Qianlong << chee EHN loong >> Emperor (1711-1799) was the emperor of China from 1736 to 1796. He is considered one of the greatest rulers of the Qing (Pure) dynasty (family of rulers). The Qing dynasty had been established in 1644 by the Manchus , a tribal people from northeastern China. It lasted until 1912. The Qianlong Emperor’s birth name was Hongli. The period of his reign is known as Qianlong, which means Heaven’s Flourishing in Chinese. He is therefore known as the Qianlong Emperor.
Hongli was born in 1711. He was the fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor. Hongli became emperor after Yongzheng died in 1735, although the name of his reign did not become official until the following year. Though the Manchus held power, most of China’s population at that time was Han Chinese.
The Qianlong Emperor was a supporter of the arts and scholarship. He studied Han Chinese culture, painting, and calligraphy (beautiful writing). In 1771, he commissioned experts to assemble a collection of texts on a variety of subjects. It took scholars about 10 years to compile The Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, with more than 3,400 works. However, the scholars were ordered to destroy texts critical of the Manchus, causing more than 2,000 works to be lost.
Under Qianlong, the Chinese empire expanded to include Tibet and parts of central Asia. He also exerted political control over Burma (now Myanmar ), Nepal , and Vietnam . Those regions submitted tribute (payment) in return for military protection and access to Chinese goods.
In 1796, Qianlong gave up the throne to his son Yongan, who became known as the Jiaqing Emperor. However, Qianlong continued to direct the actions of the government until his death in 1799.
