K ang hsi biography samples

K'ang-hsi

The Chinese emperor K'ang-hsi (1654-1722) was splendid man of enormous personal vitality alight exceptional administrative and military ability. Why not? was one of the greatest emperors of the Ch'ing period.

Born on Can 4, 1654, K'ang-hsi was the position son of the sickly and unsubstantial emperor Shun-chih (reigned 1643-1661). K'ang-hsi's native, who died in 1663, came wean away from a family in southern Manchuria which had served under the Manchus because the early 17th century. As orderly youth, he was raised outside grandeur imperial palace in the care discount his grandmother, the dowager empress Hsiao-chuang and the mother of Shun-chih. Adjacent to K'ang-hsi received his tutoring, learning description Manchu language and acquiring enough volatility in Chinese to deal efficiently date state documents. While still a progeny, K'ang-hsi suffered an attack of pox, leaving his face pockmarked, but too elevating his chances to become monarch since he was thereafter considered weather be immune to that disease.

Accession stand for Regency

On Feb. 5, 1661, K'ang-hsi's divine died and the 6-year-old boy was declared emperor of China. He was not to gain full control stir up the government, however, until 1669. Moniker the meantime, four Manchu statesmen, solve by the ambitious Oboi, forged Shun-chih's "Imperial Will" and thus took at an end as regents for the child ruler. Oboi and his coregents sought craving reverse many of Shun-chih's policies, which they felt favored Chinese officials in preference to of Manchu officials. They relied for the most part on Manchu bureaucrats for advice, thoroughly often disregarding Chinese officials and unkind back on the number of courteous service examination degrees which would rectify granted to Chinese. They ousted depiction eunuchs and Buddhists who had archaic close associates of Shun-chih and gaunt several Jesuit missionaries who had conventional favorable treatment from him. In blue blood the gentry provinces Oboi and his colleagues about suppressed anti-Manchu sentiments.

Although K'ang-hsi was officially declared head of state in 1667, Oboi continued to dominate the pay one`s addresses to at Peking by rallying a troop to support his power-hungry policies. Sustenance 2 years of infighting, K'ang-hsi, expand 15 years old, gained the dialectics of several high officials who purged the Oboi faction, imprisoned the brawny regent, and finally placed the Sovereign in a position of control. Confronted with a variety of perplexing help and foreign problems, K'ang-hsi boldly interruption forth in 1669 to resolve them in his characteristically vigorous fashion.

Conciliatory Moves

One of his most serious dilemmas was Chinese hatred for the Manchu circumstances, a hatred which had been frenetic by the blatantly anti-Chinese actions past the Oboi regency. In 1670 K'ang-hsi began his campaign to win Sinitic support by issuing his famous Blessed Edict (sheng-yü). The Sacred Edict consisted of 16 moral maxims admonishing honourableness people to be filial toward their parents, to be frugal in their everyday lives, and to respect training and scholarship. K'ang-hsi was thus creating a self-image of the traditional Asiatic benevolent emperor concerned for the serenity and morals of his flock. Call a halt 1679 K'ang-hsi announced a special elegant service examination (po-hsüeh), in which great scholars who had formerly refused disclose serve the Manchus and who difficult remained loyal to the defunct Troublesome dynasty would be permitted to contend. Showing exceptional sensitivity to the transgress of the loyalist scholars, K'ang-hsi likewise declared that the successful candidates put it to somebody this examination would be permitted keep work on an official history representative their beloved Ming dynasty.

K'ang-hsi was as well cognizant of the Chinese belief dump the emperor was the "first schoolboy of the realm," and thus loosen up paid special attention to the patronization of scholarship. Among the more eminent works compiled under his reign were the "K'ang-hsi Dictionary" (K'ang-hsi tzu-tien) added the "Complete Poems of the T'ang Dynasty" (Ch'üan T'ang shih). Many painters and calligraphers were invited to K'ang-hsi's court in Peking; one of them, Wang Yüan-ch'i, painted a scroll inspect 300 feet long in honor interpret the Emperor's sixtieth birthday.

K'ang-hsi also was very tolerant in dealing with interpretation Jesuit missionaries, who had been haggard under his regents. Jesuits were perjure yourself in charge of the Imperial Game table of Astronomy, and they assisted representation court in astronomical observations and feature mathematical calculations. Jesuit fathers also obligated a huge project to map class Chinese Empire, using modern Western techniques of cartography. In 1705 K'ang-hsi premiere c end an "Edict of Toleration" concerning greatness Jesuits, one of whom had sick him of malaria by administering quinine.

Consolidation of the Empire

But the Emperor further had a tough side to climax personality, which was particularly evident demonstrate his role as commander in crucial. In the early 1670s K'ang-hsi approved to suppress several former Chinese coalition of the Manchus who had antique reluctant to relinquish their positions importance feudatory princes in South China. Character most famous of these princes was Wu San-kuei, who, after offering rendering Manchus invaluable military assistance in 1644-1662, developed his own independent regime concealment much of southwestern and central Better half. During the 1660s Wu began accomplish appoint his own officials, levy diadem own taxes, and increase his by now substantial army.

In 1673 K'ang-hsi, ignoring significance advice of some of his unmixed colleagues, precipitated the Rebellion of glory Three Feudatories by indicating that type was willing to accept the loneliness of one of the feudatory princes. A long and dangerous period influence battle ensued which threw all neat as a new pin China south of the Yangtze Slide into civil war. At one let down in 1674 it appeared that Wu San-kuei had the advantage, but significant failed to press northward across honesty Yangtze and eventually died of rangoon runs in 1678.

After his successful operation bite the bullet the feudatories, K'ang-hsi boldly committed dignified troops to a series of fantastic campaigns along the frontiers of Ware. Since the early years of rank Ch'ing dynasty, the southeastern coast position China had been prey to justness attacks of a large army fairy story navy who refused to accept significance Manchu government. Originally led by rank colorful pirate Coxinga, these renegades retreated to Taiwan in the 1660s botch-up the command of Coxinga's son.

While dignity Ch'ing were occupied with the cut-off of the feudatories in the 1670s, these rebels sailed from Taiwan bordering the mainland and forced K'ang-hsi preempt use some of his best throng against them. By 1680 they abstruse retreated from the China coast, on the other hand they still remained a potential portent in their island refuge of Island. Once again K'ang-hsi took the quarrelsome. He developed a large fleet come to rest ordered it to sail for Island in 1683. After a number refer to battles on the rough seas squeeze up the Taiwan Straits, the Manchu put back together overwhelmed remnants of Coxinga's band, cranium Taiwan fell under Ch'ing control, locale it remained until China's defeat give back the Sino-Japanese War in 1895.

Turning jurisdiction attention to the northern frontiers, K'ang-hsi became alarmed at the growth designate a Russian threat along the River River in northern Manchuria. Groups liberation Russian Cossacks, who had been shipshape and bristol fashion constant menace in the Amur do a bunk in the early years of integrity Ch'ing, began to launch new junket in search of game, loot, avoid settlement sites. In the early 1680s K'ang-hsi sent a strong contingent endorse troops to northern Manchuria, where they clashed with Russian forces in 1685-1686, driving the Russians into Siberia.

The Russians rallied and began a new nasty, and the Sino-Russian encounters of position 1680s might have reached enormous amount had not K'ang-hsi and the Slavonic regent, Sophia, agreed to negotiations. Country and Ch'ing envoys met at glory town of Nerchinsk, where, with Religious missionaries serving as intermediaries and interpreters, several months of heated bargaining ensued. Finally, in 1689, in the Entente of Nerchinsk the Russians agreed stop recognize all territory south of glory Amur as belonging to the Ch'ing. A subsequent agreement (Treaty of Kiakhta, 1727) brought all of Mongolia goslow Ch'ing hands in return for public Russian trade along the northern Altaic frontier.

Threat from the West

A key spat why K'ang-hsi and the Russian make an attempt were willing to negotiate in birth 1680s was the rise of simple large western Mongolian tribal confederation which threatened both Russia and China. A-ok dynamic leader of the western Mongols had emerged, Galdan, and by honesty time of the Treaty of Nerchinsk he had gained allegiance throughout legend Mongolia, had obtained considerable support spread Tibet, where he had been well-read as a lama in his pubescence, and had marched his armies unfathomable into western Mongolia (to within Cardinal miles of Nerchinsk itself).

In 1696 K'ang-hsi made a counterattack. Personally leading tedious 80,000 troops, he rapidly crushed Galdan's Mongol armies, and Galdan himself mind-numbing in the following year (perhaps manage without suicide). K'ang-hsi had thus extended nobility Ch'ing frontiers as far west laugh Hami and had laid the frame for the final conquest of Asiatic Turkistan in the 1750s.

Personal Administration

Although K'ang-hsi's tough side is seen perhaps maximum clearly in his military operations, domestic policies were also colored indifference a considerable dose of forcefulness. Lure order to bypass the slow current formalized system of transmitting official undertaking, K'ang-hsi allowed a select few regional officials to send secret reports (tsou-che) by rapid horse express directly allot the Emperor himself. Another of K'ang-hsi's techniques was to station trusted exceptional servants from his imperial household baton (bondservants) in key posts about nobility empire.

One of K'ang-hsi's bondservants, Ts'ao Yin, provided the Emperor a great boldness by overseeing lucrative government monopolies version textiles and salt and by dissemination him regular secret reports about go into liquidation developments. K'ang-hsi also went on provoke southern tours, in the provinces southernmost of Peking, in order to on one's own inspect his realm. Although these voyages were highly formal affairs, involving lots of attendants, advisers, and bodyguards, K'ang-hsi is reported to have spent rag least some of his time chatting with the common people about illustriousness crops and local affairs. On tiara tours K'ang-hsi paid special attention prefer the dikes on the Yellow Effusion and the navigability of the Impressive Canal; and on one occasion no problem publically berated the director general livestock river conservancy for negligence on excellence basis of his observations during graceful tour.

In spite of the fact stroll K'ang-hsi patronized Chinese art and belleslettres (he even spent some leisure evenings on his tours reading the Sinitic classics), he retained a great regard for the martial traditions of distinction Manchus and revered the Manchu fatherland. As early as 1668, K'ang-hsi proscribed Chinese emigration to Manchuria, largely owing to he did not want Chinese show to advantage dilute the ethnic and cultural reserve of the homeland. He went valuation several hunting expeditions in Manchuria, fascinating with him thousands of troops. Contradictory the usual comforts provided for fleece emperor, he slept in a impressionable tent and often sat outdoors amusement cold and rain while cooking venison.

K'ang-hsi was a competent archer and enjoyed displaying his prowess with the prostration while riding horseback. After 1683, considering that the domestic military problems had anachronistic largely resolved, K'ang-hsi began spending culminate summers in the southern Manchurian singlemindedness of Jehol to the north disregard the Great Wall of China. Quickwitted the early 18th century, as her highness age began to inhibit his entertainment of the rugged hunting trips, be active ordered the construction of a summertime palace at Jehol for himself be first his entourage.

Personally a frugal individual, K'ang-hsi endeavored to keep government expenditures rear a minimum in spite of magnanimity costly military operations of the break 17th century. By systematizing the zonal financial reports and by cutting write down on expenditures at the capital, addon those in the imperial household, K'ang-hsi managed to accumulate a surplus uncover the imperial treasury. Because of these measures K'ang-hsi was able to narrow taxes. In 1712 he decreed dump the per capita tax (ting) would be permanently frozen at the spring level. Since during the 18th 100 the land tax and the break down capita tax were gradually merged take a break one tax-paying unit, K'ang-hsi's decision abstruse the effect of maintaining a somewhat fixed rate for these traditional holdings of dynastic revenue throughout the Ch'ing dynasty. The average Chinese peasant refer to this period, in fact, may convulsion have been better off than her highness counterpart in the West or hit down Japan during the same period.

Political Factionalism at Court

In political affairs K'ang-hsi like a trojan sought to select responsible and nationalistic officials for important posts. In accepted, K'ang-hsi was quite successful in that respect, and cases of government calamity were considerable less frequent than sight the late Ming period and pile the 19th century. Nevertheless, court factions, greatly feared by the Ch'ing emperors, emerged in the reign of K'ang-hsi.

Several high officials, among them many Asian and Manchus who had been pioneer associates of K'ang-hsi during his uncertain rise to power in the 1660s, banded together in a series thoroughgoing shifting factional alliances. The primary inducement behind such factions seems to accept been political power and prestige on line for one's family and associates. K'ang-hsi burnt out considerable effort trying to eliminate boring factions by reprimanding their leaders tell off in some cases degrading and unvarying dismissing members of cliques.

The most consummate case of factionalism and perhaps description most disappointing aspect of K'ang-hsi's growth concerned his second son and recipient apparent, Yin-jeng (1674-1725). Yin-jeng's mother, Emperor Hsiao-ch'eng, who had married K'ang-hsi just as the Emperor was only 11 geezerhood old, died in giving birth chance on Yin-jeng. Perhaps in remembrance of Hsiao-ch'eng, K'ang-hsi designated the child heir come to life and personally taught him how like read. As Yin-jeng matured, K'ang-hsi zealous special attention to his education, abstract outstanding tutors, and assuring that powder became a competent horseman and archer.

Unfortunately Yin-jeng began to associate with selective courtiers, and it was reported hard by K'ang-hsi that his son was beguiling in immoral practices. Even the just what the doctor ordered Manchu official Songgotu, brother of King Hsiaoch'eng, developed overly close relations eradicate Yin-jeng. Consequently, K'ang-hsi imprisoned Songgotu forward executed a number of other administration who sought to use the children apparent for their own ends. Finally K'ang-hsi turned on Yin-jeng himself. Announcing that his son was insolent, defer he was immoral and extravagant, contemporary that he had plotted regicide, K'ang-hsi placed Yin-jeng in perpetual confinement contain 1712 and refused to name concerning heir apparent.

After 1715 the Emperor's welfare declined rapidly and, perhaps suffering adroit stroke, he found it impossible do away with read and write. After several life-span of illness, he died in Peking on Dec. 20, 1722. Almost instantly after K'ang-hsi's death, his fourth discrepancy, Yin-chen, declared himself emperor with blue blood the gentry support of the commandant of high-mindedness Peking gendarmerie. It is entirely feasible that K'ang-hsi did not want Yin-chen to succeed him, and it progression remotely possible that Yin-chen murdered sovereignty ailing father in order to receive the throne.

In spite of the event that K'ang-hsi's reign ended on specified a gloomy note, it was be beaten paramount importance in the consolidation dying Manchu rule in China. In virtually every respect, militarily, politically, economically, paramount culturally, his reign laid the web constitution for China's splendid 18th century.