Preface
Emperor Jiaqing, as an emperor in the history of the Qing Dynasty, his governing style was controversial. He was considered more benevolent than Kangxi, more diligent than Yongzheng, and more frugal than Qianlong. However, despite these advantages, Jiaqing is considered a loser.
So, what is the truth? How did Emperor Jiaqing's path to rule go to failure? Let us go into the story of the Jiaqing period to explore the glory and shadow of this emperor.
Crown Prince Miri
On November 13, 1760, Aixin Jueluo Yiyan was born in the spring of the Yuanmingyuan Tiandi, formerly known as Yongyan. As the fifteenth son of Emperor Qianlong, Yan Yan has been taken special care of by the emperor since he was a child. After Qianlong ascended the throne, he secretly appointed Haoyan as the crown prince, which also paved the way for his future accession to the throne.
At the age of 13, he was already proficient in the "Five Classics", and under the guidance of Zhu Qi, his literary brilliance was even more brilliant and exemplary. Qianlong praised this intelligent prince, and when Yan Yan was 17 years old, he officially canonized him as Prince Heshuojia.
Qianlong's attention to Yan Yan can be said to be based on many considerations. On the one hand, as emperor, Qianlong naturally hoped to cultivate a virtuous heir to maintain the rule of the Qing Dynasty. On the other hand, Yan Yan's intelligence and talent also made Qianlong have high hopes for him, hoping that he could become a real Ming monarch.
Under Qianlong's careful cultivation, Yan Yan's talents have been fully developed. He was not only proficient in the classics, but also excelled in literary creation. Qianlong praised this, and in 1795 he officially canonized Yan Yan as the crown prince.
However, even though he has been canonized as the crown prince, Yan Yan can only temporarily live in Yuqing Palace during Qianlong's lifetime, and government affairs are still controlled by Emperor Qianlong. This also brought certain obstacles to Yanyan's pro-government, but he did not give up his ambitions because of this. On the contrary, under the guidance of Qianlong, he continued to learn and accumulate experience, and was fully prepared for his future accession to the throne.
Inner Zen ascended the throne
On February 9, 1796, Emperor Qianlong held a grand ceremony in the Taihe Hall and passed the throne to Yanyan. Emperor Qianlong personally awarded the jade seal of the country and honored himself as the emperor. However, government affairs were still controlled by Emperor Qianlong, and Yan Yan could only temporarily reside in Yuqing Palace.
Under the guidance of Qianlong, Yan Yan began his own path of governing the country. He first appointed the Hitara clan as empress and held a grand banquet at Ningshou Palace. This is undoubtedly an important political signal that Yan Yan has officially ascended the throne and begun his own rule.
At the same time, the imperial court was also dealing with some local unrest, such as the uprising of the king of Miaoyi in Guizhou, and the rebellion of the White Lotus Sect in Sichuan, Hubei and other places. Yan Yan sent ministers Le Bao, Hengrui and others to pacify, and achieved certain results. This not only cemented his dominance, but also demonstrated his talent as a military commander.
Under Qianlong's guidance, Yan Yan gradually mastered the key to governing the country. He had great attainments not only in literature, but also in politics and military affairs. This laid a solid foundation for his future pro-government.
Officially pro-government
On February 7, 1799, Emperor Qianlong died, and Yan Yan officially ascended the throne and began his own pro-government era. His first important move was to kill the traitor and Shen, and to exempt his cronies from their positions and punishments. This is a strong signal that Yan Yan is determined to reform and eliminate evil and uphold righteousness.
There are two main reasons why Yan Yan treats He Shen so decisively. On the one hand, Heshen's long-standing corrupt practices have seriously damaged the reputation of the Qing dynasty and must be punished to demonstrate the justice and determination of the new monarch. On the other hand, the long-term control of the government by He Shen and his henchmen hindered the process of reform, and it must be eliminated in order to pave the way for the reform of Ho Yan.
Next, he was open and honest, advocated frugal living, and attached importance to public opinion, and dealt with some corruption cases, such as the embezzlement of military funds by Bi Yuan, the governor of Huguang. These measures undoubtedly show the determination and courage of Yan Yan as a diligent monarch. He hoped that by rectifying the rule of officials, the people's livelihood would be improved and the people's trust in the government would be strengthened.
At the same time, he did not ignore the problem of local unrest. He sent ministers to quell the uprisings of the White Lotus and Tenri Sects in various places, and maintained social stability. These measures not only strengthened his dominance, but also demonstrated his talent as a military commander.
In general, in the early days of the official pro-government, Yan Yan showed extraordinary statecraft. He not only dared to purge corrupt elements, but also paid attention to public opinion and tried to improve people's livelihood through reforms. This undoubtedly laid a solid foundation for his future reign.
In the middle of the administration
In the middle of his reign, he continued to take a series of measures to deal with the various challenges facing the Qing dynasty. First, he severely limited the power of the eunuchs, no doubt to prevent them from interfering in the affairs of the court.
Eunuchs have long played an important role in the Qing dynasty, but their corrupt practices have also seriously damaged the government's image. Yan Yan realized that the power of the eunuchs must be curbed in order to truly achieve political clarity.
At the same time, he also forbade Westerners to preach and engrave books in China, which showed his rejection and conservative attitude towards foreign cultures. As a feudal dynasty, the Qing dynasty had always been wary of Western culture, fearing that it would shake the foundations of its rule. This move also reflects this conservative thinking.
In terms of foreign relations, he also showed a tough stance. In 1816, he sharply rejected British demands for the establishment of diplomatic relations, the opening of commercial ports, and the cession of islands off the coast of Zhejiang, which exacerbated the contradictions between China and Britain.
As a closed dynasty, the Qing Dynasty had always been wary of Western powers, fearing that they would encroach on their interests. This move by Yan Yan embodies this kind of precautionary mentality.
At the same time, Yan Yan did not relax his suppression of internal turmoil. He went on to send ministers to quell uprisings in various places, such as the 1815 proposal to ban smoking put down by Chiang You-hwan, the governor of Liangguang, and the suppression of the Tenrikyo uprising in 1813. These measures show his determination to maintain social stability.
Overall, in the middle of his reign, he continued to take a series of conservative and hard-line measures in an attempt to deal with the various challenges faced by the Qing dynasty. He not only limited the power of the eunuchs, but also banned the spread of Western culture, while also resorting to the means of suppressing internal unrest. These practices undoubtedly reflected his ideological limitations as a feudal monarch, and also laid the groundwork for the decline of the Qing Dynasty.
Died in his later years
In his later years, Yan Yan's health also began to have problems. On September 2, 1820, he died suddenly at the age of 61 at his summer resort. The sudden death of Yan Yan undoubtedly brought great turmoil to the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
As a diligent monarch, he did make some attempts at reform during his reign in an attempt to improve people's livelihood and maintain social stability. However, his conservative thinking and practices are difficult to adapt to the needs of the changing times.
After the death of Yan Yan, the Qing Dynasty entered an even more turbulent period. His successor, Emperor Daoguang, also tried to carry out some reforms, but in the end it was difficult to stop the Qing Dynasty from declining. This undoubtedly shows that the efforts of a single monarch are far from enough, and only when the entire dynasty can take the initiative to adapt to the changes of the times can it truly achieve long-term development.
epilogue
Looking back on the life of Emperor Jiaqing, we can find that he was indeed a diligent and conservative monarch. During his reign, he actively coped with internal and external troubles, and tried to improve people's livelihood and maintain social stability by rectifying the administration of officials and punishing corruption.
However, his conservative and closed foreign policy was difficult to cope with the challenges of the Western powers, which eventually led to the decline of the Qing Dynasty. We should look at foreign cultures with an open mind and actively absorb the excellent elements in them, instead of blindly rejecting and resisting them.
At the same time, we should also pay attention to public opinion, improve people's livelihood through continuous reforms, and enhance people's trust in the government. Only in this way can we truly achieve the long-term development of the country and avoid repeating the mistakes of the Qing Dynasty.