Preface
Emperor Qianlong's six southern tours seem to be just a luxurious trip to the mountains and rivers, however, there is an important purpose hidden behind it. These six southern tours are not only inspections of the Jiangnan region, but also a game of political power and the practice of people's livelihood management.
Emperor Qianlong brought prosperity and vitality to the Jiangnan region with his own figure, and at the same time strengthened the supervision and control of local officials. What kind of historical story is hidden behind this seemingly leisurely emperor's southern tour? Why is there such a luxury and waste?
Salt merchants donated money to raise huge sums of money
Under the prosperous era, merchants gathered, the most prominent of which was the two Huai salt merchants. They amassed considerable wealth with the help of the salt industry and were of great status. In the fourteenth year of Qianlong, the two Huaiyan political histories were auspiciously played, and they implored the holy driver to tour the south. In the compromise, it was written: "Jiang Province is fortunate to be blessed to allow the southern tour, the surnames are jubilant, and the Huai merchants are doubly cut. The required expenses have been donated for a long time, and their enthusiasm is difficult to complete. "
Surprisingly, the salt merchants actually took the initiative to donate funds to support this grand southern tour. Naturally, there are some hidden motives in this. As the Lianghuai Salt Administration, Jiqing naturally understood that only by gaining the favor of Qianlong could the Lianghuai Salt Merchants continue to maintain their special status and privileges. And Qianlong's southern tour was a great opportunity to win the emperor's favor through generosity.
Subsequently, Jiqing and Huang Tinggui, the governor of Liangjiang, and others agreed on the detailed rules of expenditure: roads, bridges, wharves, etc., were to be paid for by the official treasury, while the repair of palaces and scenic spots was supported by salt merchants' donations, and all expenditures had to be registered separately. In this way, the salt merchants could not only show their wealth, but also establish a good image in front of Qianlong and seek more benefits for themselves.
In this way, the salt merchants came up with a huge sum of up to one million taels of silver, paving the way for the southern tour. This huge amount of money was enough to surprise the people at that time. It can be seen that Qianlong's southern tour is by no means a trivial matter, and it must have a major purpose.
Enjoy the splendid scenery of mountains and rivers
"Six degrees of southern tour, he dreamed of traveling. Qianlong once wrote in a poem. This poem expresses his attachment to Jiangnan. Every time he toured the south, he would bring a painter with him to take in the scenery of the mountains and rivers along the way. After returning to Beijing, he imitated the scenic scenery of the south of the Yangtze River in the Old Summer Palace and the Chengde Summer Resort.
The reason why Qianlong was so keen to visit Jiangnan in person was because of his yearning for beautiful scenery on the one hand, and some political considerations on the other hand. As a Manchu emperor, he was well aware that his ruling position was not precarious, and he needed to consolidate his rule through various means. And the southern tour is an excellent opportunity for him to visit Jiangnan in person, feel the support of the people, and enhance his prestige.
Zhan Garden in Nanjing, Anlan Garden in Haining, Xiaoyoutian Garden in Hangzhou, and Lion Forest in Suzhou, all of which were transplanted into the Old Summer Palace. The ten scenes of "Lei Feng Sunset, Three Pools Printing Moon, and Autumn Moon on Pinghu Lake" of Hangzhou West Lake are reproduced in the Old Summer Palace in the original scenery.
Qianlong had a soft spot for the lion forest in Suzhou, so he rebuilt one in the summer resort. In addition, Zhenjiang Jinshan Temple, Jiaxing Yanyu Tower, Ningbo Tianyi Pavilion and other famous places have also found their shadows in the summer resort.
These imitation activities not only satisfied Qianlong's pursuit of beautiful scenery, but also allowed him to immerse himself in the atmosphere of Jiangnan at all times, thereby enhancing his dominance. After all, being able to pocket all these places is also a kind of show off your dominance.
Military parades and demonstrations to show national strength
In addition to enjoying the beautiful scenery, Qianlong's southern tour also had a purpose, that is, to train the army through military parades and show the people of Jiangnan the great strength of the Qing Dynasty. After all, the Manchus have always attached great importance to mounted archery and advocated bravery. In Qianlong's view, the military parade could demonstrate the military strength of the Manchu rulers, thereby enhancing the people's confidence in the Qing Dynasty.
However, Qianlong's goal did not come true. On the contrary, there were a lot of jokes during the parade. According to Emperor Jiaqing's recollections, at the Hangzhou military parade during Qianlong's last southern tour, there was an incident of "shooting arrows and horses falling to the ground". This complaint was later spread as a joke.
This kind of gaffe greatly dealt a blow to Qianlong's deterrent. As a Manchu emperor, he was supposed to show the excellent horsemanship skills of the Manchus as a way to demonstrate the military strength of the Qing Dynasty. But the reality is that the combat effectiveness of the Manchu army is not as good as before, and it is difficult to master even basic cavalry and archery skills. This is also a major hidden danger of Qianlong's rule.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this realization that Qianlong was so persistent in showing his national strength through the Southern Tour parade. But it turned out to be the opposite, which instead provoked ridicule. This was undoubtedly a major setback for Qianlong's rule, and it also indicated that the future of the Qing Dynasty would face many challenges.
Inspect the project to control the river and flood control
In addition to touring the mountains and rivers, Qianlong's southern tour also had an important purpose, that is, to inspect the control of the Yellow River and the flood control project of the Haitang in Zhejiang. The key projects to solve the flooding of the Yellow River were located in Gaojiayan, Qingkou and Hongze Lake in Jiangsu, so Qianlong had to visit these two places every time he made his southern tour.
As a responsible monarch, Qianlong naturally understood that flood control and river control were crucial to the survival of the country and the people. As the mother river of Chinese civilization, the Yellow River has always been a thorny problem.
Frequent levee bursts and floods have not only brought great disasters to the lives of the people, but also seriously affected the country's economic development. Therefore, Qianlong attached great importance to this issue and hoped to promote the progress of the project and ensure the safety of the people through personal inspections.
At the same time, he also attaches great importance to the seawall project in Zhejiang. According to historical records, four of the six southern tours made a special trip to Zhejiang to inspect the construction of the sea pond. As a coastal province, the construction of sea ponds in Zhejiang is directly related to the livelihood of coastal people. Qianlong knew that only by ensuring the solidity of the sea pond could the coastal people live and work in peace and contentment, thereby enhancing their sense of identity with the Qing Dynasty.
It can be said that Qianlong's emphasis on flood control and river control projects not only reflects his responsibility as a monarch, but also reflects his political considerations to consolidate his rule. By inspecting the project himself, he not only gained first-hand information, but was also able to motivate local officials to speed up the project, thereby winning the support of the people. This is undoubtedly another important purpose of Qianlong's southern tour.
Win people's hearts and reward and punish
However, simply enjoying the beautiful scenery, military demonstrations, and inspecting the construction project were not enough to explain why Qianlong made six southern tours of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. In fact, one of his most important purposes was to win the hearts of the people of the world and consolidate his rule.
As a Manchu emperor, Qianlong was well aware that his dominance was not precarious. Although he has succeeded in propelling the Qing Dynasty to its peak, there are still some hidden dangers. For example, the dissatisfaction of Han scholars with the Manchu rulers, and the resistance of some local forces. Therefore, Qianlong had to take some steps to consolidate his dominance, and the southern tour was an excellent opportunity.
Wherever Qianlong passed, he would receive different degrees of tax reduction and exemption afterwards. This will also make the local people have a favorable impression of the Qing Dynasty, thus strengthening their sense of identity.
At the same time, Qianlong will also reward officials who are driving and running errands, some of them are promoted to knighthoods, and some are restored to their original positions. In this way, not only did the officials be motivated to serve the Qing Dynasty, but they were also able to feel the favor of the emperor and thus become more loyal to the ruler.
For those old ministers who came to visit, Qianlong was even more attentive. He would not only greet the cold and give them precious items such as ginseng and mink, but also reward their children and grandchildren with fame. This was undoubtedly an ingenious means to strengthen the loyalty of the old ministers and to consolidate the foundation of their rule through the fame of their descendants.
On the way to the south, Qianlong also saluted in the Confucian temples in various places, and personally "proposition exams" to inspect literati students. The examination questions he produced got rid of the bad habits of the imperial examination and paid more attention to practical application. Due to the large number of talented people in the south of the Yangtze River, Qianlong ordered an increase in the number of places in Jiangsu, Anhui, and Zhejiang provinces. This can not only cultivate more talents to serve the Qing Dynasty, but also win the support of literati and students.
In addition, in order to promote the development of cultural undertakings in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Qianlong also paid out of his own pocket to have people transcribe the "Siku Quanshu", which was stored in Yangzhou Wenhui Pavilion, Zhenjiang Wenzong Pavilion and Hangzhou Wenlan Pavilion, and allowed students to circulate it freely. This is also a strong support for cultural undertakings, and it can also allow Qianlong to establish a good image among literati and students, thereby strengthening their identification with the Qing Dynasty.
It can be said that the various measures taken by Qianlong during his southern tour were all aimed at winning over the hearts of the people all over the world and consolidating his dominant position. Through various means, he continuously strengthened the loyalty of the people and officials to the Qing Dynasty, thus ensuring the foundation of his rule. This is also another important purpose of Qianlong's southern tour.
Reflect on the past and learn from the pain
The pomp and circumstance of Qianlong's six southern tours are getting bigger and bigger, and the cost is also increasing day by day. In his later years, he finally realized the mistake of the southern tour, and wrote in the "Qing History Manuscript": "I have been the emperor for 60 years, and I think that I have not made any big mistakes, but the six southern tours have cost the people and money, and the good things have been done badly." "
These remarks fully show that Qianlong has learned from the pain and realized the heavy burden brought by the southern tour to the country and the people. As a monarch, he was supposed to work for the well-being of the people, not to put them under a huge financial burden. But in fact, Qianlong's southern tour was the opposite, not only consuming a lot of financial funds, but also bringing a heavy burden to the people.
This change in understanding also reflects some changes in Qianlong's later years. As an emperor who had been so happy with his achievements, he finally realized his mistake and began to reflect on what he had done. Perhaps it is his advanced age that makes him more aware of his mistakes and more sympathetic to the suffering of the people.
However, it was too late, and the Qing Dynasty gradually declined, and later emperors never followed Qianlong's southern tour. This also indicates that the future of the Qing Dynasty will face many challenges. Although Qianlong's southern tour brought a temporary prosperity, it eventually became an important symbol of the decline of the Qing Dynasty.
epilogue
Qianlong's six southern tours of Jiangsu and Zhejiang seem to be extravagant and wasteful, but in fact they hide many purposes. Whether it is to enjoy the beautiful scenery, show the national strength, or inspect the project, win the hearts of the people, or have ulterior motives, all of these will forever become a mystery in the prosperous era of the Qing Dynasty.
The Manchu emperor's southern tour was undoubtedly an important chapter in the history of the Qing Dynasty. It not only reflects Qianlong's personal character characteristics, but also reflects some deep-seated problems of the rulers of the Qing Dynasty.
And Qianlong's final reflection on the southern tour also foreshadowed the various challenges that the Qing Dynasty was about to face. This former prosperous monarch was ultimately unable to stop the decline of the Qing Dynasty.