There were many dynasties in Chinese history, each with its own characteristics, and all of them experienced prosperity and decline. For example, the well-known Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, etc., they were all once the most powerful countries in the world at that time, but they did not escape the fate of being eliminated by time after all, and eventually they all went to extinction. Among them, the prosperous era of Kangqian was the heyday of the Qing Dynasty's national strength, and the mediocrity and extravagance of Qianlong in his later years became one of the signs of the decline of the Qing Dynasty.
1. Qianlong was greedy for pleasure in his later years and self-styled as a perfect old man
Qianlong was the sixth emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the longest-reigning emperor in the history of the Qing Dynasty, reigning for a total of 60 years. In his later years, he became more and more mediocre and more and more fond of enjoying the privileges of the emperor. He also proclaimed himself a perfect old man, which showed that he was unwilling to abdicate his position and accept criticism from others, and this behavior also made him gradually detached from reality and unable to see the real situation of himself and the country.
Second, favor and Shen, which led to the decline of the Qing Dynasty
In Qianlong's later years, his favorite person was He Shen, who was a very cunning and sinister person. He was very good at currying favor with Qianlong and was also very good at talking, so he quickly won Qianlong's favor. Qianlong even questioned other officials because of some of He Shen's suggestions, which also made other officials afraid of He Shen and did not dare to offend him. It was precisely because of He Shen's sowing discord that Qianlong lost trust in other officials, and also allowed He Shen to dominate the court, which also caused problems in the national politics of the Qing Dynasty, and the country became more and more decaying.
Third, the literary prison is serious and the society is uneasy
In Qianlong's later years, he was very sensitive to some objections and minded, so he would take very severe punishment measures against some opponents. This also made the society very unstable at that time, many people were wronged because they were framed, and the atmosphere of the whole society became very bad, and people's hearts began to slowly deviate from morality.
Fourth, the country is closed to the outside, resulting in the backwardness of the country
Qianlong also liked to close himself off from the rest of the world, believing that China was the greatest country in the world, and that other countries were inferior to China, so he did not need to communicate with other countries. It was precisely because of his thinking that the Qing Dynasty began to close itself off from the country, and also missed the opportunity for world development in peacetime, which also made the Qing Dynasty become more and more backward after Qianlong's later years, and became more and more unable to adapt to the development of the outside world.
Fifth, extravagance and waste hastened the fall of the Qing Dynasty
In Qianlong's later years, he was very fond of some luxury goods, and began to live a luxurious life, and he also liked to build a large number of buildings, which caused a big problem in the country's finances. In order to satisfy his desire for luxury, the state had to increase the exploitation of the common people, which also made the people begin to resent the rulers of the time, and also accelerated the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
Qianlong's mediocrity and extravagance did bring great harm to the Qing Dynasty, and also made the Qing Dynasty begin to perish. However, when we reflect, we should not just stay at Qianlong's personal problems, but should think from a deeper level, such as the shortcomings of the feudal dynasty, as well as the influence of the emperor's personal emotions on national politics, etc., so that we can learn the lessons of history and move forward better.