Dynasties of ChinaMing & Qing · The end of imperial rule
12 Qing emperors · AD 1636-1912 · 11 generations of succession
Rising beyond the Great Wall, Qing conquered China and reached prosperity under Kangxi and Qianlong. Internal crises and foreign pressure brought the dynasty and imperial rule to an end.
Dynastic color · Mineral blue
The Qing dynasty was the last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, established by the Manchus. In 1616, the Jurchen leader Nurhaci proclaimed himself khan in Hetuala and established Houjin. In 1619, he defeated the Ming army in Sarhu. In 1636, Hong Taiji proclaimed himself emperor in Shengjing (now Shenyang) and changed the country's name to Qing Dynasty. After Li Zicheng captured Beijing in 1644, the Qing army entered the Pass under the guidance of Wu Sangui, defeated the Dashun army, and moved the capital to Beijing in the same year. After that, the Nanming and various anti-Qing forces were gradually pacified.
The three dynasties of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong lasted for more than 130 years, which is known as the "Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties" in history. The Qing government pacified the three feudal lords, unified Taiwan, fought against Tsarist Russia, pacified the Junggars and the Great and Small Hezhuo, established ministers in Tibet, and established the vast territory of modern China, with the population increasing to 300 million. However, the autocratic monarchy has been strengthened as never before, literary prisons have emerged repeatedly, and a policy of isolation from the outside world has been implemented, gradually drifting away from the world trend.
After Jiaqing and Daoguang, the country's power declined. After the Opium War in 1840, great powers came one after another, and civil strife such as the Taiping Rebellion shook the foundation of rule. The Westernization Movement, the Reform Movement of 1898, and the New Deal in the late Qing Dynasty successively tried to save themselves, but the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War of 1898 and the Gengzi Rebellion further weakened sovereignty. In 1911, the Wuchang Uprising broke out, and all provinces declared independence. On February 12, 1912, Emperor Xuantong issued an edict to abdicate, ending the imperial system that had lasted for more than two thousand years.
Based on Niulu, Nurhaci organized the eight banners of Zhenghuang and Xianghuang in 1615. The soldiers and civilians were unified. When they went out, they were soldiers, and when they entered, they were for the people. Hong Taiji added the Eight Banners of Mongolia and the Eight Banners of the Han Army, and the Eight Banners became the pillars of Qing Dynasty's rule.
During the Yongzheng period, the Military Aircraft Department was established due to the use of troops in the northwest. The military aircraft ministers were personally selected by the emperor. They could only act according to orders and were not allowed to make arbitrary decisions. In conjunction with the secret system, the monarch's centralization of power reached its peak, and the cabinet gradually became an institution for handling routine matters.
The Qing dynasty appointed ministers stationed in Tibet and generals from Yili to promote the restoration of the land and the reincarnation of living Buddhas by drawing lots from a golden urn. By the middle of the 18th century, the territory spanned the Congling Mountains in the west, Siberia in the north, the Outer Khinggan Mountains and Sakhalin Island in the northeast, and the South China Sea Islands in the south.
Emperor Kangxi declared that "to breed people, never increase taxes." Emperor Yongzheng further transferred the ding silver into land tax collection, abolishing the poll tax that had lasted for more than two thousand years. The burden of taxes and servitude became more reasonable, and the population grew rapidly, exceeding 300 million by the end of Qianlong's reign.
During the Kangxi period, the "Kangxi Dictionary" with more than 47,000 characters was compiled, and during the Yongzheng period it was printed as the "Collection of Ancient and Modern Books"; during the Qianlong period, the "Sikuquanshu" was compiled, with more than 3,400 kinds of books and more than 79,000 volumes. At the same time, a large number of books were banned.
Cao Xueqin's "A Dream of Red Mansions" represents the highest achievement of classical novels, while Wu Jingzi's "The Scholars" and Pu Songling's "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" each have their own characteristics. Starting from 1790, Anhui troupes came to Beijing one after another and merged with Han opera and other operas to gradually form Peking Opera.
Select a ruler to explore their reign, people and lasting legacy
Nurhaci unified all the Jurchen tribes and was proclaimed Khan in Hetuala in 1616. The country was named Jin, and it was called Later Jin in history. In 1636, Hong Taiji proclaimed himself emperor in Shengjing and changed the country's name to Qing. The year before, he had changed his clan name from Jurchen to Manchuria.
Li Zicheng captured Beijing and Ming Dynasty was destroyed. Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Shanhaiguan, surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. Duo Ergun led the Qing army to enter the Shanhaiguan Pass, defeated the Dashun army in Shanhaiguan, and then occupied Beijing. In the same year, Emperor Shunzhi moved the capital to Beijing, and Qing Dynasty took control of the Central Plains.
Emperor Kangxi ordered the withdrawal of the vassal vassal, and Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and Shang Zhixin rebelled one after another, which took eight years to put down. In 1683, Shi Lang led the navy to attack Taiwan, and Zheng Keshuang surrendered. The following year, the Qing government established Taiwan Prefecture under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province.
Tsarist Russia invaded the Heilongjiang River Basin, and the Qing army besieged Yaksa twice, forcing the Russian army to sue for peace. In 1689, China and Russia signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk, delimiting the eastern boundary and legally confirming that the Heilongjiang and Ussuri river basins belonged to China.
Emperor Kangxi personally conquered the Junggar leader Ga Erdan three times, and the Yongzheng and Qianlong dynasties continued to use troops. During the Qianlong period, the Junggar and Xiaohezhuo rebellions were finally quelled, and the Tianshan N&S were unified. In 1762, General Yili was established.
Dai Mingshi, editor of the Hanlin Academy, was convicted and killed for using the Nanming name in "Nanshan Collection", and hundreds of people were implicated. After that, literary inquisition became more frequent during the reigns of Yongzheng and Qianlong. Scholars were often blamed, and academics turned to focusing on textual research.
Emperor Yongzheng established a military machine room due to the military deployment in the northwest, which was later renamed the Military Machinery Department. The military ministers were selected by the emperor from among his close associates. They could only act according to orders and were not allowed to make arbitrary decisions. As a result, imperial power was highly concentrated. This institution was still used until the end of the Qing Dynasty.
Emperor Qianlong ordered that Western merchant ships be allowed to trade at Guangzhou, and the Thirteen Banks were responsible for unified management of foreign trade. In 1793, the British Macartney Mission came to China and requested to expand trade, but was rejected, and the closed-door policy further solidified.
Lin Zexu After the destruction of opium in Humen, Britain launched a war of aggression against China. The Qing army was defeated and was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842, ceding Hong Kong Island and opening up Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai to trade. China began to become a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.
Hong Xiuquan launched an uprising in Jintian, Guangxi, and founded the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. In 1853, he captured Nanjing, renamed it Tianjing and made it its capital. After the Tianjing Incident in 1856, prosperity turned to decline. In 1864, Tianjing was captured by the Hunan Army and the uprising failed.
The British and French forces launched a war and invaded Beijing in 1860, looting and burning the Old Summer Palace. The Qing court was forced to sign the Treaty of Tianjin and the Treaty of Beijing, and Tsarist Russia took the opportunity to seize more than one million square kilometers of territory in Northeast China through the Treaty of Aihun and the Treaty of Beijing.
Yi Xin, Ceng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang and others used the slogans of "self-improvement" and "seeking wealth" to establish modern enterprises such as Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, Fuzhou Shipbuilding Bureau, and Steamship Investment Promotion Bureau, established the Beiyang Navy, opened new schools, and sent overseas students.
Japan launched a war of aggression against China, and the Beiyang Navy suffered heavy losses in the Battle of the Yellow Sea, and was eventually annihilated at Weihaiwei. In 1895, Li Hongzhang was forced to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding the Liaodong Peninsula, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, and paying an indemnity of 200 million taels of silver.
Emperor Guangxu adopted the opinions of Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao and others, and issued an edict "Ming Determining the State" to implement the New Deal. After one hundred and three days, Cixitaihou launched a coup, imprisoned Emperor Guangxu, and Tan Sitong and other "Six Gentlemen of 1898" were killed.
The Boxer Rebellion rose with the slogan "Support the Qing Dynasty and destroy the foreign countries". The Eight-Power Allied Forces captured Beijing under the pretext of suppression. Cixitaihou took Emperor Guangxu and fled westward to Xi'an. In 1901, the Qing government signed the "Xinchou Treaty", paying an indemnity of 450 million taels of silver and allowing foreign troops to be stationed.
On October 10, 1911, the Wuchang Uprising broke out, and various provinces declared independence one after another. On January 1, 1912, the provisional government of the Republic of China was established in Nanjing, and Sun Zhongshan became the provisional president; on February 12, Longyutaihou issued an abdication edict in the name of Emperor Xuantong, and Qing Dynasty perished.
Named Xuanye, he came to the throne at the age of eight. When he was young, he cleverly captured the powerful minister Ao Bai. He successively pacified San Francisco, unified Taiwan, fought against Tsarist Russia, and conquered Ga Erdan three times. He also attached great importance to river management and learning Western science. Reigning for 61 years, he is the longest-reigning emperor in Chinese history.
Named Yinzhen, the fourth son of Emperor Kangxi. After he came to the throne, he set up the Military Aircraft Department, implemented the policies of apportioning people into acres, returning fire to the public, and reforming land to locals. He severely punished corruption, rectified the administration of officials, and created a secret reserve system. Diligent in government affairs, the treasury is increasingly full.
Named Hongli, he reigned for sixty years. He pacified Junggar and Hezhuo, compiled the "Sikuquanshu", and went to the south of the Yangtze River six times. He called himself "Old Man Shiquan". In his later years, he favored He Shen, and his officialdom was corrupted. After abdication, he still used his status as the Retired Emperor to guide the government.
Yehenala was the concubine of Emperor Xianfeng and the biological mother of Emperor Tongzhi. In 1861, he and Prince Gong Yi Xin launched the Xinyou coup. Since then, he has been in charge of politics behind the curtain and controlled the Qing court for nearly half a century. Supported Westernization, strangled the Reform Movement of 1898, and took Emperor Guangxu to the west during the Gengzi period.
A native of Fujian Province. In 1839, as an imperial minister, he went to Guangdong to ban opium and more than 2.37 million kilograms of opium was destroyed in public in Humen. Organized the compilation of "Four Continents" and was known as "the first person to open his eyes to the world." Later he was dismissed from his post and sent to guard Yili.
A native of Xiangxiang, Hunan. Formed the Hunan Army to suppress the Taiping Rebellion and captured Tianjing in 1864. He advocated Westernization, founded the Anqing Ordnance Institute, participated in the preparation of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, and petitioned to send young children to study in the United States. He was a core figure in the "Tongzhi Zhongxing".
A native of Xiangyin, Hunan. Founded Fuzhou Shipping Bureau and served as governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. Beginning in 1876, he led the army to recover Xinjiang occupied by Aguba, and advocated the recovery of Ili, promoting the establishment of Xinjiang as a province in 1884, and made important contributions to maintaining national unity.
A native of Hefei, Anhui. He established the Huai Army, served as the governor of Zhili and the Minister of Beiyang for a long time, presided over foreign affairs, founded the Steamship Investment Bureau, Kaiping Mining Bureau, and established the Beiyang Navy. On behalf of the Qing Dynasty, he signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Treaty of Xinchou, etc., and received mixed reputations.
A native of Huaxian County, Guangdong Province, he founded the God Worship Association under the influence of the Christian pamphlet "Good Words to Encourage the World" after repeated attempts. In 1851, the Jintian Uprising was launched, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was established, its capital was Tianjing, and the "Chinese Land Acquisition System" was promulgated. He died of illness before the fall of Tianjing in 1864.
Named Zhan, grandson of Cao Yin, a weaver in Jiangning. His family was of modest means and he lived in the western suburbs of Beijing. He "read it for ten years, adding and deleting five times" and wrote the first eighty chapters of "A Dream of Red Mansions", which profoundly depicts the rise and fall of a large feudal family. The dates of his birth and death are still controversial in academic circles.
The courtesy name is Xiaolan, a native of Xian County, Zhili Province. During the Qianlong period, he served as the chief compiler of "Sikuquanshu" and presided over the writing of "Summary of the General Catalog of Sikuquanshu", which made a systematic review of ancient classics. His notebook novel "Yuewei Thatched Cottage Notes" was also very influential.
A native of Nanhai, Guangdong. In 1895, he jointly took the exam and "sent on the bus", and wrote "New Learning Apocrypha Examination" and "Confucius Reform Examination" as the official version of the reform, leading the Reform Movement of 1898. After the failure of the reform, he went into exile overseas and organized a royalist association to oppose the revolution.
A native of Liuyang, Hunan, he wrote "Renxue" and criticized Gangchang Mingjiao. He participated in the Reform Movement of 1898 and refused to flee after the coup. He said, "Reforms in various countries are all based on bloodshed." He was willing to die. Before execution, he shouted, "If you want to kill the thief, you can't save him."
A native of Xinhui, Guangdong, a disciple of Kang Youwei, he was also called "Kang Liang". He was the main writer of the "Current News" to promote the reform. After his exile in Japan, he founded newspapers and periodicals to advocate "new people" and wrote "Young China". His writing style was "always full of emotions" and influenced a generation of young people.
Mingwen, named Yixian, was from Xiangshan, Guangdong. In 1894, he founded the Xingzhonghui, and in 1905, he established the China Alliance in Tokyo and proposed the Three People's Principles. He led the Revolution of 1911 to overthrow the rule of Qing Dynasty and became the interim president of the Republic of China in 1912.
A native of Nanhai, Guangdong, one of the first batch of young children studying in the United States, graduated from Yale University. From 1905 to 1909, he presided over the construction of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway and creatively designed the "herringbone" line. This was the first trunk railway designed and built by the Chinese themselves.