Qianlong was and remains an enigmatic man and Emperor.  To many he is one of China's greatest Emperors. To others, he is a scapegoat for many of the woes the Qing Dynasty would incur in the next century.  Qianlong’s reign occurred during some of the momentous events in modern world history: The Seven-Years’ War (or the French and Indian War), the American Revolution, and the French Revolution.   Qianlong died the same year as George Washington.

The Qing Dynasty reached its zenith, culturally, geographically, and economically, during his rule.  He pushed China out in all directions like a balloon. During his reign, there were parts of China that rivaled the same standard of living as the richest parts of Europe.

In the early 1770s he commissioned the writing and publishing of essentially a Chinese encyclopedia.  When it was published in 1782, it contained seven sets of over 36,000 bound volumes each over 2,000,000 pages. But Qianlong also ordered the destruction and editing of any book or text he found to be anti-Manchu, or undesirable, or unacceptable.

Support the show