Miserable Emperor - Emperor Xianfeng Yixing

Author: Mao Haijian
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The era of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, 1850-1861, was a pivotal period 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. The British and French formed an alliance to invade China again, Russia seized the opportunity, 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 time. Emperor Xianfeng, a key figure at this critical juncture 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, 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 every ancient emperor truly possessed the qualifications and abilities to be one. Some were even quite mediocre, yet because they were born into the imperial palace and were designated as crown prince by their father. Although emperors were just mortal beings like ordinary people, in the eyes of the common folk, they were an exalted god, and every gesture and move had to be extraordinary. In times of peace, such emperors could spend their entire lives in the Forbidden City in relative comfort, but in troubled times, they were everywhere in a bind. 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 moment of peace. The Taiping Rebellion from 1850 to 1864, the Second Opium War from 1856 to 1860, and the rebellions of the Heaven and Earth Society and the Nian Army during this period left Emperor Xianfeng on the dragon throne in constant anxiety, unlike his ancestors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, who were wise and perceptive. He was busy, overwhelmed with work, almost to the point of crying out to the heavens. Despite having "Zhongxing ministers" like Zeng Guofan working tirelessly to save the Qing Dynasty, this did not entirely alleviate the emperor's worries about the state of the nation. In the eyes of the Manchu nobles, the Manchus and Han were not united. In The Misfortune Emperor, the author uses a very delicate pen to touch the heart of his subject—the Emperor Xianfeng. Professor Mao Haijian's popular historical research work is as accessible as reading a historical novel and as scholarly as his other historical monographs. However, although his inner goal was to write a "scholarly yet engaging book," 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 in his other historical works, but he was even forced to add a line in the preface saying that his book is just an open discussion and readers can take it easy—a somewhat disheartening remark.