Aixin-Juelo Xuanye (1654-1722) was known as Emperor Kangxi, a title that means peace for all people and prosperity for all lands. Kangxi was honored in Chinese history as a noble, generous, and compassionate ruler. During his reign of 61 years China became the world's largest and strongest nation, with the largest population, the richest economy, and the most glorious culture. Emperor Kangxi was the architect of the period known as the "Prosperous Era of Kangxi and Qianlong" which lasted generations past his own life. Kangxi was an extraordinarily wise ruler whose example echoes to us through the ages.
United China with benevolence and tolerance
When Emperor Kangxi ascended to the throne, China was consumed with internal strife and foreign invasions. People lived in misery and many railed against the imperial court.
Grand Dowager Empress Xiao Zhuang asked Emperor Kangxi for his opinion on the nation's situation and he replied, "Those who are benevolent don't have enemies." He said to his ministers, "The way to end a rebellion is to be forgiving, generous, and noble. We can win people's hearts through leniency. To rule a nation one needs to be tolerant."
At the age of 16, Emperor Kangxi already possessed extraordinary wisdom and courage. He deposed the arrogant and controlling regent Oboi, defeated the rebels in southern China, pacified Taiwan, twice subdued the Dzungar Mongols,and stopped the invasion of the Russians at the northern border. He unified China and brought peace to the nation.
In dealing with the rebels in southern China, Kangxi told them firmly that the nation's territory was inviolable. He asked them to keep the nation's interests in mind and end the revolt. In return, he would grant them clemency. After he successfully crushed the rebellion, he treated everyone involved in the revolt with leniency so as to keep the losses to a minimum.
One of the southern rebels, Pingxi Prince Wu Sangui, bribed the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Province Wang Fuchen, who then dispatched troops and plotted an uprising. At the time, Wang Fuchen's son, Wang Jizhen, and family members lived in the capital Beijing, and ministers counseled Emperor Kangxi to immediately arrest them. Kangxi was concerned, but he remained calm. He sent Wang Jizhen to tell his father that the imperial court believed that the rebellion was not his original intention and that the Emperor was waiting for his return without punishment. Wang Fuchen was greatly moved, and bowed to the direction of the imperial court. Because of fear, however, he did not surrender.
Emperor Kangxi appointed Tu Hai as military general to fight Wang Fuchen. Tu Hai told his soldiers, "A benevolent and righteous army will heed to His Majesty's great virtue and love of life. We should appease the enemy first; attacking is only the second choice. No one may kill mercilessly." Tu Hai's troops were invincible and Wang Fuchen had to surrender. After that Emperor Kangxi offered Wang Fuchen the title of "Pacifying General" and asked him to assist Tu Hai in protecting the Hanzhong area. Wang Fuchen felt deep shame and regret for his actions. Many times, Kangxi asked Tu Hai to encourage him.
Kangxi adopted the policy of pacification in governing Mongolia in northern China. One of the tribal leaders of Khalkha Mongol (Outer Mongolia), Tosheetu Khan, started a war, giving Galdan (of Dzungar Mongol) the opportunity to invade and occupy Khalkha's land and forcing him to move south into China. Emperor Kangxi traveled beyond the Great Wall to preside over the Mongolian league conference. During the conference, Kangxi reprimanded Tosheetu Khan for his aggression, then said, "At such a grand gathering I do not have the heart to punish Tosheetu Khan." He pardoned his blunders in everyone's presence.
Kangxi resolved conflicts between the Mongolian tribes through benevolent instruction and guidance. He was successful in reunifying the Khalkha Mongols. The Mongols in turn surrendered willingly to Kangxi by kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times, following an ancient Chinese ritual of respect. Emperor Kangxi formally accepted the Khalkha Mongols as subjects into his empire.
In subduing Galdan, Kangxi said to his ministers, "To rule a nation, one should treat people with benevolence instead of coercion. Galdan is oppressive and violent, but I treat him with tolerance and mercy. Galdan is cunning and sly, but I show him honesty and trust."
Caring for the people
People were Kangxi's first priority. He observed them and was mindful of their hardships. During his reign, he constantly developed principles and policies that benefited the people. Kangxi was intent on restoring and expanding productivity so as to support the people. He forbid the seizure and occupation of people's lands. He exempted grain taxes 545 times at the cost of 1.5 billion liang of silver [each liang equals 37.3 gram]. Kangxi announced the policy of "no extra taxes on additional children," and froze the "population tax" to lessen the financial burden on peasants. He studied and investigated river management for more than ten years, and placed importance on managing and controlling the Yellow River to reduce damage and suffering brought by flooding.
One time, a part of the Great Wall in the area of Gubeikou collapsed. The ministry of public works discussed the reconstruction project. Kangxi said to the senior engineers, "When an emperor rules a nation, he relies on internal sources and does not solely depend on barricades. The Great Wall was built during the Qin Dynasty and constantly repaired during the Han, Tang, and Song Dynasties. Yet, this did not prevent foreign invasions. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, my ancestor led his army across it, destroying any obstructions. No one could stop them! To defend a nation is to cultivate one's virtue and treat the people respectfully. When people are happy, the nation is in harmony and the frontier is fortified. This is why we have a saying 'unity of the people with the same purpose is a formidable force.'"
Emperor Kangxi was a benevolent emperor. He instructed that all officials treat people the same as they wanted to be treated. Kangxi put in practice a "lenient punishment" policy. Records show, for example, in the 22nd year of his reign, less than forty prisoners received the death penalty.
Appointing officials according to their virtues
When selecting people for government positions Kangxi looked first at a person's virtue and character. He abided by the following principle when selecting an official, "A person's morality, fairness, and generosity of spirit come first, his talents and skills come last. It would be ideal if the person possessed virtue and talent. However, it is more important that he possesses virtue instead of talent. A person's talent must be grounded in his virtues. If he possesses more virtue than talent, he is a true gentleman. If he possesses more talent than virtue, he is a spiteful man."
Emperor Kangxi was from the Manchu ethnic group which was the rival to the Han Chinese. In order to reassure Han officials, Kangxi told them repeatedly, "The Manchus and the Hans are my ministers. The Manchus and the Hans are one body. All upright officials are my trusted aides regardless of their origin. Every official must be cautious, submit written reports, and take care of their responsibilities." Therefore, many scholars who had lived in seclusion came to serve the government. The barrier between the Manchus, Hans, and other ethnic groups gradually disintegrated and they all lived in harmony.
To foster an honest and upright environment among government officials, Kangxi asked honest officials to recommend other officials, and his court was known for having numerous honest and responsible officials. Wherever they served the people there benefited.
Yu Chenglong was the governor of Shanxi Province. He was loyal, responsible, and honest. Occupying a high position, he did not seek personal gain. He had two meals a day consisting simply of rice and vegetables. His diet earned him the nickname of "Vegetable Yu." He set a personal example and prohibited officials from offering or accepting bribes. He was deeply loved by the people. After he died, his subordinate generals and officials went to his house to offer their condolences. They saw that he only had one gown in his bamboo chest and several containers for salt and grain by the head of his bed. They were deeply touched by his discipline and virtue. People hung his portrait in their homes to commemorate him, and Kangxi praised him as "the number one honest official."
Kangxi paid particular attention to eliminating corruption in his government. He said, "The crime of a corrupt official is unlike any other crimes, so I must not be lenient. Otherwise, it would not serve as a deterrent." Once he personally presided over a court hearing and punished a handful of corrupt officials as a way of warning others. He was even stricter with high-ranking regional officials. For example, one governor of Shanxi Province was executed for taking bribes. Kangxi explained that if severe punishment was not used for such crimes, then how could officials be disciplined? Kangxi's strict discipline effectively deterred corruption among officials.
Ruled by moral discipline and self-cultivation
Kangxi was a disciplined student of China's great sages. He began his studies at the age of five and studied day and night, whether it was cold or warm. He even forgot to eat and sleep. He loved calligraphy and wrote more than a thousand characters a day. He studied the four classics (the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Analects of Confucius, and the Mencius ) so thoroughly that he could recite every single character and never cheated. Even during excursions or visits, he did not stop reading, composing poems, or writing essays. He was well versed in literature, history, geography, mathematics, medicine, and many other disciplines. Even scholars admired him for his profound knowledge. Kangxi directed scholars to compile The History of Ming, The Complete Book of Tang Poetry, and the Kangxi Dictionary. Precious cultural treasures were left behind from his reign.
Kangxi lived and ruled by the principles of Confucianism and Daoism. When he started to rule the country independently at the age of 14, he accepted the suggestion of the Han Chinese officials to honor Confucius. Hundreds of officials participated in the grand ceremony at the imperial college. He went to the Confucian temple in Qu Fu, Shandong Province, and paid honor to Confucius by kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times. He wrote on a banner four Chinese characters "wan shi shi biao" (praising Confucius as a "Paragon for All Generations"), and hung it in the palace to show his determination to rule the nation by Confucian philosophy. Han scholars and Confucian scholars were deeply moved. They said, "Your majesty highly honors Confucius as his teacher. This indicates that your majesty is wise, extraordinary, and noble. You are truly an Emperor mandated by heaven! We have been studying the books by the sages diligently. Now is the time for us to serve our country diligently."
Kangxi followed the principle of filial piety. He was very respectful of his mother and grandmother. Every day he visited his grandmother, Grand Dowager Empress Xiao Zhuang, in the Cining Palace. When Xiao Zhuang fell ill, he walked several times to the Altar of Heaven to pray for her and made a wish that he would give up his life in order for his grandmother to live longer. After Xiao Zhuang died, Kangxi was extremely sad. He personally placed his grandmother's body in the coffin. He cut his hair and wore mourning clothes. Later, he continued to visit Cining Palace every day where every item reminded him of his grandmother. When Kangxi issued the famous "Sixteen Rules of the Imperial Edict," filial piety was the most important.
Living a life of self restraint
Kangxi valued frugality. He said, "Ever since I ascended to the throne, I have encouraged frugality. I wear ordinary clothing and shoes that are made of cloth." Joachim Bouvet, a Frenchman who visited China, wrote to the King of France, "Kangxi's indifference to worldly gain and his plain and simple lifestyle are unprecedented in history. He eats two meals a day, which are very simple. He wears the most ordinary clothing. He only dresses up during special ceremonies. He does not have any extravagant desires. His indifference to worldly gain is unimaginable, and it is reflected in the clothes he wears and in his lifestyle."
From the day he ruled the country until he died, Kangxi insisted on going to the imperial palace and listening to administrative reports from the ministers. He administered state affairs almost daily, except on days when he was ill, when the nation celebrated important holidays, or when there was an unexpected crisis.
Since ancient times almost every Chinese ruler claimed to govern with benevolence and piety; but how many of them were truly "benevolent" and "pious?" Some spoke about virtues but acted just the opposite, such as Emperor Jie (Xia Dynasty) and Emperor Zhou (Shang Dynasty). Kangxi was a rare ruler who truly served the people and practiced what he preached. His virtue and achievements have been praised by the Chinese for generations. Just as the Chinese saying goes, "Rulers who follow the Dao with supreme virtue and benevolence will never be forgotten by the people."
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