Heshen: Historical Records and Fictional Accounts

Author: Li Jingping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-02-01
Features: Heshen, born in the late feudal society, was a controversial figure both during his lifetime and after his death. The British mission to China considered him "perceptive and insightful," truly a mature statesman, while the Chinese privately referred to him as the "Second Emperor." Emperor Jiaqing condemned him for "corruption and incompetence that brought the nation to ruin," and some recent publications portray him as the greatest corrupt official in history. In unofficial histories and fictional works, Heshen is depicted as an ignorant, cunning, and foolish villain, becoming the target of ridicule and manipulation by figures like Liu Yong and Ji Xiaogang. This book, based on archival materials, Heshen's poetry, and other historical records, reconstructs the true image of Heshen in history: he was skilled in literature, proficient in four languages, understanding and deeply favored by Emperor Qianlong, achieving early success and rapid rise; he was charming and licentious, yet also greedy and lustful; he was both Emperor Qianlong's favorite minister and a true thief in the literal sense; he lacked talent to remedy the world's ills but navigated the tide of commodity economy with ease; he was both a feudal official and a wealthy merchant who opened shops, rented land and storefronts, lent high-interest money, and accumulated vast wealth; he was both a loyal executor of Emperor Qianlong's late policies and a victim of the highest power transition. If Liu Yong and Ji Xiaogang primarily reflect feudal traditional consciousness, then what Heshen embodies is a concept that has become somewhat at odds with tradition.