Yongzheng Emperor
Juan Portem
Aisin Gioro Yinzhen, the Yongzheng emperor, ruled from 1723 to 1735 and succeeded his father, Aisin Gioro Xuanye, who was known as one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history. In order to live up to his father’s name and his position Yongzheng had to produce an organized, thriving society. To do this, Yongzheng’s ideal of moral leadership was based on a strict centralization of imperial control, regardless of the funds required or the obstacles ahead. By centralizing imperial control he gains the ability to control the nation as a whole and his citizens as one unified society rather than a disordered society. Some of his policies that demonstrated his focus on centralization of imperial control included eliminating gentry tax breaks and folding the head tax into the land tax, and although it was unsuccessful, he also attempted to make a form of Chinese the standard spoken language within his nation. In addition, he focused on using his power to centrally control local grain reserves and liberate servile tenants, agricultural workers, and other degraded status groups. Many, if not all, of these actions have one similar common idea which is simplification and by simplifying the society he can assert his power and authority properly as an adequate emperor. For instance, his attempt to make a certain form of Chinese the standard language would have led to a nation that has citizens that all understand each other, allowing them to express their thoughts appropriately to their emperor. Essentially, Yongzheng believes that the key to good government and an orderly, prosperous society lies within simplicity. Complicated situations only causes struggle and difficulty, so by minimizing these complicated situations Yongzheng can focus much more on the flourishing of his
Aisin Gioro Yinzhen, the Yongzheng emperor, ruled from 1723 to 1735 and succeeded his father, Aisin Gioro Xuanye, who was known as one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history. In order to live up to his father’s name and his position Yongzheng had to produce an organized, thriving society. To do this, Yongzheng’s ideal of moral leadership was based on a strict centralization of imperial control, regardless of the funds required or the obstacles ahead. By centralizing imperial control he gains the ability to control the nation as a whole and his citizens as one unified society rather than a disordered society. Some of his policies that demonstrated his focus on centralization of imperial control included eliminating gentry tax breaks and folding the head tax into the land tax, and although it was unsuccessful, he also attempted to make a form of Chinese the standard spoken language within his nation. In addition, he focused on using his power to centrally control local grain reserves and liberate servile tenants, agricultural workers, and other degraded status groups. Many, if not all, of these actions have one similar common idea which is simplification and by simplifying the society he can assert his power and authority properly as an adequate emperor. For instance, his attempt to make a certain form of Chinese the standard language would have led to a nation that has citizens that all understand each other, allowing them to express their thoughts appropriately to their emperor. Essentially, Yongzheng believes that the key to good government and an orderly, prosperous society lies within simplicity. Complicated situations only causes struggle and difficulty, so by minimizing these complicated situations Yongzheng can focus much more on the flourishing of his