain. Therefore, he vigorously advocated a war against the Qing Dynasty and opened the door of China by force.
In 1839, at the instigation of Thomas, the British government ordered a trade blockade against China. Subsequently, the British fleet sailed to Guangdong and launched an artillery bombardment on Pinyan County, Humen.
In this way, the Opium War began. And it was the little boy Thomas who drove this war. An experience 47 years ago led to such a major historical event.
At the beginning of the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty army was defeated and soon fell into a situation of passive beating. The Qing army that Macartney saw was backward in equipment, and it was really worthless in front of British artillery.
In 1842, the Qing Dynasty was forced to sign the Sino-British Treaty of Nanjing, ceding Hong Kong, opening five treaty ports, and paying indemnities. This marked the beginning of the Qing Dynasty's journey from prosperity to decline.
And Qianlong's arrogant reply of 976 words back then undoubtedly laid the root of the bane. If Qianlong had been more modest, perhaps he would not have caused such a catastrophe.
In the following years, the Anglo-French forces invaded Beijing twice, and the Qing Dynasty was defeated one after another. In 1860, the British and French forces burned down the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, dealing a heavy blow to the Qing Dynasty.
It can be said that the outbreak of the Opium War marked the beginning of the Qing Empire's journey from prosperity to decline. And the fuse was Qianlong's arrogant reply of 976 words back then.
If Qianlong had been more modest, perhaps he would not have caused such a catastrophe. But unfortunately, Qianlong's arrogance eventually laid the foundation for the Qing Dynasty, causing it to collapse in the coming decades.
As Macartney said, the "giant ship" of the Qing Dynasty has long been rotten inside. Under the incompetent "helmsman", it finally sank completely in the Opium Wars.