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Qianlong Emperor

Sixth Qing emperor, of the Qianlong reign, who conquered the Dzungars and the Tarim oases, commissioned the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, and abdicated after sixty years

Also known as Qianlong Di · Qing Gaozong · Shiquan Laoren · Ai Xin Jue Luo · Hong Li

Hongli, fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, was made Prince Bao in 1733 and took the throne in 1735, reigning from the following year as the Qianlong Emperor. Between 1755 and 1759 his armies destroyed the Dzungar state and put down the Khoja brothers, bringing the lands north and south of the Tianshan under Qing rule, later supervised by the General of Ili. He made six southern tours, fought two wars in Jinchuan, and in old age wrote an account of his Ten Complete Victories and called himself the Old Man of the Ten Completions. In 1773 he opened the office that compiled the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries (Siku quanshu), whose first set was finished in 1782, while the same search for books led to the banning and burning of many others. In 1793 he refused the trade requests of Lord Macartney's embassy. He abdicated in 1796 but kept control as retired emperor until his death in 1799, receiving the temple name Gaozong and burial at Yuling.

Life and times

  1. 1711 CEBornQing
  2. 1681High Qing EraTook partAcross the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong reigns, fiscal reform and cultivation supported growth while mounting population and governance pressures accumulated.
    1. Mulan Hunt and Chengde Mountain ResortEmperor Kangxi founded the Mulan Autumn Hunt and imperial Mountain Resort at Chengde in 1703 CE, bonding with Mongolian and Tibetan princes.
  3. 1755Pacification of DzungarTook partage 44Qing armies defeated the Dzungar Khanate and incorporated Ili and the Tarim region into new military and administrative frontier systems.
    1. Geden Stele Records Dzungar VictoryAfter the 1755 Geden campaign, Qianlong commissioned the Geden Victory Stele to record the Qing military success in multilingual inscriptions.
    2. Qing Armies Defeat Dzungars at IliQing expeditionary forces secured the Ili Valley, pacifying Dzungaria and raising the famous imperial victory stele on Mount Geden.
  4. 1773Compilation of Siku QuanshuTook partage 62Compiled over eleven years under the Qianlong emperor, the Siku Quanshu assembled 3,503 works in 79,337 juan as a vast imperially sponsored collection.
    1. Ji Xiaolan Compiles the Siku Quanshu1772age 61Under Emperor Qianlong, chief editor Ji Xiaolan compiled the imperial Siku Quanshu encyclopedia comprising 3,500 titles housed in seven palace libraries.
  5. 1799 CEDied

Works

  1. Literature · Prose9
    1. Complete Library of the Four TreasuriesQingQianlong Emperor's vast collectanea edited by Ji Yun: over 3,400 works in four divisions
    2. Essence of Tang and Song Poetry (Imperially Selected)QingQianlong Emperor's 47-juan selection of six Tang and Song poets, from Li Bai to Lu You
    3. Record of the Submission of the Whole Torghut NationQingQianlong Emperor's 1771 stele text in four scripts on the Torghuts' return from the Volga
    4. Complete Library of the Four Treasuries: Imperial Edict of the Fourth Day of the First Month, 1772Qing
    5. Complete Library of the Four Treasuries: ClassicsQing
    6. +4 more
      1. Complete Library of the Four Treasuries: HistoriesQing
      2. Complete Library of the Four Treasuries: MastersQing
      3. Complete Library of the Four Treasuries: CollectionsQing
      4. Essence of Tang and Song Poetry (Imperially Selected): Imperial Preface to the Essence of Tang and Song PoetryQing
  2. Literature · Sayings9
    1. Gathering and Storing Everything of UseQingIdiom from Han Yu's Explication of Advancing in Learning: the good physician keeps everything
    2. Fortify the Walls, Strip the Fields: Qianlong and the Torghut ReturnQingIdiom from Qianlong's Torghut record: hold the walls, leave nothing in the fields
    3. Granted by Heaven, Embraced by the People: The Torghut Come HomeQingIdiom from Qianlong's record of the Torghut return: Heaven's gift and the people's loyalty
    4. Ever Present in One's ThoughtsQingIdiom from the Book of Documents: what one cherishes is always in one's mind
    5. Knowing When to Stop Averts Danger: Qianlong on the Torghut ReturnQingIdiom in Qianlong's record of the Torghut return, from Laozi: stop in time, avoid peril
    6. +4 more
      1. Contentment Keeps Disgrace Away: Laozi's Maxim and the Torghut SteleQingIdiom in Qianlong's Torghut stele, from Laozi: contentment spares one disgrace
      2. Studying Antiquity and Honouring Letters: Qianlong's Book EdictQingFamous line from Qianlong's 1772 edict on collecting books: honour antiquity and letters
      3. No Ground to Advance or RetreatQingIdiom in the Qianlong Emperor's record of the Torghut return: caught with nowhere to go
      4. Coming to Pass Unlooked ForQingIdiom used by the Qianlong Emperor on the Torghuts' return: what comes about unsought
  3. Treasures · Brushwork1
    1. Qianlong Emperor, Record of the Wenyuan PavilionQing dynastyQianlong on the library he built

Family tree

  1. Direct kin
    Yongzheng Emperor
    Father
    Empress Xiaoshengxian
    Mother
    Qianlong Emperor
    Wife
    Empress Xiaoxianchun
    Consort
    Consort Ling
    Son
    Jiaqing Emperor
  2. Other kin1
    1. Yi KuangGreat-grandson · 1838 CE–1917 CE

Connections

  1. Shared events4
    1. Kangxi Emperor1654 CE–1722 CE
    2. Ji Yun (Ji Xiaolan)1724 CE–1805 CE
    3. Wang Niansun1744 CE–1832 CE
    4. Dai Zhen1724 CE–1777 CE
  2. Rulers and officials2
    1. Ubashi KhanKhan who returned and submitted · 1744 CE–1774 CE
    2. Lang ShiningCourt Painter · 1688 CE–1766 CE