Emperor Kangxi

Kangxi was the emperor who ruled China for the longest time in the Qing Dynasty. He inherited the throne at the age of 8, was pro-political at the age of 14, and died at the age of 69. He reigned for 61 years. The long time he reigned in the world is unique in the history of our country.

When Emperor Shunzhi died in 1661, his third son, 8-year-old Aixinjueluo Xuanye, succeeded him and became the second emperor after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs. In 1662, the era name was changed to Kangxi. At that time, the government affairs of the country were assisted by four ministers: Sony, Curbilong, Soksakha and Aobai. Of the four auxiliary ministers, Sony was old and frail, and Curbilong was weak. Although Soksakha could fight hard in case of trouble, he was far from an opponent of Aobai, and was framed to death by Aobai. Therefore, the power of the dynasty was in the hands of the domineering Aobai and the old-fashioned faction. He did not take other auxiliary ministers and the Emperor Kangxi in the eyes at all. The officials presented the Emperor's memorials, and he often did not show them to the emperor and made his own decisions. He used the banner of "leading the ancestral system and restoring the old chapter" and adopted a policy of rejection of advanced Western science. The autocratic Aobai and Emperor Kangxi, who was young but had to be carefully managed, were increasingly contradictory on many fundamental issues. For example, Emperor Kangxi advocated further feudalization of Manchu rulers through reform; suppression of the separatist forces of "San Francisco" such as Wu Sangui; unification of Taiwan; and the need to pay enough attention to the separatist forces of the Kardan in the northwest. Aobai was opposed to all major issues and propositions. The young Emperor Kangxi clearly realized that if Aobai continued to be autocratic, not only would it pose a serious threat to his throne, but it would also have an adverse impact on the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

On August 25, 1667, the 14-year-old Emperor Kangxi resolutely abandoned Obai and began to take charge of political affairs. This further intensified the conflict between him and Obai. It was not until 1669 that Emperor Kangxi began to make great achievements.

In politics, in order to safeguard and consolidate the interests of the feudal state, Kangxi reformed the central institutions and strengthened the centralization of power; in order to maintain the unity of the country, after quelling the rebellion of the three vassals, he continued to carry out the struggle to recover Taiwan and defend the southeast sea borders. In the 24th year of Kangxi, he sent troops to expel the Tsarist Russian invaders who were entrenched in Yaksa in the Heilongjiang River Basin, curbing the Tsarist Russia's ambitions of aggression against China; in 28 years, he concluded the Sino-Russian Treaty of Nybuchu, which determined the eastern boundary between China and Russia, leaving a glorious chapter in the history of our country's anti-aggression war. After that, he sent troops to eliminate the Kaldan clique and the Alabtan rebels, attacked Tsarist Russia again, and consolidated the northwest and southwest frontiers of the motherland, so that China formed a unified country with a vast territory and many ethnic groups

In terms of economy, Kangxi paid attention to reducing taxes, reducing money and grain, providing relief to the hungry; governing Huang and Huai, building water conservancy; rewarding reclamation of famine, expanding the area of cultivated land; abolishing the order to move the sea, opening the sea ban, and implementing policies conducive to industrial and commercial development. These series of policies have greatly promoted the development of the national economy.

Kangxi was diligent and studious throughout his life and read a lot of books. He studied mathematics, astronomy, calendars, physics, medicine, engineering technology, classics, history, children, collections, and calligraphy and painting. He also ordered the organization of forces to compile books many times, and the famous Kangxi Dictionary compiled at home and abroad at that time has been passed down to this day.