Dynasties of ChinaQing dynastyQing dynasty lineage
Jiaqing · Reign 1796—1820
After taking office, he killed Heshen and suppressed the White Lotus Sect, trying to rectify the long-standing shortcomings. However, he was unable to maintain success, and Qing Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline.
Yong Yan is the fifteenth son of Emperor Qianlong, and his biological mother is Wei Jia, Queen Xiaoyi Chun. In 1773, Emperor Qianlong secretly established him as the crown prince, and in 1795, he publicly established him as the crown prince. In the first month of the following year, he ascended the throne with an accession following abdication and changed the Yuan Dynasty to Jiaqing. For the next three years, the real power was still in the hands of the Retired Emperor, and He Shen remained in power. When Emperor Qianlong died in 1799, he immediately announced Heshen's twenty major crimes and ordered him to commit suicide. He also issued an edict to open up his voice and try to rectify the government.
During the Jiaqing period, the White Lotus Sect uprising in Sichuan, Chu and Shaanxi took nine years to put down, costing about 200 million taels of silver, and the national treasury turned from profit to loss; pirates were rampant along the southeast coast, and in 1813 the Tianli believers even invaded the Forbidden City. He lived a frugal life and was diligent in government affairs, but his governance was based on adhering to the ancestral system and fundamentally changed the long-standing abuses in the officialdom. He repeatedly applied for an opium ban and expelled the British Amherst mission. In July 1820, Yong Yan died in the summer resort. He was succeeded by the emperor's second son Minning and was buried in Changling.
Yong Yan was diligent and thrifty, killed He Shen, pacified the White Lotus Sect, and tried to reverse the decline in Qianlong's later years. However, he adhered to the ancestral system and lacked the courage to change, so he could only make repairs to official corruption and financial difficulties. Under his rule, population pressure, official corruption and the influx of opium were intertwined, and the trend of Qing dynasty from prosperity to decline was irreversible.
Politicsaccession following abdication
On the first day of the first lunar month, he ascended the throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony following the abdication, and changed the Yuan Dynasty to Jiaqing. Emperor Qianlong coached the government as the Retired Emperor, and the Qianlong era name was still used in the palace. Major military and state affairs were decided by the Retired Emperor, and He Shen still controlled the government.
MilitaryWhite Lotus Sect Uprising in Sichuan and Chu
The White Lotus believers in Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi and other places took the call of "officials to force the people to rebel" and mobilized to fight in the five provinces of Sichuan, Chu, Shaanxi, Henan and Gansu. The Qing government relied on local regiment training and the strategy of strengthening the walls and clearing out the wilderness. It took nine years to pacify it, and it cost about 200 million taels of silver in military expenditures.
PoliticsZhu Heshen
A few days after Emperor Qianlong's death, He Shen was dismissed from his post and imprisoned. He was declared guilty of twenty crimes and ordered to commit suicide half a month later. All his property was confiscated. There is a popular saying among the people that "He Shen fell and Jiaqing was full", but the amount of confiscated homes is often exaggerated.
Lasting legacyHeshen's mansion near Shichahai was later given to Prince Gong Yixin, which is now the King's Palace in Beijing. It is one of the best-preserved palaces of the Qing Dynasty.
PeopleHong Liangji wrote to
Hong Liangji, editor of the Hanlin Academy, wrote a letter outlining the current malpractice and criticizing the emperor's employment and administration. He was sentenced to death and exiled to Ili. The following year there was a severe drought in the capital, and Yong Yan issued an edict to release Hong Liangji to show his acceptance of the remonstrance. It is said that rain fell on the day the edict was issued.
SocietyOpium is strictly prohibited
In view of the increasing import of opium and the spread of opium users from all over the country, a strict ban was issued on the import and cultivation of opium in the mainland. The ban was reiterated many times thereafter. However, due to the bribery and connivance of officials and rampant smuggling, the import of opium continued unabated.
CultureMa Lixun comes to China
Ma Lixun, a British missionary from the London Missionary Society, arrived in Guangzhou and became the first Protestant missionary to come to China. He secretly learned Chinese, translated the entire Bible, and compiled the first Chinese-English and Chinese-English Dictionary.
DiplomacyBritish troops occupy Macau
Britain sent troops to forcefully land in Macau on the grounds of preventing French occupation. Yong Yan ordered a halt to Sino-British trade, mobilized troops for confrontation, and the British troops were forced to withdraw. This was one of the beginnings of Britain's military test against China.
MilitaryDefeating the Southeastern Pirates
The pirate group headed by Cai Qian has been rampant along the southeast coast for more than ten years and has repeatedly invaded Taiwan. In 1809, the Zhejiang and Fujian navies launched a joint attack, and Cai Qian was defeated and sank off the coast of Zhejiang. The following year, Guangdong pirate Zhang Baozai was appeased, and coastal piracy gradually subsided.
SocietyThe Tianli Sect invades the Forbidden City
Lin Qing, the leader of the Tianli Sect, agreed to start an uprising at the same time as Henan Li Wencheng. On September 15, the followers of the eunuchs attacked the Donghua Gate and Xihua Gate of the Forbidden City. They were repelled by the emperor's second son Minning and others, and Lin Qing was arrested and executed. Yong Yan issued an edict to punish himself for this.
Lasting legacyThe arrowheads left during the war are still embedded on the plaque of Longzongmen in the Forbidden City.
DiplomacyExpelling the Amesh Mission
Britain sent Amherst to lead a mission to China, asking for improved trade conditions. Because the envoy refused to perform three kneels and nine kowtows as required by the Qing court, Yong Yan ordered their expulsion. The envoy was unable to meet in person, and Sino-British official exchanges reached a deadlock.
A powerful official in the Qianlong Dynasty, in the early years of Jiaqing, he still controlled the government with the favor of the Retired Emperor. Emperor Qianlong was dismissed from his post and imprisoned after his death. He was sentenced to death for twenty major crimes, ending his more than twenty years of autocratic power.
A native of Yanghu, Jiangsu, he is a scholar and poet. His "Zhiping Chapter" points out that population growth is much faster than the growth of fields and means of subsistence, which is considered to be similar to Malthusian population theory. In 1799, he wrote a letter and was sentenced to exile. He was pardoned the following year.
The Guarjia family was one of the main commanders in suppressing the White Lotus Uprising in Sichuan and Chu. In 1799, he was appointed Minister of Economics and Strategy, controlling the military affairs of Sichuan, Chu, Shaanxi and other provinces, promoting the establishment of strong walls and clearing the country, and granting marquisships for meritorious services.
A native of Daxing, Zhili, he was the leader of the Tianli Sect. He contacted the eunuchs in the palace as internal agents and mobilized the believers to invade the Forbidden City in 1813. After the failure, he was arrested and executed.
A British missionary from the London Missionary Society, he came to China in 1807 and worked as a translator for the East India Company for a long time. He translated the Chinese Bible, compiled the Chinese-English Dictionary, and founded Yinghua College in Malacca. He was one of the pioneers of cultural exchanges between China and the West in modern times.