Qianlong Emperor of China
The Qianlong emperor (Chinese: 乾隆; Wade-Giles: Ch'ien-lung), September 25, 1711-February 7, 1799, was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China. The fifth son of the Yongzheng emperor, he reigned officially from October 18, 1735 to February 9, 1796, at which point he retired in favor of his son, the Jiaqing emperor - a filial act in order not to reign longer than his grandfather, the illustrious Kangxi emperor. Despite his retirement, however, he retained ultimate power until his death in 1799.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Early years 3 Ascencion to the throne 4 Politics 5 Territorial expansion 6 Intellectual developments 7 Arts 8 Later years 9 Useful links for further information |
| Given Name | Posthumous Name (short form) 諡號 (shi hao) |
Temple Name 廟號 (miao hao) |
Reign Name 年號 (nian hao) Chinese; Manchu |
Reign Years | Name by which most commonly known |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong-li 弘曆 |
Chundi 純帝 |
Gaozong 高宗 |
Qianlong, 乾隆; Abkai wehiyehe |
1735-1796 (died 1799) |
The Qianlong emperor |
The Qianlong emperor was a successful military leader, presiding over a huge expansion in the territory controlled by the Qing dynasty, especially to the north and west.
The Qianlong emperor was also a major patron of the arts. The most significant of his commissions was a catalogue of all important works on Chinese culture, the Siku quanshu (四庫全書). He was a prolific poet and a collector of ceramics, an art which flourished in his reign; a substantial part of his collection is in the Percival David Foundation in London.Early years
Ascencion to the throne
Politics
Territorial expansion
Intellectual developments
Arts
| Preceded by: Yongzheng emperor |
Qing dynasty and Qing dynasty emperors |
Succeeded by: Jiaqing emperor |