History Lecture Series · Originally the Qianlong Emperor

Author: Guo Yanhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Experts review historical figures, authoritatively interpreting mysteries. Historian Lucien Febvre of France once said: "Our task is to create history, because in a turbulent world, only history can help us face life without fear." This is even more true in today's fast-paced era, where more people hope to understand our past to better focus on our future. The purpose of the "Great History Lecture" series is precisely this—to present the past to readers in a concise way and incorporate history into rational thinking and humanistic reflection. Thus, history no longer merely signifies the past; it will also help us pay attention to the future. As the longest-reigning emperor in Chinese history, the renowned Qianlong Emperor seemed destined for an extraordinary life. Mysteries surrounding his birth, disputes over his mother, and the passionate affairs behind his reign—what kind of love lay behind his legendary charm? Was the literary and martial achievements of the "Ten Perfect Emperors" great accomplishments or absurdities? Mysteries intertwined with official history, like layers of clouds, heavily enveloped. And what is the truth of history? How can we reach a definitive conclusion after two centuries of dust? The author, with a calm and objective pen, paints a real yet multifaceted Qianlong for us. Neither a playful exaggeration nor avoiding legends, reading it feels like exploring hidden secrets, with each step revealing more wonders. Qianlong was involved in and made decisions on almost all major events in eighteenth-century China. It can be said that the eighteenth century in China was the century of Qianlong; the chronology of eighteenth-century China is the personal chronicle of Qianlong. —Guo Chengkang, The True Biography of Qianlong