Qianlong's heyday? Yi Zhongtian tells you the truth
Teacher Yi Zhongtian once said that although the Qianlong era was the last dynasty in ancient Chinese history, it was like the last glory before the collapse of the imperial system. Whether it is bearing, mind or spirit, it is difficult to compare with the Han and Tang dynasties.
Mr. Yi Zhongtian thinks"Prosperous"This term has been used since ancient times, and it represents the prosperity of the country and the ability of the ruling group to govern at a certain level.
However, it should be noted that the so-called of the ancient feudal society"Prosperous", does not fundamentally change the nature of feudal rule, nor can it eliminate the existence of exploitation and slavery.
It is just a designation relative to times of war or extreme darkness. So, how to define whether an era can be called or not"Prosperous"This? What should we evaluate from what aspects?
To determine whether the reign of a dynasty or emperor was prosperous, there must be significant progress in four aspects: politics, economy, culture, and population. For the Qianlong Emperor, who reigned for 63 years, can we say that he was the last prosperous ruler in Chinese history?
Compared with the world of the same period, can he still be hailed as a world hegemon?
Based on the study of historical books, the reign of Emperor Qianlong undoubtedly pushed the prosperous Kangqian era to its peak. He was considered one of the few emperors in feudal society who was able to understand and take care of merchants.
During the Qianlong period, he was committed to commercial development and implemented many preferential policies and easing policies, which led to the emergence of modern types of financial institutions in Chinese history.
Under his rule, the Qing Dynasty's fiscal revenue increased significantly, from the previous 3,000 to 40 million taels, soared to 81 million taels, and even in the later period of his reign, there could be 60 or 70 million taels per year, which was very rare in the entire feudal history.
Although Qianlong attached great importance to commerce, as a feudal king, he was still deeply influenced by the ideas of small peasants. In his view, "the people are the state, and food is the people", so his support policies for agriculture far exceed those of business.
Although commerce has developed, its ultimate purpose is to serve agriculture.
Qianlong Tongbao: The currency symbol of the Qianlong Dynasty, at the same time, the West was undergoing the first industrial revolution, ushering in an era when machines replaced manual labor, and Britain became the world hegemon.
The birth of the Jenny machine and its inventor, Hargreaves, are in stark contrast to the "dream of a great power" of the Qianlong Emperor at that time. He thinks he is the center of the world, but he doesn't know that behind this "Qianlong prosperous era", there is endless hunger and poverty.
In the 5,000-year history of China, Emperor Qianlong was undoubtedly a master of playing with the emperor's mind, and he strengthened the monarchism and perfected the military department, which was a significant feature of his rule.
Qianlong enjoyed the most control, his court often staged intrigue and intrigues, Ortai and Zhang Tingyu two factions fought constantly, in the middle and late period, the Shen family was dominant, and the court once fell into chaos.
At the same time, Washington was fighting the Revolutionary War in North America, and a new American state was emerging.
In the fifty-fourth year of the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the United States won the War of Independence, and the monarch ** ended in the West. Although Emperor Qianlong came into contact with the globe and learned a lot of novel Western things, he still clung to his own ** rule and pretended to be ignorant.
The proudest achievement of Qianlong Ye in his life was to double the population of the Qing Dynasty. However, the rapid population growth also exposed the limitations of the small-scale peasant economy, and the low productivity made life difficult for the Qing people, some of whom were even forced to sell their sons and daughters, and even cannibalism.
During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, faced with a growing population, he began to focus on how to stabilize social order. He proposed the famous 33 Liang ** policy, which aimed to stabilize society and maintain the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
Emperor Qianlong believed that social vitality and spirit were the greatest threat to the rule of the Qing Dynasty, so he implemented the most rigorous, perfect, and stable ** rule in Chinese history, which lasted for more than 60 years.
He proudly called it "Cage Rule." As the pinnacle of the prosperous Kangqian Dynasty, the Qianlong Dynasty's military achievements should not be ignored. A series of wars, such as the Battle of Jinchuan, the Battle of Dzungaria, and the Battle of Gorkha, played a positive role in laying the map of China.
These military achievements further strengthened Emperor Qianlong's pursuit of social stability and made him more handy in consolidating the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
In the Great and Small Jinchuan Battles, Qianlong did not rely solely on broadswords and spears, and his army was equipped with many sophisticated firearms, such as bird guns and red-coated cannons. However, these ** technologies have lagged far behind the world, and some are even products of the last century.
In contrast, rifle technology in Europe had already advanced significantly during the same period, especially with the advent of flintlock pistols, which turned the entire military history upside down.
During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, Qing society reached the peak of feudal society, but because of its complacency and lack of innovation, it quickly lagged behind the rest of the world, which became the main reason for being bullied.
As Lü Simian said, the decline of the Qing Dynasty began during the Qianlong period. It is important to note that this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute any investment advice. If copyright issues are involved, please contact the author within 30 days.