Speak of Shunzhi

Author: Chen Wo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: The Twelve Emperors of the Qing Dynasty, Shunzhi Emperor was the first to enter the Central Plains. However, he is not well-known and seems to be a young ruler who ruled for only 18 years but actually reigned for only 10 years before dying at the age of 24. His short life is not particularly remarkable, nor does it leave much of a mark in the history of the Qing Dynasty. He is considered insignificant and unremarkable. What people are more familiar with about him are the scandals surrounding his beautiful and charming mother's remarriage to a young consort, the mystery surrounding the birth of his favorite concubine, Dong E, and his bizarre act of becoming a monk at Mount Wutai. In fact, if you read the historical records carefully, you'll find that it's quite unfair to him. Overall, he should be considered an effective ruler. His young life once shone in the starry sky of history, fulfilling the mission bestowed upon him. In terms of personality, he was intelligent, eager to learn, had lofty aspirations, and possessed a high cultural literacy. He was also resolute and decisive, daring to act. Because of his strong personality, he was not weak in handling state affairs and still achieved significant accomplishments. In terms of political achievements, at the beginning of his reign, he issued an edict to stop local tribute and the forced labor of weaving, exempted additional taxes, and later repeatedly reduced taxes. In the face of severe financial difficulties and the need to support the unification wars, he made efforts to alleviate the hardships of the people as much as possible. He severely punished corrupt officials and local strongmen, worked hard to clean up politics and stabilize society. He established an iron plaque to strictly prohibit eunuchs from interfering in state affairs, issued the "Tax and Labor Book," and personally dealt with the Mongols, enfeoffed the Dalai Lama, and drove out the Russians. Whether internally or externally, he made contributions to establishing the scale of the Qing Dynasty. Especially, we should evaluate him in the historical context of his time. At that time, the country was engaged in fierce nationwide unification wars, and social contradictions were sharp. The situation was complex, and the treasury was empty. For a young man of around 20 years old, to secure the throne, stabilize the country, and establish the scale of an era was indeed not an easy task. However, the Shunzhi Emperor succeeded. Throughout his reign, although the country was not completely unified, it had basically taken shape, and the national strength was also preliminarily stabilized. He laid a relatively solid foundation for his successors and prepared the necessary conditions for the "Kangxi and Qianlong Prosperity." Therefore, when viewed in the context of history, the Shunzhi Emperor was indeed an important figure. This book strives to authentically recreate the main aspects of the Shunzhi Emperor's life, correct related fictional and unofficial historical accounts, and is accompanied by a large number of exquisite illustrations. The book is rich in content, visually appealing, combining academic rigor with popular accessibility, making it a delightful and engaging biography for readers of all tastes.