Mountain Residence Notes (New Illustrated Edition)

Author: Yu Qiuyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Preface to the New Edition, Introduction, The Backview of a Dynasty, The Land of Exiles, The Fragile Capital, Su Dongpo Breaks Through, The Millennial Courtyard, Regretful Shanxi, Where is the End of the World, Ten Thousand Scholars, The Distant Echo, The Dark Corners of History, Appendix: On "Little People" (Wei Jianmin), Supplementary Essays: The Mirror of the Heart (Four Pieces), Q&A with Students, I Was a Model, It's Not That Important, Sleeping in the Cold Wind... His Life's Hardships Were All Self-Inflicted. His ancestors had already laid a very complete Chinese kingdom for him. At the age of eight, he ascended the throne, and at fourteen, he began to govern personally. As a young child, he could simply enjoy the fruits of success. What could he possibly do in front of such a vast territory and such a prosperous momentum? His immature eyes were filled with confusion as he fixed on two formidable figures—one was the most powerful political advisor in the court, Empress Dowager Longyu, and the other was Wu Sangui, who had claimed credit for leading the Qing army into the Central Plains as a traitor and had been holding his own in the south with his army.
To be fair, for such important political forces closely related to his ancestors and father, even a respected and formidable ruler might hesitate to take decisive action, but Kangxi challenged them—and himself. At the age of sixteen, he swiftly eliminated the Longyu faction, and at twenty, he launched a war against Wu Sangui, achieving a decisive victory after eight years of battle. He essentially rebuilt the kingdom he had inherited, transforming himself from an heir into an entrepreneur. He matured, yet there were almost no opponents left before him. Still, he often rode through the forests, grasslands, and marshes of northern China—his ancestors' birthplace—searching for the foundation of his life and career. Every time, he had to pass by the Great Wall. The wall, long neglected, was in ruins. Standing before this wall, which had been of great concern to emperors throughout the ages, he reflected deeply. His ancestors had broken through the Great Wall to enter, and without Wu Sangui, they still could have. So, what was the point of the Great Wall? A mighty court—could it rely on mere bricks for defense? But without the Great Wall, where would our defenses be?
The result of his reflections can be seen in an edict he issued in 1691. That May, the commander-in-chief of Gubeikou, Cai Yuan, proposed to the court that the section of the Great Wall under his jurisdiction was "severely collapsed and should be repaired." Kangxi, however, completely disagreed. His edict stated: "Since the Qin Dynasty built the Great Wall, the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties have also frequently repaired it. Yet, were there no border troubles at those times? In the late Ming Dynasty, my great ancestor led his army to advance swiftly and unimpeded, and all the routes collapsed without resistance. It shows that the way to govern a country lies in cultivating virtue and ensuring the people's well-being. When the people are content, the foundation of the state is secured, and the borders will naturally be fortified—the so-called 'unity is strength.' As for the sections of the Great Wall in Gubeikou and Xifengkou, I have inspected them and found them mostly damaged. Now, if you want to repair them, it would involve mobilizing the people for labor, which could only harm them. Moreover, the Great Wall stretches for thousands of miles—how many troops would be needed to defend it?" His reasoning was quite sound.
I have always hesitated to praise the "Great Wall complex" buried deep in our nation's heart. After reading Kangxi's words, I found a kindred spirit from long ago. Because of this, the Qing Dynasty became one of the few dynasties in ancient China that did not extensively repair the Great Wall, and I found this quite satisfying. Of course, repairing the Great Wall for the sake of cultural heritage preservation today is a completely different matter. Kangxi hoped to build an invisible Great Wall. His words about "cultivating virtue and ensuring the people's well-being" sounded grand and abstract, but in reality, he had both hard and soft measures. The hard measure was establishing the "Mulan Hunting Ground" outside the Great Wall. Every autumn, the emperor would personally lead over ten thousand officials, courtiers, and military officers in large-scale "hunting" exercises, which were actually grand military maneuvers. This not only kept the officials and courtiers sharp and vigorous but also...