Ask for the historical evaluation of Emperor Qianlong.

Historical Commentary:

"Manuscript of the History of the Qing Dynasty: The Benji of Emperor Gaozong": Emperor Gaozong moved to Zhilong, worked hard to govern, opened up frontiers and expanded the world, conquered all four directions, and was vigorous in literature and military affairs. For prosperity. Enjoying Zuo for a long time is the same as that of the holy ancestor, but the longevity test exceeds it. Since the third generation, there has been no such thing. But I am tired of hard work in my old age, obscured by power and luck, and tired of the brightness of the sun and moon, I sigh for it.

Overall review:

Positive review

Hongli was the longest reigning king in the world. Some people say that the creator of the reign record should be attributed to the French "Sun King" Louis XIV, who reigned for 72 years. However, it is known that the Sun King ascended the throne at the age of five and did not become interested in ruling the country until he was twenty-two. His actual time in power was only 50 years. From the minute Yinzhen died to the moment Hongli himself died, Hongli held the autocratic imperial power for 64 years and did not share it with others for a single day.

Hongli was one of the luckiest kings in the world. First, he has been in good health throughout his life and has not encountered major disasters or illnesses. Secondly, he succeeded to the throne at the age of 25, and the process of gaining supreme power was very smooth and without any twists and turns. Third, he ascended to the throne at just the right historical moment. Prior to this, the 91-year rule of Shunzhi, Kangxi and Yongzheng (1644-1735) had laid a good foundation for Hongli's rule.

Hongli was an affectionate and dedicated husband. He and Empress Xiaoxian had a deep love for each other. After the empress passed away in the thirteenth year of Qianlong's reign (1748), Hongli was devastated and mourned for the rest of his life. He wrote hundreds of poems mourning the death of the empress. His words were sincere and touching, and were the most common among all his poems. A masterpiece of true love. Hongli was also an extremely filial son.

Hongli is also the most prolific poet in the world. He wrote 41,863 poems in his life (it is also said that there are more than 39,000 or 100,000 poems, but most of them are not credible), and "The Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" "There are more than 2,200 authors, and there are more than 48,000 poems in one volume. Unfortunately, although Qianlong was well-read, he liked to show off his knowledge and even made up characters for the sake of rhyme, which made his poems difficult to understand and very difficult to pronounce. This may also be because he wrote so many poems, but none of them have been handed down.

Negative comments

Hongli was the largest dictator in Chinese history. It severely suppressed the initiative and creativity of the people and even the bureaucratic class, strengthened and ossified the authoritarian system, and created huge obstacles to future development. He exercised unprecedented tight control over society, nipping any buds of instability.

Hongli was one of the creators of literary inquisition in Chinese history. During the Qianlong period, the literary network was so dense and there were so many literary disasters that it was the pinnacle of literary inquisition in Chinese history. The literary inquisition was created by far-fetched ideas, misinterpreting literal meanings, and catching wind and shadow. During the Qianlong period, more than 130 cases of violence occurred. Forty-seven of the cases involved the death penalty.

Hongli rested on his laurels and missed the best opportunity to understand the Western world. At this time, Europe was building new warships and undergoing rapid changes and development in all aspects. It was also at the time when Hongli was intoxicated with himself that he passed by the Qing Empire and quickly surpassed it.

Hongli was extravagant and extravagant. Six trips to Jiangnan cost a lot of money. Originally, through the efforts of Kangxi and Yongzheng, the country was rich and the people were strong, and the treasury was full. However, due to Hongli's squandering, the treasury became strapped. The six expeditions to Jiangnan also caused very serious disasters to the people. In his later years, Hongli intensified his efforts, sowing the seeds that caused the Qing Dynasty to rapidly shift from the "prosperity of Kangxi and Qianlong" to the "decline of Daoxian" and then stagnate and then perish.