Emperor Qianlong: Son of Heaven, Man of the World
This new entry in the Longman Library of World Biography series offers an intimate and provocative account of the Manchu emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), one of the world’s great empire-builders, who helped build the foundation of the modern Chinese nation. During the 64 years of Qianlong’s rule, China’s population more than doubled, its territory increased by one-third, its cities flourished, and its manufactures – tea, silk, porcelain – were principal items of international commerce....
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This new entry in the Longman Library of World Biography series offers an intimate and provocative account of the Manchu emperor Qianlong (1711-1799), one of the world’s great empire-builders, who helped build the foundation of the modern Chinese nation. During the 64 years of Qianlong’s rule, China’s population more than doubled, its territory increased by one-third, its cities flourished, and its manufactures – tea, silk, porcelain – were principal items of international commerce. Based on original Chinese and Manchu-language sources, and drawing on the latest scholarship, this is the biography of the man who, in presiding over imperial China’s last golden epoch, created the geographic and demographic framework of modern China. This accessible account describes the personal struggles and public drama surrounding one of the major political figures of the early modern age, with special consideration given to the emperor’s efforts to rise above ethnic divisions and to encompass the political and religious traditions of Han Chinese, Mongols, Tibetans, Turks, and other peoples of his realm. In addition to becoming familiar with one of the most remarkable figures in world history, readers will find that learning about Emperor Qianlong will add greatly to their appreciation of China’s place in the world of the eighteenth century and will deepen their understanding of China’s place in the world today.
Editor's Preface viiiAuthor's Preface ixList of Maps and Illustrations xiii1 Emperor in the Making 1Death of an Emperor 1Rearing a Prince 3Young Hungli 5Destined to Rule 7Favorite Son 92 Qianlong Takes Charge 12The New Emperor 12Overview of the Qing Imperium 13His Father's Legacy 18First Steps 19Experiments with Authority 21The Emperor's Schedule 23Early Successes on the Frontier 25Consolidator or Innovator? 28Finding His Stride 303 Family, Ritual, and Dynastic Rule 34Filial Son 35Qianlong and His Mother 36Married to the Emperor 39Death of an Empress 41More Hair-Cutting 44The Lonely Widower 46All My Children 474 The Dilemma of Manchu Success 50Condemned by Success 50The Jin Precedent 51The Creation of the Manchus 53The Dilemma of the Manchu Occupation 54The Power of Words 56Inventing History 58Taming Shamanic Rites 60Warrior Ways 61Hunting for Real Men 64Protecting the Roots 655 The Peripatetic Sovereign 68The Politics of Touring 68You Can Go Home Again 71The Buddhist Pilgrim 72The Ardent Confucian 76The Southern Tours 786 Building the Empire 86The Warrior King 88The Conquest of the Far West: The First Dzungar Campaign 90The Second Dzungar Campaign 93The Conquest of the Tarim 95The Limits of Empire 97The Qing and Islam 99Inscribing Victory 100Mapping Victory 101The Look of Victory 1027 Renaissance Man 107A Portrait of the Artist 108The Poet 111The Collector 113Possessing the World 116The Patron of Letters 117The Censor 121Intellectual Agendas 1238 Qing China and the World 125Foreign Relations andthe Tribute System 126In His Majesty's Special Service 129Guests from Afar 131All the Tea in China 132The Macartney Mission 134China in the World 1399 Order and Decline in the Late Qianlong Era 143The Later Qianlong Empire 143Qianlong and Tibet 144Population and Economy 146Securing the People's Welfare 149Limits of Authority 151He&sbreve;en and the Perennial Problem of Corruption 153The Center Cannot Hold 157The Final Act 160Conclusion 162Pronunciation Key and Glossary 168Timeline of the Qianlong Era 177Bibliographic Essay 179Index 187
