Miserable Emperor: Emperor Xianfeng Yizhu

Author: Mao Haijian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-04-01
Features: The era of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, 1850-1861, was a crucial turning point in Chinese history. The Taiping Rebellion rose, rebel movements like the Nian Army and the Heaven and Earth Society spread across the country, giving rise to the Xiang Army and the Lianjin tax; Britain and France formed an alliance to invade China again, Russia took advantage of the chaos, and the United States acted as a accomplice, with new treaties being signed one after another. Many of the subsequent changes in China actually originated from this period. Emperor Xianfeng, a key figure at a critical moment in history, exhausted himself but was powerless to turn the tide, lamenting and abandoning himself. This book unfolds the historical years of that time, guiding readers through the various events and intricate depths. The author portrays the historical figures: Du Shoutian, Zeng Guofan, Ye Mingchen, Su Shun, Prince Gong, and Empress Dowager Cixi (Nala), the pivotal figures who shaped the destiny of the nation, vividly and lifelike. A biography, a piece of history, reflections on life and the nation. Not all emperors in ancient times truly possessed the qualifications and abilities to be emperors. Some were even quite mediocre and ordinary, yet because they were born into the imperial palace and were designated as crown prince by their fathers. Although emperors were just mortal beings like ordinary people, as the Son of Heaven, they were an exalted god before commoners, and every gesture and movement had to be extraordinary. In times of peace, such emperors could still live quietly in the Forbidden City for a lifetime, but in troubled times, they were in constant embarrassment. Emperor Xianfeng was exactly such a pitiful and unlucky person! From his father Emperor Daoguang onwards, China had been in an era of internal and external turmoil. From 1850 to 1861, Emperor Xianfeng reigned for 11 years, yet he never had a day of peace. The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), the Second Opium War (1856-1860), and the uprisings of the Heaven and Earth Society and the Nian Army during this period made the emperor sitting on the dragon throne restless, as he truly felt the turmoil of the times unlike his ancestors Emperor Kangxi, Emperor Yongzheng, and Emperor Qianlong, who were wise and perceptive. He was busy, terribly busy, almost to the point of crying out to the heavens. Although there were "Zhongxing ministers" like Zeng Guofan working hard to save the Qing Dynasty, this did not entirely alleviate the emperor's worries about the country's situation. In the eyes of the Manchu nobles, the Manchu and Han were still not united. In The Misfortune Emperor, the author uses a very delicate pen to touch the heart of the subject—Emperor Xianfeng. Professor Mao Haijian's popular historical research work is as accessible as reading a historical novel and as academically rigorous as his other historical monographs. However, although his inner goal was to write an "academic work that is both refined and engaging," in the end, he still felt a bit uneasy. Not only did he not follow the norms of academic works by extensively annotating historical materials and providing detailed appendices, as he did with his other historical works, but he even felt compelled to add a line in the preface that his book was just a casual discussion and readers could take it easy—a somewhat disheartening remark.