Qianlong Emperor
Clan name:	Aixin-Jueluo (愛新覺羅) Aisin-Gioro
Given name:	Hongli (弘曆) (Manchu name to be added)
Dates of reign:	Oct. 18, 1735–Feb. 8, 1796¹
Era name:	Qianlong (乾隆 ; Ch'ien-lung) Abkai Wehiyehe
Era dates:	Feb. 12, 1736–Feb. 8, 1796
Temple name:	Gaozong (高宗) (Manchu name to be added)
Posthumous name: (short)	Emperor Chun (純皇帝) (Manchu name to be added)
Posthumous name: (full)	Emperor Fatian Longyun Zhicheng Xianjue Tiyuan Liji Fuwen Fenwu Qinming Xiaoci Shensheng Chun 法天隆運至誠先覺體元立極敷文奮武欽明孝慈神聖純皇帝
General note: Names given in Chinese, then in Manchu (full posthumous name in Chinese only). ——— General note: Dates given here are in the Gregorian calendar. ——— 1. Officially abdicated (taking effect from February 9, 1796) and received the title Taishang Huang (太上皇). In practice, however, ruled in the stead of his son Jiaqing until his death.

The Qianlong Emperor (born Hongli, September 25, 1711–February 7, 1799) was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from October 18, 1735 to February 9, 1796, at which point he retired in favor of his son, the Jiaqing Emperor - a filial act in order not to reign longer than his grandfather, the illustrious Kangxi Emperor. Despite his retirement, however, he retained ultimate power until his death in 1799. Emperor Qinglong File links The following pages link to this file: Qianlong Emperor ... Like the Mongols, the Manchus were simply called by given name but they had their own clan names (hala in Manchu). ... Aisin Gioro (Chinese: 愛新覺羅; pinyin: àixīn juéluó1; Japanese: Aishin Kakura) was the family name of the Manchu emperors of the Qing dynasty and Manchukuo. ... Manchu given names were used solely or with titles but not with clan names. ... Events 16 April - The London premiere of Alcina by George Frideric Handel, his first the first Italian opera for the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... A Chinese era name (traditional Chinese: 年號, simplified Chinese: 年号, pinyin nían hào) is the era name, reign period, or regnal title used when traditionally numbering years in an emperors reign and naming certain Chinese rulers (see the conventions). ... Events January 26 - Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne. ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... Temple names (廟號 or less commonly 庙號 Pinyin: miào hào;), are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Vietnamese (such dynasties as Tran,Anterior Lê and Nguyen Dynasty) and most Korean rulers of the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. ... A posthumous name (諡號/謚號 Pinyin: shì hào; Romaji: shigō/tsuigō; Revised Romanization of Korean: siho) is a honorary name given to royalty in some cultures posthumously, that is, after the persons death. ... The Manchu language is a member of the Tungusic languages; it used to be the language of the Manchu, though now most Manchus speak Mandarin Chinese and there are fewer than 100 native speakers of Manchu out of a total of nearly 10 million ethnic Manchus. ... The Gregorian calendar is the calendar widely used in the Western world. ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... Taishang Huang (Chinese: 太上皇; pinyin: tàishàng huáng) was a Chinese title used all across Eastern Asia for a retired emperor. ... The Jiaqing Emperor (November 13, 1760 - September 2, 1820) was the sixth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1796 to 1820. ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years). ... Events 24 February -- The London premiere of Rinaldo by George Friderich Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage. ... February 7 is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Manchu (manju in Manchu; 滿族 (pinyin: mǎnzú) in Chinese, often shortened to 滿 (pinyin: mǎn) are an ethnic group who originated in Manchuria. ... The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: qīng cháo; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of Inner Asia, establishing the... The Qing Dynasty was founded as the Later Jin Dynasty in 1616, and changed its name to Qing in 1636. ... The Yongzheng Emperor (born Yinzhen 胤禛 December 13, 1678 - October 8, 1735) was the fourth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1722 to 1735. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in Leap years). ... Events 16 April - The London premiere of Alcina by George Frideric Handel, his first the first Italian opera for the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1796 was a leap year starting on Friday. ... The Jiaqing Emperor (November 13, 1760 - September 2, 1820) was the sixth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1796 to 1820. ... This article needs cleanup, so as to conform to a higher standard. ...

Early years

There are many myths and legends that says Hongli was actually a Han and not of Manchu descent, whilst there were some that say Hongli is only half Manchu and half Han Chinese descent. Nevertheless, looking at historical records, Hongli was adored both by his grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor and his father, the Yongzheng Emperor. Some historians argue that the main reason why Kangxi Emperor appointed Yongzheng as his successor to the throne was because of Qian Long as he was his favourite grandson and felt that Hongli's mannerism and ways to be very close to his own. As a child he was very able in martial arts, and possessed very great literary ability. This article needs cleanup, so as to conform to a higher standard. ... The Yongzheng Emperor (born Yinzhen 胤禛 December 13, 1678 - October 8, 1735) was the fourth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1722 to 1735. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ...

After his father's succession to the throne in 1722, Hongli became the Prince Bao (宝亲王). Like many of his uncles, Hongli entered in a battle of succession with his brother Hongshi, who had the support of a large faction of court officials, as well as Yinsi, the Prince Lian. For many years the Yongzheng Emperor did not allow the position of Crown Prince, but many speculated he favored Hongli. Hongli went on inspection trips to the south, and was known to be an able negotiator and enforcer. Hongli was also chosen as chief regent on occasions, when his father was away from the capital. Events Abraham De Moivre states De Moivres theorem connecting trigonometric functions and complex numbers Publication of the first book of Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier Fall of Persias Safavid dynasty during a bloody revolt of the Afghani people. ... Aisin-Gioro Hongshi (Chinese: 弘時 1706?—1734) was the third son of the Yongzheng Emperor of Qing Dynasty China. ... Yinsi Aisin-gioro (爱新觉罗·胤禩) was born to Emperor Kangxi and his concubine, Liang Fei of the Wei family, in 1681, and was the Eighth Imperial Prince. ... A regent is an acting governor. ...

Accession to the throne

Even before Hongli was read out to the assembled court, it was widely known who the new emperor would be. The young Hongli had been a favorite of his grandfather, Kangxi, and his father alike; Yongzheng had entrusted a number of important ritual tasks to him while Hongli was still a prince, and included him in important court discussions of military strategy. Hoping to avoid repetition of the succession crisis that had tainted his own accession to the throne, he had the name of his successor placed in a sealed box secured behind the tablet over the throne in the Qianqing Hall. The name in the box was to be revealed to other members of the imperial family in the presence of all senior ministers only upon the death of the Emperor. Yongzheng died suddenly in 1735, the will was taken out and read out before the entire Qing Court and Hongli became the 4th Manchu Emperor of China. He took the Era Name of Qianlong (乾隆), meaning strong/heavens (qian); prosperous (long), or put together, the Era of Strong Prosperity. Events 16 April - The London premiere of Alcina by George Frideric Handel, his first the first Italian opera for the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. ... The king or wang (王 wang2) was the Chinese head of state from the Zhou to Qin dynasties. ...

Politics

Territorial expansion

The Qianlong emperor was a successful military leader, presiding over a huge expansion in the territory controlled by the Qing dynasty. This was made possible not only by Chinese strength but also by the disunity and declining strength of the Inner Asian peoples. Under Qianlong, Chinese Turkestan was incorporated into the Qing dynasty's rule and renamed Xinjiang, while to the West, Ili was conquered and garrisoned. The Qing also dominated Outer Mongolia after inflicting a final defeat on the Western Mongols. Throughout this period there were continued Mongol interventions in Tibet and a reciprocal spread of Tibetan Buddhism in Monglia. Qianlong again sent armies into Tibet and firmly established the Dalai Lama as ruler, with a Qing resident and garrison to preserve Chinese suzerainty. Other than that, no attempt was made to integrate Tibet into the empire after the manner of Xinjiang. Further afield, military campaigns against the Vietnamese (Annamese), Burmese, Nepalese, and Gurkhas forced these peoples to submit and send tribute. (For details of military campaigns under Qianlong, see Ten Great Campaigns) Xinjiang (Chinese: 新疆; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsin1-chiang1; Postal Pinyin: Sinkiang; literal meaning: New Frontier; Uyghur: ), full name Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Ili or Illi can refer to: Ili River Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The borders of Historical Tibet (blue), as claimed by the Government of Tibet in Exile. ... Tibetan Buddhism, (formerly also called Lamaism after their religious gurus known as lamas), is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and the Himalayan region. ... The Ten Great Campaigns were a series of wars fought during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, much celebrated in the official Qing Dynasty annals. ...

This expansion involved millions of square miles and brought into the empire non-Chinese peoples (such as Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kirghiz, and Mongols) who were at least potentially hostile. It was also a very expensive enterprise. In fact, the funds in the Imperial Treasury were almost used up due to the military expeditions. This may have been the cause of the later decline of the dynasty when the army was unable to develop and upgrade their weapons when faced with a Western threat.

Intellectual developments

Arts

The Qianlong emperor was also a major patron of the arts. The most significant of his commissions was a catalogue of all important works on Chinese culture, the Siku quanshu (四庫全書). Produced in 36,000 volumes, containing about 3450 complete works and employing as many as 15,000 copyists, the entire work took some twenty years. It preserved many books, but it was also intended as a means of ferreting out and suppressing those deemed offensive. Some 2300 works were listed for total suppression and another 350 for partial suppresion. The aim was to destroy the writings that were anti-Qing or rebellious, that insulted previous "barbarian" dynasties, or that dealt with frontier or defense problems. This is the current collaboration of the week! Please help improve it to featured article standard. ...

Qianlong was a prolific poet and a collector of ceramics, an art which flourished in his reign; a substantial part of his collection is in the Percival David Foundation in London. A man shapes pottery as it turns on a wheel. ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ...

Later years

Dragon Throne, charcoal brazier and Iuduan incense burners. Picture taken at Field Museum of Natural History. These items are part of a travelling exhibit on loan from Beijing

In his later years, Qian Long was rather disillusioned and sedated with power and glory. With He Shen as the highest ranked minister and most favoured by Qian Long at the time, the day to day governance of the country was left in the hands of He Shen whilst Qian Long himself indulged on everyday luxuries and his favourite pastime of hunting. It is widely said that He Shen laid the foundation for further collapse and corruption of the Qing government and eventually came to a point where it was impossible to reverse the negative impact already done to all levels of Qing Government at the time. Emperors Dragon Throne, flanked by Iuduan incense burners and charcoal braziers. ... Emperors Dragon Throne, flanked by Iuduan incense burners and charcoal braziers. ... The Chinese Dragon, Fu dog and religious incense comprise three pervasive symbols of traditional Chinese culture. ... Dragon Throne, charcoal brazier and Iuduan incense burners. ... Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago The Field Museum of Natural History, in Chicago, Illinois, USA, sits on Lake Shore Drive next to Lake Michigan, part of a scenic complex called known as the Museum Campus which includes Soldier Field, the football stadium that is the home of the Chicago... He Shen in official uniform He Shen also known as Ho Shen (Simplified Chinese: 和珅; Traditional Chinese: 龢珅; pinyin: ) (1750 - 1799) was a Manchurian official of the Qing Dynasty. ...

Worse still, the proposed cultural exchange between the British Empire at the time and the Qing Empire collapsed when He Shen further encouraged Qian Long to maintain the belief that the Qing Empire was the centre of the world and need not pay much attention to the British proposal for trade and cultural exchange. The British trade ambassador at the time was humiliated when granted an audience with the Qian Long Emperor only to find just an Imperial Edict placed on the Dragon Throne. This announced to him that the Qing Empire had no need for any goods and services that the British could provide and that the British should recognize that the Qing Empire was far greater.

Insistent demands from He Shen and the Qing Court that the British Trade ambassadors should kneel and kowtow to the empty dragon throne worsened matters. The British of course rejected these demands and insisted they would kneel only on one knee and bow to the Dragon throne as they did for their own monarch. This caused an uproar in the Qing empire at the time. The Trade ambassadors were dismissed and told to leave China immediately. They were further told that the Qing Empire had no particular interest in doing trade with them, with strict orders given to all local governors not to allow the British to carry out any trade or business in China.

Legends

Stories about Qianlong visiting the Jiang Nan area disguised as a commoner had been a popular topic for many generations. Jiang Nan (Chinese: 江南, Wade-Giles: Chiang nan) refers to the southern part of the lowest reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of the Yangtze Delta. ...

Family

Consorts

• Empress Xiaoxian

The Yongzheng Emperor (born Yinzhen 胤禛 December 13, 1678 - October 8, 1735) was the fourth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1722 to 1735. ... The king or wang (王 wang2) was the Chinese head of state from the Zhou to Qin dynasties. ... The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: qīng cháo; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of Inner Asia, establishing the... The Jiaqing Emperor (November 13, 1760 - September 2, 1820) was the sixth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1796 to 1820. ...