In 1657 AD, at the age of Dingyou, a nationwide imperial examination fraud and punishment action shocked the court and the public. On the 27th day of that month, Emperor Shunzhi issued an order to execute seven officials, including Li Zhenye and Zhang Wupu, who had committed fraud in the Shuntian Township Examination that year, as well as the new imperial examination candidates, and to confiscate their property, parents, brothers, wives, and 108 others, and to migrate to Shangyangbao. However, this was only the beginning.
Mingyuan Building of Nanjing Jiangnan Gongyuan
A month later, another scandal of cheating in the imperial examination broke out at the Jiangnan Gongyuan. In the end, seventeen examiners responsible for the Jiangnan township examination were sentenced to hanging for this matter. The following year, after the Spring Festival, Emperor Shunzhi personally put forward a question and conducted a second round of examinations on the previously successful candidates. Emperor Shunzhi then issued an order to punish the candidates who did not pass the second round of examinations. A total of twenty-two people were disqualified from the examination, twenty-four were suspended from the examination, and eight others, along with their families, were exiled out of prison. This is the most severe cheating punishment since the imperial examination, and the punishment has almost spread throughout the country. Not only did they participate in cheating, but also… The examiners and scholars were sentenced to extreme punishment, and some scholars who did not participate in cheating were also implicated. Their academic achievements were revoked, and their property was confiscated. For scholars, Emperor Shunzhi cherished them, He once disregarded the opposition of the Manchu ministers and appointed Han officials who were proficient in Confucianism. He also personally went to the Imperial Academy to pay homage to Confucius, showing his respect for scholars and making Confucianism a national policy. However, why did he take such extreme measures against scholars? On September 22, 1652, Emperor Shunzhi held a grand ceremony to pay homage to his ancestor Confucius in Taixue, encouraging teachers and students to adhere to the path of the sage, always remember the path of the sage, and use it to guide their actions. Shunzhi’s approach was not accidental, but a significant decision made after careful consideration by the core ruling class of the Qing Dynasty he represented.
This is the ninth year that Manchu nobles settled in the Central Plains. During the period outside the Great Wall, although they had some contact with Han culture, they mainly practiced the traditional customs and habits of Manchuria. After taking control of the Central Plains, facing such a vast country with thousands of years of history and culture, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty quickly realized that if they continued to use Manchu traditional governance, it would not be feasible in many aspects. After a difficult decision, Emperor Shunzhi decided to use the Confucian ideology, which was orthodox in the dynasties of the Central Plains, as the fundamental principle of establishing and governing the country.
In April 1653, half a year after Emperor Shunzhi held a ceremony to pay tribute to Confucius, he issued a decree to the Ministry of Rites, confirming the importance of Confucianism and Taoism as a basic national policy. Emperor Shunzhi believed that in governing the country, emperors should prioritize Confucianism, assist the monarch, and use Confucian classics as the fundamental principle. Only by promoting culture, education, and Confucianism can peace be achieved in the world, because the national policy of valuing Confucianism and Taoism has been highly valued by a group of Han officials who are proficient in Confucianism.
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Yang Yanqiu: The Qing Dynasty was the second ruler of a minority ethnic group in Chinese history. Its establishment had a significant impact on the literati during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In addition to facing a series of social problems like other dynasties, it also faced a significant national issue that needed to be addressed. When it was established, it learned the lesson of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty’s rejection of Han culture and its downfall. Therefore, from the beginning of the Shunzhi Dynasty, it formulated a cultural strategy of promoting culture and education, valuing scriptures and techniques, and promoting peace.
However, appointing Han officials was not an easy decision for Emperor Shunzhi, and it also caused opposition from many Manchu nobles. Even Emperor Shunzhi had doubts about his own decision. In his dying self punishment edict, Emperor Shunzhi listed the failure to adhere to the simple old system and practice Han customs as his first fault. In the early years of Kangxi’s reign, Assistant Minister Ao Bai and others attempted to return to the old Manchu system. However, after Emperor Kangxi personally took office, using Confucianism as a guiding strategy for national governance was once again put on the agenda.
Taiyuan Zhonghua Fushan Garden
Fu Shan, a famous scholar in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, was renowned for his erudition and mastery of Confucianism, Buddhism, and medicine. He also had high attainments in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. In the seventeenth year of Kangxi’s reign, Fu Shan, who lived in seclusion in the mountains, received a notice from local officials requesting him to take the exam in the capital. Not only Fu Shan, but also nearly two hundred scholars from all over the country received the notice. This was not an ordinary imperial examination. He was personally presided over by Emperor Kangxi at the Tiren Pavilion, and the examiners were required to excel in both learning and practice, as well as excellent in writing and lyrics. In addition, he had to be appointed by officials of the third rank or higher in the central government, as well as local governors, governors, and other feudal lords. Recommended by high-ranking officials, Emperor Kangxi hoped to select even more outstanding scholars from these outstanding individuals, who were knowledgeable and talented. For the scholars of that time, Kangxi’s thirst for talent was a magnificent event, Talents and scholars from all over the country attach great importance to this opportunity, and except for a few who consider themselves as Ming Dynasty refugees such as Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu, and Lv Liuliang, most people are willing to go there.
Chen Lianying: From the perspective of the ruling class, they need the elite class to come in and serve them, because they come from a relatively backward ethnic group. They need Chinese culture, but this group of people does not serve you. What should they do? They use certain means to satisfy the intellectuals and make contributions. This is from the perspective of the state to recruit knowledgeable scholars and people, and the state grants them certain official positions and reputations, which is also a form of bribery.
Fu Shan was forcibly carried into the capital by local officials. Although he pretended to be sick to avoid the exam, Emperor Kangxi loved his talents and issued an edict exempting him from the exam and granting him the position of Cabinet Secretary.
Yang Guisheng: After Fu Shan entered Beijing, he did not enter the city. He stayed at a Yuanjue Temple outside Chongwen Gate in Beijing where he had been recuperating from illness. The next year, when he took the exam, Fu Shan still took sick leave and resolutely refused to take the exam hosted by the Qing Dynasty. At that time, his national psychology was strong, so he did not shave his head or leave braids. Therefore, he resolutely became a Taoist because at that time, after becoming a Taoist, he did not need to shave his head or leave braids.
The Confucius Temple Worship Ceremony in Qufu
Sacrificing Confucius is a folk commemorative activity that respects, admires, and commemorates the ancestors. Since Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty, it has become a tradition for the emperor to worship Confucius. During the Qing Dynasty, the emperor’s worship of Confucius became a grand ceremony in the country, and the emperor revered Confucius as the founder of the Great Sage, Wen Xuan. The ritual standards were further improved to include offering sacrifices, laying silk, praying, and offering three times, as well as performing three bows and nine kowtows.
On November 18th, the 23rd year of Kangxi’s reign, on his first southern tour back to Beijing, Kangxi personally visited the Confucius Temple in Qufu and held a grand visit to Confucius. He not only knelt three times and kowtowed nine times in front of the statue of Confucius, but also wrote a plaque for the eternal teacher to show his reverence for the sage. While praising Confucius, Emperor Kangxi also greatly praised Zhu Xi and Neo Confucianism. He believed that Zhu Xi’s annotations and interpretations of Confucian classics were clear, accurate, fair, and impartial, and he was the sage who could provide the greatest help to scholars after Confucius and Mencius. After obtaining the Grand Secretary and Nine Ministers, he was the one who greatly praised Zhu Xi and Neo Confucianism. After receiving his opinions, Kangxi issued an order to elevate Zhu Xi’s status from being one of the Eastern sages in the Confucian Temple to the second highest among the Ten Philosophers in the Dacheng Hall. He also instructed the ministers Xiong Cilu and Li Guangdi, who were proficient in Neo Confucianism, to successively preside over the compilation of Zhu Xi’s theories and classics into the complete book of Zhu Xi, Neo Confucianism became the official philosophy of the Qing Dynasty.
Yuan Lize: Mr. Zhang Taiyan, a famous philosopher during the Republic of China era, had a good argument called “Qing Dynasty Neo Confucianism”. The words of Qing Dynasty Neo Confucianism were exhausted and there was no surplus. What does it mean? Neo Confucianism, as an academic form, was in a process of decline and decline throughout the society of the Qing Dynasty. However, it did not hinder the rulers. They regarded Neo Confucianism as a powerful tool for maintaining its rule. Therefore, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty put a lot of effort into promoting Neo Confucianism, and set an example by doing a lot of explanatory work. Therefore, Neo Confucianism helped the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. It should be said that it played a certain role in implementing its ruling ideology.
Starting from 1749 AD, Emperor Qianlong issued several edicts inviting officials from both inside and outside to recommend those who devoted themselves to studying the classics and establish special subjects for studying the classics. This special subject took two years from recommendation to admission, and after careful selection and strict review, although Emperor Qianlong ultimately only selected four people, it greatly inspired scholars from all over the country. Jiangnan Jing Shi Huidong was even more moved, which was an unprecedented event since the Han, Wei, Six Dynasties, and Tang and Song dynasties.
Nanjing Confucius Temple Ritual and Music Performance
At the top of the stage, there are four plaques inscribed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, each with a golden sound and jade vibration.
The former site of Jiangnan Gongyuan is located in the busiest Confucius Temple scenic area in Nanjing. The scenery on both sides of the Qinhuai River has attracted many tourists, and most of the attractions here are also related to culture. The imperial examination was once the pride of this city, but it still continues to bring endless wealth to future generations.
Emperor Kangxi chose the study of theorems as his official philosophy in order to establish a cultural ethics suitable for the rule of the Qing Dynasty. However, how to make such cultural ethics deeply rooted in people’s hearts and become a part of people’s education has been a question that Emperor Kangxi has been pondering.
It is the Imperial Examination Plaque Museum located in Beijing, which contains a collection that truthfully records the measures taken by Emperor Kangxi to educate the people back then. The Sixteen Provincial Edicts were published in the ninth year of the Kangxi reign. Through the study of Neo Confucianism, Emperor Kangxi realized that governing the country not only required legal prohibitions, but also that educating the people was the top priority. In order to achieve the education of the people and create a good social atmosphere, Emperor Kangxi concretized the cultural policy of respecting Confucianism and valuing the Way into the Sixteen Sacred Edicts, hoping to achieve the goal of promoting morality, probation, and transforming the people into customs.
In order to enable the people to better understand the Holy Edict, officials from various provincial capitals, prefectures, and counties, as well as the educational and political systems responsible for education, have made extensive efforts to explain and popularize the sixteen articles of the Holy Edict, either in the form of illustrations, poems, and ballads, or in the vernacular language directly understood by Baixin, or in combination with legal interpretations.
In September 1698, during Kangxi’s third southern tour, on the post road from Kaiyuan to Shengjing, he met Chen Menglei, a minister who had been exiled by his own decree. Due to the involvement of Geng Jingzhong’s rebellion, Chen Menglei had been exiled in Kaiyuan for 16 years. After receiving news of the emperor’s eastward tour, he applied to the local governor of Kaiyuan and, with the approval of the Shengjing General, presented his poems to the emperor on the post road. Chen Menglei hoped to receive the emperor’s forgiveness and the opportunity to be put back into use by dedicating poems.
Chen Menglei’s dedication of poetry satisfied Emperor Kangxi very much, and he was therefore recalled to the capital to serve his third son Yin Zhi in his studies. In order to repay the emperor, especially the third son’s knowledge of him, Chen Menglei was determined to do something great. This great event was to reclassify ancient and modern classics and compile a book that could promote the governance of the Holy Dynasty. In the 39th year of Kangxi’s reign, Chen Menglei began the compilation of books based on a subset of his family’s collection of classics and histories, and with the support of the third prince Yin Zhi, he was allowed to use the books stored in the royal palace. Classics were collected and funding was provided for him to hire someone to write them in order to complete the book compilation work as soon as possible. Six years later, Chen Menglei completed the compilation of the book, which was tentatively named “Compilation” and was divided into six compilations, thirty-two chapters, six thousand volumes, and about ten thousand volumes, After Emperor Kangxi reviewed the book, he gave it the title of “Integration of Ancient and Modern Books” and specifically opened a library. He ordered Yin Zhi and Chen Menglei to oversee the work, leading 80 personnel to further modify and polish the book, and responsible for printing. The integration of ancient and modern books was finally completed in the fourth year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign. The current complete book includes six compilations, thirty-two classics, and 609 volumes, totaling 10000 volumes. It is not only the largest ancient book in China, but also three or four times larger than the eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and is therefore known as the Kangxi Encyclopedia by foreign scholars. Emperor Yongzheng personally wrote the preface, believing that the book encompasses all rivers and covers everything, and is a collection of various works. The great achievement of the Hundred Schools of Classic History, Emperor Qianlong, and Grand Academician Zhang Tingyu also gave high praise to this book. Although these evaluations were not without praise, the integration of ancient and modern books did provide great convenience for future generations, In fact, the Qing Dynasty paid great attention to searching and compiling books as early as the founding of the country. In March of the 14th year of the Shunzhi reign, Emperor Shunzhi ordered scholars from various provinces to purchase posthumous books. Starting from this, during the Kangxi and Qianlong periods, the activity of searching and compiling posthumous books became more and more active. In addition to classics, history, and political classics, a large number of books such as principles of nature, poetry, rhyme, calendar, mathematics, geography, famous objects, and compilations were also published one after another. Only from the collection of books in the Qing Dynasty, the collection was large, the quality of the books was abundant, and the content was extensive, requiring proofreading. The essence, the quality of books, the high level of carving techniques, the beauty of decoration, and the wide range of utilization all surpass those of various dynasties. It reflects from one side the prosperity of Qing Dynasty culture, political and economic prosperity, and to this day, The two Palace Museums in Beijing and Taipei still hold over 500000 copies of Qing Dynasty books, of which 300000 are stored in the Beijing Palace Museum and 150000 are stored in the Taipei Palace Museum. After the Qing Dynasty took control of the Central Plains, it experienced the cultural and military achievements of the Shunzhi, Kangxi, and Yongzheng dynasties. By the Qianlong period, it had already entered its heyday. In 1741, Emperor Qianlong issued an edict to provincial governors and academic officials to visit the world’s posthumous books. In January 1772, he once again issued an edict to request books, but due to the scarcity of responses, Emperor Qianlong was greatly angered and issued another edict in October to urge them.
Professor Chen Xiaohua from Capital Normal University: Because the literary inquisition was quite prosperous in the early Qing Dynasty, although Qianlong repeatedly issued orders that he would only offend books and not people, it was because your book was flawed, and I would only destroy the book. I am not the most guilty person. You can just offer the book. However, due to the shadow left by the literary inquisition, the people dared not hand over their books. At the same time, these governors could not understand what Qianlong wanted to do. Therefore, without understanding the intentions of their masters, they dared not actively complete this task. Therefore, the work of collecting books at that time was not smooth.
In this situation, Zhu Yun, the political scholar of Anhui, took the lead in responding and put forward four specific opinions on book collection, cataloging, and proofreading. Zhu Yun’s proposal for the Yongle Encyclopedia caused fierce debate among ministers in the court. Finally, Emperor Qianlong gave instructions and basically adopted Zhu Yun’s suggestion. He ordered the compilation of the lost books, those collected from various provinces, and all official engraved books in the Wuying Hall, and called them the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries.
Chen Lianying: From the perspective of Qianlong himself, he had a political purpose, which was to unify his thoughts and organize ancient cultural classics. This idea was proposed in the second half of the 37th year of Qianlong and was quickly echoed by the Qianlong Emperor.
The Complete Library of the Four Treasuries refers to a large team that joined the library since its opening in February 1773. Only the beginning of the book listed the titles of various officials, with 360 people. In fact, the number of participants far exceeded this. According to scholar Guo Bogong’s research, there were 3826 selected personnel for recording only before and after. The Complete Library of the Four Treasuries collected a total of 3461 books, totaling 79309 volumes, with 6793 categories and 93551 volumes. If we add books that were eliminated for various reasons, the number would be even larger. The book is classified into four parts: classics, history, zi, and collections, totaling 44 subcategories. Sixty-six subheadings, in order to distinguish, the cover of the classics is marked in green, the history is marked in red, the subheadings are marked in blue, and the collection is marked in gray.
In December 1781, the first four treasury books were completed. From 1782 to 1784, three more were completed. These four were hidden in the Wenyuan Pavilion of the Forbidden City, the Wenyuan Pavilion of the Old Summer Palace, the Wenjin Pavilion of Chengde Mountain Resort, and the Wenshuo Pavilion of Shengjing, known as the North Four Pavilions. In addition, in order to highlight the beauty and wealth of the country’s book collection and facilitate the scholars in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces to observe and transcribe them closely, Qianlong ordered three more copies to be written, which were stored in the Wenhui Pavilion of Yangzhou Grand Hall, Wenzong Pavilion of Zhenjiang Jinshan Temple, and Wenlan Pavilion of Hangzhou West Lake, becoming the South Three Pavilions.
Chen Lianying: He sorted out this classic Chinese book and compiled a batch of explanatory books, including the Yongle Encyclopedia. Later, he also collected books that were not seen. In a positive sense, many people can see that we are not in the printing era now, and at that time, book circulation was still limited. It can gather the material resources of the country, including this human resource, and should play a positive role in the dissemination of culture.
The book editing activities of the Qing Dynasty had a positive significance in organizing classics and promoting academia. However, this was not the only purpose for which the emperor ordered book editing. On November 13, 1722, Emperor Kangxi passed away, and his fourth son Yin Zhen ascended to the throne with the reign title Yongzheng. When the new emperor ascended the throne, the integration of ancient and modern books compiled by Chen Menglei was in the printing process. That year, Chen Menglei was already 72 years old, and he had spent more than 20 years compiling this book. This work, which condensed his lifelong efforts, was about to be published. Chen Menglei would also complete his gratitude to Emperor Kangxi and his three sons. Yin Zhi had a long cherished wish of receiving blessings, but the final collection of ancient and modern books was not signed with the name Chen Menglei.
Yang Zhen: It can be said that so far, based on the historical materials we have discovered, Chen Menglei is the most deeply involved Han Chinese in this mid to late Kangxi dynasty’s succession. He has taken many actions, such as being with commoners, praying for the throne for the third son of the emperor, and also hosting political banquets for some princes who have a bad relationship with the crown prince. Here, he includes the deposed crown prince Yin Rong, the eldest son Yin Gui, and even the later Emperor Yongzheng, the fourth son of the emperor at that time Yin Zhen.
Originally, after Emperor Yongzheng ascended to the throne, due to political struggles with the three sons of the emperor, he not only excluded Chen Menglei and his disciples from the ancient and modern book collection library, but also sent Chen Menglei and his father and son out of Guanguan again, reappointing Jiang Tingxi and Chen Bangyan as editors and publishers of the ancient and modern book collection. After Jiang Tingxi and Chen Bangyan took over, they corrected the 9621 volumes that had already been printed, corrected typographical errors, re reviewed, printed, and bound the 379 volumes that had not been printed, and changed the records in the original books to classics. In addition, they did not make significant modifications to the ancient and modern book collection that Chen Menglei had already completed. In the era of integrated publishing of ancient and modern books, the newly appointed deputy editor in chief Chen Bangyan was inexplicably removed from his official position by Emperor Yongzheng, and his dismissal was closely related to a poem.
Qian Mingshi, a man from Wujin in the south of the Yangtze River, visited flowers in the 42nd year of Kangxi, the same year as Nian Gengyao for the provincial examination. In the second year of Yongzheng’s reign, Nian Gengyao quelled the rebellion in Qinghai. Qian Mingshi wrote eight poems to congratulate Nian Gengyao. One of them said that the Ding Zhong was famous for his vows to build mountains and rivers, and Fan Zang should publish a second monument. According to Qian Mingshi’s own notes, the meaning of this poem is that the general in led the army to level Xizang, and should carve a monument behind the Kangxi Emperor’s Ping Zang monument. However, Qian Mingshi did not think that this poem used as a reward for singing and answering was for himself It caused a great disaster and humiliated his family for many years.
Chen Xiaohua: Emperor Yongzheng’s method of punishing him is quite interesting. He wrote a plaque for him, which depicts a notorious criminal. It was hung at his doorstep, and all officials who passed by scolded him. He also wrote a poem to reprimand him.
Yuan Lize: So, the famous teachings are actually very clear to us. It is about the principles of propriety and propriety, and he is a sinner. Because you wrote this poem, he wrote it to Nian Gengyao. Later on, what was the charge? It was that he flattered the wicked, because Nian Gengyao himself was a person of great treachery and evil. In the later case of Nian Gengyao, Yongzheng listed about 92 charges for him. Of course, many of them were unfounded. Therefore, the famous teachings of sinners actually mean that you constituted a crime against the principles of propriety and propriety in this feudal society. Therefore, as a scholar, he is not the first to be a scholar. Nian Dang, and secondly, he was not a righteous person against the Qing Dynasty, so he just wrote a few poems, and it should be said that he hoped his career would be more developed. In the end, Yongzheng seized this opportunity and called him a sinner of the Ming Church, So the suppression of the scholars at that time was very frightening.
Emperor Yongzheng also ordered officials of all sizes who came from the imperial examination to write poems criticizing Qian Mingshi’s wrongdoing. Eventually, Yongzheng selected the poems of 385 officials he deemed satisfactory, and ordered Qian Mingshi to spend his own money to publish and print these satirical poems. During this process, some people were severely punished for not meeting the emperor’s requirements in writing poems, such as Wu Xiaodeng, a attendant at the Hanlin Academy. They were sent to Ninggu Pagoda to enslave Chen Bangyan, who was responsible for revising the ancient and modern book collections, as well as his cousin Chen Bangzhi, who was dismissed for criticizing Qian Mingshi’s poems for not passing the standards. Yongzheng Why is it so infuriated by a poem that it causes a great uproar? In fact, what Yongzheng was most worried about was the formation of cliques among officials. He once wrote a special essay on cliques, believing that a gentleman has no friends, but only petty people have them. He hoped that officials and workers would only have the emperor in their hearts, and they would wholeheartedly obey the emperor and never have any other ideas. In order to grasp the ideological trends of officials, the emperor paid attention to their words and actions through various means. Once he found any unfavorable remarks to the court, he took strict measures to suppress them. He searched for passages and quotes from poetry and books, discovered the anti Qing, resistance, non cooperative behavior or emotions of subjects, and even caught the wind and added false charges, thus severely suppressing relevant personnel. This is what the Qing Dynasty did. The literary inquisitions were mainly concentrated in the Kang, Yong, and Qian dynasties, with the Qianlong period being the most frequent. According to incomplete statistics, there were no more than ten literary inquisitions during the Kangxi period and nearly twenty during the Yongzheng period, During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, there were over 130 cases, with an average of more than two per year. Among them, the shocking major cases were the case of Zhuang Tinglong Ming Shi, the case of Dai Mingshi Nanshan Ji, the case of Cha Siting Weimin, the case of Zeng Jing and Lv Liuliang’s poetry and prose, and the case of Zao Jian grinding the poetry and banknotes in the lake, among others.
Chen Xiaohua: By the time we arrived at Gong Zizhen, we already knew that it was in the mid to late Qing Dynasty. Gong Zizhen was still talking about avoiding the literary inquisition and writing books for the sake of rice sorghum. This means that the shadow of this literary inquisition left a deep impression on the people of the Qing Dynasty, and at the same time, some of their thoughts were restricted.
Accompanied by the literary inquisition was a frenzy of banning and destroying books initiated by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. Among them, during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the compilation of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries was particularly rampant, and the collection of banned books under the guise of book repair was another purpose of Emperor Qianlong’s compilation of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries. In August of the 39th year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, the Ming Dynasty ordered the collection of banned books, which lasted until the 58th year. Over the past two decades, a large number of classic books throughout history were either completely destroyed or destroyed, resulting in an unprecedented book catastrophe. According to statistics, the Qing court banned more than 31000 books, more than 151000, and destroyed book boards accounted for 80000. In addition to destroying books and archives, the editors of the Siku Quanshu also systematically tamper with the remaining books and archives, and try to discard and destroy works that reflect ethnic conflicts, oppression, and fighting spirit, For masterpieces that cannot be excluded, they are extensively tampered with.
Chen Lianying: At that time, many books were also destroyed, some say 150000 volumes, but also more than 10000 volumes, which was a large amount. The entire Siku Quanshu was only over 30000 volumes, and he also destroyed tens of thousands of volumes, including some studies that said it was a batch of Ming Dynasty archives, which destroyed more than 10 million pieces. If you think about the entire Ming Dynasty archives, it destroyed a lot, involving some border ethnic minority areas, especially the Northeast region, and the ancestors of the Manchu people. Some issues were prohibited.
Ming History, the last of the twenty-four histories of China, was prepared from the second year after the Qing army entered the country and was finally completed in the fourth year of the Qianlong reign. It took 94 years to compile and almost included the most famous scholar of the first hundred years of the Qing Dynasty, who was knowledgeable and talented. Initially, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty established the Ming History Museum to win over Ming Dynasty officials and increase the emotional support of Han officials.
Yang Yanqiu: At that time, the Qing Dynasty’s political power was actually unstable, and the wars against the Qing Dynasty could be said to be frequent, and the economy was also not good. Therefore, under such conditions, it was actually not suitable to study history. So why did he propose to study Ming history? There is actually a very deep political reason behind this, because the Qing Dynasty dominated the Central Plains with ethnic minorities, and it had a very big problem, which is how to demonstrate the legitimacy of my regime. So, at this time, in the following two years, the Qing Dynasty hastily proposed such a measure to cultivate the history of Ming Dynasty. In fact, it was a need to maintain the ruling regime, to promote and declare to the world that the Ming Dynasty has been destroyed. I am a legitimate dynasty after the Ming Dynasty.
With the continuous progress of the compilation process, more and more Han intellectuals joined in and became staunch supporters and supporters of the Qing Dynasty. At the same time, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty also continuously removed parts that contradicted their own ruling ideas from these intellectuals. A Ming Dynasty history confirms the cultural governance of the first 100 years of the Qing Dynasty and also witnesses the emergence of the literary inquisition due to the promotion of writing over the past 100 years. The mutual use of appeasement and suppression was a strategy adopted by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty towards Han intellectuals, known as the combination of leniency and severity.
The first 150 years of the Qing Dynasty were a process from chaos to governance. During this period, politics, economy, military, society, and culture as a whole showed an upward trend. One important reason for this was that the four emperors Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong attached great importance to the combination of leniency and strictness, in order to strengthen their guidance and control over the vast number of subjects and Han intellectuals, and thus achieve effective rule. However, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty always did not trust the Han people. They detested cliques, had deep doubts about renowned Confucian officials, and even remembered the remnants of the grasslands. On the one hand, they recruited scholars. On the one hand, it suppresses intellectuals by using both gentle and oppressive methods, ultimately achieving the goal of not daring to have a second heart and only using it for my own benefit. This so-called combination of leniency and severity is achieved, Indeed, to a certain extent, it solidified the foundation of the Qing Dynasty and enabled the country to achieve a transition from chaos to governance. However, it was precisely this combination of leniency and severity that led to terrible consequences. During the Qing Dynasty, banned books were confiscated, and literary inquisitions were rampant. This was like a catastrophe for Chinese thought and culture. At that time, scholars were afraid of literary disasters and had to limit their academic thinking to the framework allowed by the court. Knowledge was mostly used for personal protection, but there was a lack of debate and exploration. As a result, the ideological and cultural aspects of the Qing Dynasty tended to be narrow and confined to a certain extent. The times were changing, and the international situation was changing. How to cope with it determined the future fate of the Qing Dynasty.
90 Seconds of History: Passive Self Strengthening
A big fire in the Yuanmingyuan not only burned the royal garden, which is called the Garden of Ten Thousand Gardens, but also made the Qing emperor lose his dignity and live or die. It has become an extremely realistic problem. This is the direct result of the confrontation between the eastern and western civilizations. How to continue the imperious prestige of the Chinese Empire has become the primary issue before the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. It is precisely against this background that the first modernization movement in Chinese history was launched difficultly. This social change, which was called the Westernization Movement by later historians, was encouraged by the Qing emperor with doubts and under the direct leadership of the important officials of the Westernization faction. From top to bottom, gradually advancing, making the country rich and the army strong became the slogan of the national self-improvement movement that lasted more than three decades. Although this passive self-improvement opened the road of China’s modernization, However, the subsequent disastrous defeat of the Sino Japanese War of 1894-1895 declared the complete failure of the Westernization Movement, and at the same time, it also helped more people of insight to carry out more in-depth thinking and exploration of China’s future and destiny.
