(Clearwisdom.net) Emperor Kangxi, ruler in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912), was born on March 18 of the 11th year of the Shunzhi reign in the Forbidden Palace. His real name was Aisin Giorro Xuan Hua, and he was the son of Lady Dong. He died at age 69 on November 13 in the 61st year of the Kangxi reign at Clear Creek Library of Chang Chuen Yuan. His 61 years of rule made him the emperor with the longest reign in Chinese history.
Administrating State Affairs with Diligence and Caution
Kangxi represented three different races in his bloodline, three cultures, and three types of characteristics. His father was Manchurian, his grandmother Mongolian, and his mother Han. He grew up under the influences of the three cultures--his Manchu master taught him the Manchu language as well as riding and shooting. His Han master taught him the Four Books (Da Xue, Zhong Yong, Lun Yu, and Meng Zi) and the Five Classics (Shi, Shu, Li, Yi, and Chun Qiu), which instilled Confucianism in him. Kangxi emphasized diligence and caution when administrating state affairs. At age 14, he assumed power and started to participate in state affairs. The emperor personally held meetings with his top officials at the Palace of Heavenly Purity and discussed and made decisions on affairs of national defense and administration. Among the participating officials were nine ministers: one minister each from the Ministry of Rites, the Board of Civil Service, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works; the head of the Ministry of Supervision; the head of the Supreme Court; and the Prime Minister. There were also officials to record the emperor's daily activities.
Rain or shine, Kangxi held court every day at 8:00 a.m. with his officials to discuss national affairs and the reports received by the imperial court. This tradition was carried on in the Qing Dynasty from Emperor Kangxi to Emperor Guangxu. When administrating state affairs, Kangxi used extra caution. In his early days, he wrote on three major national topics in the court columns: the stabilization of Yunnan, Guangdong and Fujian; River Work; and Water Transportation. He sent his imperial guards on a round trip of 10,000 kilometers to the source of the Yellow River in order to come up with the first Yellow River Map in Chinese history. He then appointed capable official Jinfu to be the River Governor to stay on top of the River Work. Jinfu submitted eight memoranda daily to communicate his ideas about administrating the rivers.
Compilation of Books and Garden Construction
Kangxi focused on culture and education. Under him, learning from the Hans of the south, the South Study System was established. He personally went to Qufu to pay formal visits to the Temple of Confucius. Emperor Kangxi participated in organizing, compiling, and publishing approximately 60 books, calendars, and maps, including such works as The Kangxi Dictionary, Integration of Ancient and Modern Books, Calendar Like the Test As, Abstruse and Profound Mathematical Content, Peiwen Yunfu (Chinese Dictionary), Dictionary of the Manchu Language, Kangxi Yongnian Calendar, Emperor Kangxi and All Maps. More than twenty thousand volumes of these books, calenders, and maps have become important treasures of Chinese civilization.
It was also under Kangxi that Chang Chuen Garden, Chengde Summer Resort, and Rehe Mulan Paddock were constructed. His grandson, Emperor Qianlong, continued with the effort to build "Three Mountains and Five Gardens." (The Three Mountains included Longevity Hill, Fragrant Hill, and Jade Spring Hill; the Five Gardens included the Garden of Everlasting Spring, the Old Summer Palace, the Garden of Tranquility and Brightness, the Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure, and the Summer Palace.) These efforts pushed Chinese classical garden art to its highest level. Chengde Summer Resort, an imperial garden that was twice as big as the Summer Palace, was by no means an ordinary resting place for the emperor and his guests. Influenced by Mongolian and Tibetan architecture, these resorts and gardens intended to create a home-coming feeling for the royal families and nobility.
Making a Good Relationship with the Mongolians, Emphasizing Agriculture, and Taming Rivers
Mongolia used to be divided into three parts: Monan Mongolia, the Desert West Mongolia, and Mobei Mongolia. Through the efforts of two generations, from Nurhachi to Taiji, Monan Mongolia (also known as Inner Mongolia) was completely conquered. However, the Desert West Mongolia, or Junggar Mongolia, was under the control of Galdan. He and his army posed a threat to the Qing Dynasty and attacked at different times. Kangxi decided to fight Galdan and defeated him. In addition, through a series of measures, Kangxi also solved issues with Khalkha in Mobei Mongolia or Outer Mongolia. As Kangxi said, "The past Qin Dynasty built the Great Wall. My dynasty bestows mercy on Khalkha, making it guard against the North. The result is that my dynasty has become even stronger than the Great Wall." As so it was that Emperior Kangxi resolved the Mongolia problem, an historical difficulty that existed during the Qin/Han periods and up to the Ming Dynasty--two thousand years.
Due to long periods of war from the late Ming to early Qing Dynasties, agricultural production was severely hampered. Kangxi led a series of measures to restore and develop agricultural production. He personally went to the areas south of the Yangzi River six times to inspect water resources as well as to repair the Yellow River, Huai River, and Yongding River. Kangxi emphasized agricultural production, taming rivers, and conserving water. These efforts led to great accomplishment.
Conclusion
Emperor Kangxi was a master of both the pen and the sword. He was well-versed in traditional culture but also studied Western science. He was a master of both shooting and riding but also had the capability to repulse Galdan through military campaigns and to stabilize and manage the nation. He developed strategies to ensure victory. His victories in the wars against the "Three Rebellions" and Russia, while commanded from thousands of miles away in Beijing, and the recovery of Taiwan showed his remarkable military talent. In addition, Kangxi had extraordinary political vision and insight. He chose to create the "Doron Alliance" after wars, allied different Mongolian tribes, and used treaties to ensure that the territory of Heilongjiang was not violated. Kangxi also emphasized education, which laid the foundation for the century-long, peak ruling period of the Qing Dynasty, which is often called the "Kangxi and Qianlong Prosperous Era."