Dynasties of ChinaQing dynastyQing dynasty lineage
Daoguang · Reign 1820—1850
Known for his frugality, he was determined to ban smoking but was defeated in the Opium War. He signed the Treaty of Nanjing, which marked the beginning of modern Chinese history.
Minning is the second son of Emperor Jiaqing, and his biological mother is Empress Xiao Shurui, Xitala. In 1813, the Tianli believers invaded the Forbidden City. He killed the believers with a shotgun and was awarded the title of Prince Zhi for his merits. In 1820, Emperor Jiaqing died suddenly at his summer resort. The ministers found the secret box that secretly established the throne. Minning immediately succeeded to the throne and changed his reign to Daoguang the following year.
Minning was famous for his frugality and was said to often wear patched clothes. He also set out to reform water transportation and salt laws, and put down the Zhanggar rebellion in Xinjiang. But at this time, opium smuggling was rampant, silver was flowing out in large quantities, silver was expensive and money was cheap, and finances and people's livelihood were increasingly in embarrassment. In 1838, he was determined to strictly ban opium and sent Lin Zexu as the imperial envoy to Guangdong to ban it. After the opium eradication in Humen in 1839, the British used this as an excuse to launch the Opium War the following year. He repeatedly vacillated between war and war, deposing Lin Zexu and Qi Shan successively, and the Qing army retreated one after another.
In 1842, the Qing government was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing, China's first unequal treaty in modern times, ceding Hong Kong Island and opening five ports to trade. After that, it signed contracts with the United States and France, and lost its consular jurisdiction and one-sided most-favored-nation status. After the war, he did not implement reforms, and the government was controlled by Mu Zhanga and others as usual. In the first month of 1850, Minning died in the Old Summer Palace. He left the emperor's fourth son, Yi Chi, as the Crown Prince, and at the same time named the emperor's sixth son, Yi Xin, as the prince.
Min Ning was diligent and thrifty, and made some reforms in water transportation and salt law, but he was narrow-minded and indecisive. Faced with the proliferation of opium and the impact of Western industrial powers, although he was determined to ban smoking, he was ignorant of the enemy's situation. During the war, the battle was uncertain and the recruitment of personnel was repeated. He was eventually defeated and signed a contract, which started the humiliating history of ceding territory and paying compensation in modern China. After the war, he still stuck to the old system and missed the opportunity for change.
PeoplePrince Zhi
When the Tianli believers invaded the Forbidden City, Minning, the second son of the emperor, who was studying in the study, killed two believers with a shotgun and led the crowd to defend. Afterwards, he was named Prince Zhi by Emperor Jiaqing and was highly valued.
EconomyGrain and sea transportation
The canal was silted up and water transportation was blocked. Under the leadership of Ying He, Tao Shu and others, Jiangsu Caoliang was transported from Shanghai to Tianjin by sea for the first time using private sand ships, saving time and money. However, due to opposition from water transport officials, sea transport was temporarily suspended.
MilitaryPut down Zhang Geer's rebellion
Zhang Geer, a descendant of Dahezhuo, invaded southern Xinjiang with the support of Haokand and captured Kashgar and other four western cities. Min Ning sent Chang Ling, Yang Yuchun, and Yang Fang to lead a counterattack and recaptured the four cities in 1827. The following year, Zhang Geer was captured and escorted to Beijing for execution.
EconomyPromote vote salt method
Tao Shu, the governor of Liangjiang, abolished the hereditary monopoly system of merchants in the Huaibei Salt District and introduced the Salt Invoice Law, allowing merchants to freely transport and sell salt after paying taxes and collecting invoices. Salt prices fell, private salt decreased, and salt tax revenue increased.
PoliticsDetermined to strictly ban opium
There was a dispute between relaxed and strict prohibitions in the DPRK. Lin Zexu reported that smoking would no longer be banned. After several decades, "the Central Plains would have few soldiers to defend the enemy, and no money to pay for it." Min Ning then decided to strictly prohibit smoking and appointed Lin Zexu as the imperial minister to go to Guangdong to investigate.
SocietyHumen destroys cigarettes
After Lin Zexu arrived in Guangzhou, he forced the British and American cigarette dealers to hand over more than 2.37 million kilograms of opium. Starting from June 3, he dug a pond at Humen Beach, soaked it in seawater and added lime to destroy it, which lasted for 23 days.
Lasting legacyThe Opium War Museum is built next to the former site of the Humen Opium Killing Pond in Dongguan. It is often said that International Anti-Drug Day (June 26) originated from the cigarette ban in Humen, but in fact it was taken from the closing day of the 1987 United Nations Vienna Anti-Drug Conference.
CultureCompile "Four Continents"
Lin Zexu organized people in Guangzhou to translate foreign books and newspapers, and compiled the "Encyclopedia of World Geography" by British Murray Murray into "Four Continents", which introduced the geography, history and political situation of various countries in the world. It was the earliest work in modern China to systematically introduce world geography.
MilitaryThe Opium War broke out
The British Parliament approved military expenditures against China, and the British army blocked the Pearl River Estuary, marched north to capture Dinghai, and advanced to Dagukou, Tianjin. Min Ning was frightened and sued for peace. He dismissed Lin Zexu and sent Qi Shan to Guangdong for negotiations. The following year, the British army captured the Humen Fort, and Navy Admiral Guan Tianpei died in the battle.
SocietySanyuanli Anti-British
The British army looted the Sanyuanli area in the northern suburbs of Guangzhou, which inspired the local people to organize themselves and united with more than a hundred people from surrounding villages to surround the British army, forcing them to retreat in disgrace. This is a famous event in modern times when the Chinese people spontaneously resisted foreign aggression.
Lasting legacyThere is the People's Monument to the Anti-British Martyrs in Sanyuanli, Guangzhou. The Sanyuan Ancient Temple is the site of the Pingying Regiment in Sanyuanli and is a national key cultural relic protection unit.
DiplomacySigning of the Treaty of Nanjing
The British army captured Zhenjiang along the Yangtze River and marched to Nanjing. The Qing government was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing on a British ship, ceding Hong Kong Island, paying an indemnity of 21 million silver dollars, and opening the five ports of Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai to trade. Tariffs had to be negotiated with the British.
Lasting legacyHong Kong Island has since been occupied by Britain, and China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997.
Culture"Hai Guo Tu Zhi" came out
Wei Yuan was entrusted by Lin Zexu to expand the "History of the Sea" based on the "Records of the Four Continents". The volume was gradually increased from fifty to one hundred volumes. It introduced the history and geography of various countries in the world and the technology of Western ships and artillery, and proposed "learning from the foreigners to develop skills to control the foreigners." This book received considerable attention after being introduced to Japan.
EconomyShanghai opens port
According to the Treaty of Nanjing, Shanghai was officially opened as a port in November 1843. In 1845, the British consul and Shanghai Daotai negotiated the "Shanghai Land Lease Regulations" and set aside a British settlement on the Huangpu River. Since then, the concession has continued to expand.
Lasting legacyFrom this, Shanghai quickly emerged as one of the largest commercial ports in the Far East. The modern buildings along the Bund along the river are now Shanghai's most iconic urban landscape.
Diplomacyfurther loss of sovereignty
In 1843, China and Britain signed the "Treaty of Humen", and Britain obtained consular jurisdiction and partial most-favored-nation status. The following year, the United States and France assisted the Qing court to sign the "Treaty of Wangxia" and "Treaty of Huangpu", further damaging China's sovereignty.
DiplomacyPortugal takes over Macau
The Portuguese Governor of Macau, Amariu, expelled Qing Dynasty customs officials, refused to pay land rent, and forcibly expanded the scope of governance. Portugal thus established colonial rule in Macau. In 1887, the Qing government signed a contract with Portugal, recognizing its "permanent residence and administration" of Macau.
Lasting legacyOn December 20, 1999, China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macau.
PoliticsDied of illness in Yuanmingyuan
He died in the Shende Hall of Yuanmingyuan in the first month of the first month. The inscription in the secret box reads, "Yi Xin, the sixth son of the emperor, is crowned prince, and Yi Chi, the fourth son of the emperor, is crowned crown prince." It was very rare in the Qing Dynasty to include two princes in the same secret edict.
Lasting legacyThe mausoleum that Min Ning originally built in Dongling was abandoned due to water seepage in the underground palace, and was rebuilt in Xiling, now Muling. The nanmu Long'en Hall was not painted and was famous for its simplicity.
A Fujian marquis, he served successively as governor of Jiangsu and governor of Huguang. He was known for his ability and honesty. In 1839, he presided over the opium eradication campaign in Humen and organized the compilation of "Records of Four Continents". After the defeat of the war, he was dismissed from his post and sent to guard Ili to build water conservancy projects and survey and cultivate land in Xinjiang.
Borzigit, who negotiated with the British army at Dagukou in the early days of the Opium War, was sent to Guangdong to replace Lin Zexu in negotiating peace. Because he secretly negotiated with the British to cede Hong Kong, he was dismissed and imprisoned, but was later re-employed.
A native of Shanyang, Jiangsu Province, he assisted Lin Zexu in banning smoking and strengthening the defense of Humen. When the British army attacked Humen in 1841, he led his troops to defend the Jingyuan Fort. He was seriously injured and died in the battle.
A native of Anhua, Hunan Province, he was a representative of officials of the Jingshi School. He presided over the grain and sea transportation, implemented the Salt and Invoice Law in Huaibei, rectified the finances, and supported Lin Zexu, Wei Yuan, Zuo Zongtang and others.
A native of Shaoyang, Hunan, he once joined the Taoshu shogunate and participated in water transportation and salt law reform. The author of "Illustrated Records of the Sea" and "Shengwu Ji", he proposed "learning from the foreigners to develop skills to conquer the foreigners". He was one of the representative figures in modern times who "opened his eyes to see the world".
Guo Jia, who served as Minister of Military and Aircraft for more than 20 years in the Daoguang Dynasty, wielded power in both the government and the opposition. During the Opium War, he advocated peace talks and squeezed out Lin Zexu and other war officials. After Emperor Xianfeng came to the throne, he was dismissed from his post and never used again.
In the late Opium War, as an imperial envoy, he successively signed the Treaty of Nanjing, the Treaty of Humen, the Treaty of Wangxia and the Treaty of Huangpu with Britain, the United States and France. In 1858, he was ordered to commit suicide for leaving the Tianjin negotiation site without authorization.
A native of Renhe, Zhejiang Province, he criticized social ills and called for change. His poem "I urge God to be more energetic and send talents of any kind" is widely recited. He once wrote to Lin Zexu, suggesting a strict ban on opium and strengthening coastal defense. He died suddenly in Danyang in 1841.