The Enigmatic Emperor: Qianlong’s Multifaceted Personality

The Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799), one of China’s longest-reigning monarchs, remains a figure of fascination due to his complex character. He was a man of contradictions—deeply affectionate yet capable of ruthlessness, a devoted son who elevated his mother (the legendary Empress Dowager Chongqing, often dramatized as “Zhen Huan”) while callously demoting his own empress. Yet beyond the imperial court’s intrigues, Qianlong cultivated a refined intellectual identity. He saw himself not just as a ruler but as a scholar, a poet, and a patron of culture. His reign marked the zenith of Qing dynasty literary and artistic achievements, yet it was also shadowed by censorship and ideological control.

The Scholar on the Throne: Qianlong’s Literary Obsession

Qianlong’s self-identification as a “书生” (scholar) was unconventional for an emperor. While traditional elites often dismissed bookishness as impractical, Qianlong embraced it, declaring:

– “Reading must serve practical use.” He believed knowledge should guide governance, blending Confucian ethics with statecraft.
– “Learning from ancient teachings brings enlightenment.” He saw classical texts as manuals for benevolent rule.
– “Without the air of books, one reeks of vulgarity.” To him, scholarly refinement distinguished nobility from commonness.

Despite his late start in formal education (beginning at age nine, three years later than palace tutors typically allowed), Qianlong compensated with obsessive productivity. He penned over 40,000 poems—though critics note their mediocrity—and authored 1,400 essays, aided by a team of literati like Wang Youdun and Yu Minzhong who polished his drafts.

Polyglot Emperor: Mastering Five Languages for Empire

Qianlong’s linguistic prowess was a strategic tool for governing a multiethnic empire:

1. Manchu: The Qing’s “national language.” He enforced its use among Manchu elites to resist cultural assimilation, even mandating exams for youth.
2. Chinese: Fluent in classical Han texts, he composed poetry and edited anthologies, becoming history’s most prolific imperial writer.
3. Mongolian: Key to pacifying the Zunghar Mongols, his fluency surpassed court translators. He personally edited Mongolian edicts.
4. Tibetan: Learned in his 30s to engage with Tibetan Buddhism. His policies, like the Golden Urn system for selecting lamas, stabilized Qing control over Tibet.
5. Uyghur: Studied to govern Xinjiang. His relationship with the Uyghur consort Rongfei (“Fragrant Concubine”) became legendary; they exchanged language lessons.

The Ultimate Editor: The Four Libraries Complete Project

As the chief architect of the Siku Quanshu (1773–1782), Qianlong orchestrated the most ambitious literary project of imperial China:

### The Editorial Colossus
– Leadership: A 16-member editorial board included grand secretaries like Liu Tongxun and Heshen, with 3,826 scribes copying texts.
– Scale: 36,000 volumes, 8 billion characters, spanning 3,461 titles across classics, history, philosophy, and literature.
– Censorship: The project’s dark side saw 15,000 books destroyed—especially Ming loyalist writings and texts referencing non-Han dynasties like the Yuan. Historian Wu Han lamented, “The Qing compiled the Siku, and ancient books perished!”

### Seven Copies for Posterity
Manuscript duplicates were stored in lavish libraries like the Wenyuan Pavilion (Forbidden City) and Wensu Pavilion (Shenyang), though wars later destroyed several.

Legacy: Culture and Control in the Qianlong Era

Qianlong’s reign was a paradox: a golden age of arts overshadowed by intellectual repression. His poetry, though undistinguished, symbolized the emperor’s desire to embody Confucian ideals. The Siku Quanshu preserved vast knowledge yet erased dissent. Today, his trilingual stelae (in Manchu, Chinese, and Tibetan) still stand at sacred sites, testifying to his vision of a unified, culturally diverse empire—one meticulously curated under the watchful eye of history’s most scholarly autocrat.

His life reminds us that even the most enlightened rulers could wield culture as both a gift and a weapon.