Index

 

Emperors

Kangxi Emperor

Chart: The Major Qing Emperors

Sidebar: Qing Inspection Tours of the Realm

Image: Two Portraits of the Kangxi Emperor

Qianlong Emperor

EXPANSION OF TERRITORY

Map: Expansion of Empire under Qing

CREATION OF A MULTIETHNIC STATE

Sidebar: Implications of Multiethnic Qing State on Formation of Chinese Identity

QIANLONG AS UNIVERSAL RULER

Images: Two Portraits of the Qianlong Emperor

QIANLONG AS PATRON OF ARTS

Images: Qianlong as the Bodhisattva

 

State

Four Aspects of Qing Government Impressive to Western Observers:

EMPEROR AND THE MANDATE OF HEAVEN

Sidebar: French Physiocrats' Admiration of Chinese Imperial System

AN INTEGRATED BUREAUCRACY

Sidebar: Benefits of Imperial Rule

EXAMINATION SYSTEM FOR ENTRY TO GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Image: Posting of the Examination Results

GOVERNMENT OF "ELITE COMMONERS"

Sidebar: Chinese Notion of Political Legitimacy and Implications for the Chinese State Today

Government Bureaucrats with Local and Imperial Orientations

Sidebar: Emerson, Voltaire, Meadows: Admirers of Chinese Ideas on Government

Qing State Policy is not Monolithic

The Rule of Avoidance and a Vision of Empire

Qing Population Growth and Its Effects

LOCAL MAGISTRATE OVERWHELMED BY POPULATION GROWTH

Two Qing Innovations

Tax Policy

Secret Palace Memorial System

 

Economy

Ming-Qing Economic Dynamism and Foreign Trade

STEREOTYPE OF THE "ANTI-MERCHANT" QING STATE

China as a Vast Continental Market vs. Small States of Europe

Map: China and Europe in the 19th Century

Qing China's Active Economy with Many Important Markets and Many Commodities

THE FARMING ECONOMY with PROLIFERATION of MARKETS

DEVELOPMENT of COMPLEX MARKET STRUCTURE

Interactive: Commercial Activity in 18th-century Suzhou

MERCHANT HIERARCHY EVOLVED

TAXES PAID IN MONEY

BIMETALLIC CURRENCY AND PAPER MONEY

EARLY BANKS AND LONG-DISTANCE TRADE

Sidebar: Remittance Banks ("Shanxi Banks")

Importance of Trade on Grand Canal

Map: Grand Canal

Addressing 3 Misconceptions about the Qing Economy

STATE CONTROL OF ECONOMY

Laissez-Faire State?

An Exception: The State Monopoly on the Salt Trade

Hereditary Occupations

SILVER IN CHINA AND THE WORLD ECONOMY

Map: Silver Exchange

CREATION OF THE "CANTON SYSTEM" IN 1760

 

Art

Schools of Art during the Qing

Sidebar/Image: The Chinese Literati

THE SCHOLAR-ARTISTS

WANG HUI AND THE ORTHODOX SCHOOL OF PAINTING

Chinese Approaches to the Work of Art

Sidebar/Image: The Qianlong Emperor, Collecor & Connoisseur

PERSONAL EXPRESSION VALUED OVER "REALISM"

IMPORTANCE OF POETRY FOR ARTISTS AND CONNOISSEURS

A WORK OF ART AS A DIALOGUE WITH THE PAST: THE ROLE OF OWNER AND CONNOISSEUR

Representing Space and the External World

EUROPEAN APPROACHES TO REPRESENTING SPACE

CHINESE APPROACHES TO REPRESENTING SPACE

Sidebar: Classifications of Pictorial Space in Chinese Painting

Influence of European Artistic Styles on Chinese Painting

Details page: Giuseppe Castiglione

Interactive: Comparison of Kangxi and Qianlong Inspection Tour Scrolls

Chinese Art in Europe: Porcelain

Image: Chinese Export Porcelain

Porcelain Production in China

 

Southern Inspection Tours

Introduction

The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour of 1689, Documented by Wang Hui and His Assistants

Map: Southern Inspection Tour Routes

The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour of 1751, Documented by Xu Yang and His Assistants

Chart: Location of all twenty-four Inspection Tour Scrolls

How the Inspection Tour Scrolls were Produced

Viewing the Scrolls in Light of Their Intended Purpose

Sidebar: Handscrolls in Chinese Art

Sidebar: Viewing a Handscroll: An Intimate Encounter

Sidebar: Displaying a Handscroll

Imperial Legitimacy and the Cosmic Order: The Kangxi Emperor's Visit to Mt. Tai

SIGNIFICANCE OF MT. TAI AS A PILGRIMAGE SITE

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE KANGXI EMPEROR'S VISIT TO MT. TAI

Interactive: Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll 3: Ji'nan to Mt. Tai

The Importance of Controlling the Waters: The Qianlong Emperor's Inspection of Water Control Measures at Huai and Yellow Rivers

Interactive: Qianlong Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll 4: Confluence of Huai and Yellow Rivers

Silk, Commerce, and the Importance of Suzhou and the Grand Canal

Interactive: Qianlong Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll 6: Entering Suzhou Along the Grand Canal

 

Teacher's Guide

Teachers' Guide with Study Questions: Recording the Grandeur of the Qing

A Journey Through Space: Traditional Chinese versus Western Conceptions of Space

How to Read a Chinese Hand Scroll

Exploring Trade and the World Economy: A City Street and Shops in 18th c. China

 

SCROLLS

The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Tour: Scroll Four

The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Tour: Scroll Three

The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Tour: Scroll Seven

The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Tour: Scroll Six

The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Tour: Scroll Six—districts detail

Comparing scrolls: Tiger Hill

Comparing scrolls: Chang Gate

Comparing scrolls: Emperor's Arrival

Comparing scrolls: Silk Commissioner's Residence

Locating Inspection Tour Scrolls

 

Resources

 

Credits