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Hsüan-yeh (1654-1722, Reign-title = K'ang-hsi), the second Emperor of the Ch'ing dynasty, ruled during the years 1661-1722. He was the third son of Fu-lin. His mother, Empress Hsiao-k'ang (1640-1663), a consort of Fu-lin, was a daughter of T'ung Kuo-kang. 1661 on February 17, twelve days after his father's death, he was proclaimed Emperor of China. After his mother's death in 1663 he was, for the most part, reared by he Dowager Empress, Hsiao-chuang.
The rule of Hsüan-yeh was for the most part tolerant and conciliatory. In comparison with the emperors of the late Ming period he was frugal, practical, and conscientious in the discharge of his responsibilities. During his reign the empire increased in wealth and most of the time enjoyed peace and prosperity. In the course of his six tours to South China (in the years 1684, 1689, 1699, 1703, and 1707) he took pains personally to inspect conservancy projects and so spurred the officials in charge to more efficient and conscientious labors. Although he did not vigorously enforce the laws governing corrupt officials, he frequently singled out for promotion those who were reported as incorrupt. It is true that during his reign high officials often organized themselves into fractions, but he was usually able to check their activities through reports of the censors.
A hortatory edict issued by Hsüan-yeh in 1670 laid down sixteen moral maxims, each concisely written in seven characters. These maxims were amplified by Liang Yen-nien, magistrate of Fan-ch'ang, Anhwei (1673-81), with citations from history to illustrate the sixteen points. This annotated text, entitled Shêng-yü hsiang-chieh, in 20 chüan, printed in 1681, is a good example of the printing art of the period.
The K'ang-hsi period is noted for advancement in learning to which Hsüan-yeh made significant contributions. Desirous of lessening the opposition of recalcitrant Chinese scholars to the new régime, he solicited their help in the compilation of the Ming-shih. In order to obtain capable scholars for this project he summoned many to complete in a special examination known as the po-hsüeh hung-tz'u. He selected learned men and good calligraphers to be his personal secretaries, their office being known as the Nan shu-fang or Imperial Study. Many famous works on literature and art were compiled by his order, among them the: P'ei-wên chai shu-hua p'u; K'ang-hsi tzu-tien; P'ei-wên yun-fu; Yüan-chien lei-han; Ch'üan T'ang-shih. As a sponsor of the Song school of philosophy and ethics he saw to the publication of the Chu-tzu ch'üan-shu. Hsüan-yeh patronized the arts. In the palaces in Peking the hall known as Ju-i kuan in the court called Ch'i-hsiang kung, was set aside as a studio and repair shop where the Emperor gathered the painters, mechanics, and architects who were in his service. European missionaries worked in the Ju-i kuan, painting, engraving, or repairing clocks and other mechanical devices which they and others had brought from Europe as gifts to the Emperor.
The Emperor took notice of scientific matters and himself became interested in mathematics during the controversy (1668-69) concerning Chinese and Western calendrical methods. Finding that his high officials were ignorant of the subject, he determined to learn something of it for himself. The Jesuit missionaries, having proved their calculations to be correct, were placed in charge of the Imperial Board of Astronomy and were asked to teach the Emperor Western sciences. In the last decade of his reign Hsüan-yeh arranged for a group of young Chinese an Manchus to be tutored by the Jesuits. This group brought together works on mathematics, the calendar and music - works which are known collectively as the lü-li yüan-yüan.
Early in the K'ang-hsi reign-period Catholic missionaries in the provinces were often persecuted, but in 1692, through the help of Songgotu, they obtained a decree from Hsüan-yeh legalizing and protecting missionary work in the empire. In 1693, for the service at court - especially for having cured the Emperor of malaria, with quinine - the French missionaries were given a piece of land inside the Forbidden City, with permission (1703) to erect a church there which was completed ten years later and came to be known as Pei-t'ang.
Hsüan-yeh tried to foster the military traditions of the Manchus by going on hunting trips regularly. At first he often visited the old hunting grounds at Nan-yüan, south of the capital. In 1677 he made a journey to Jehol, and after 1683 went there once each year, chiefly during the summer months. Beginning in 1703 he built the summer palaces at Jehol, which came to be known as the Pi-shu shan-chuang. In 1712 he selected thirty-six views of these palaces; and about each view a poem and a painting were made, which were printed under the title Pi-shu shan-chuang san-shih-liu ching shih-ping-t'u.
Near Peking Hsüan-yeh restored a garden (ca. 1687) which had once belonged to a nobleman of the Ming period, giving it the name Ch'ang-ch'un yüan, and there he often spent several months in each year. It was in this garden that for several years he studied mathematics with the Jesuit missionaries to whom he granted a residence nearby.
Late in 1722 Hsüan-yeh died in the Ch'ang ch'un-yüan.
Hsüan-yeh was given by his successor the posthumous name, Jên Huang-ti, and the temple-name, Shêng-tsu. His tomb was named Ching-ling. Concerning his life and times, there are the usual Shih-lu, in 303 chüan, compiled by Chang T'ing-yü and others, and a collection of imperial instructions, Shêng-hsün, in 60 chüan.
Text by: Esther Goldstein, mostly cited from: Hummel, Arthur W.: Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (1644-1912). Washington: United States Government Printing Office (1943), Vol. I Pp. 327-331.
The Background is composed of Kangxi's seal. The red characters on the right are chinese and read huangdi zhi bao "Emperor's Seal". The red characters on the left side are manchu and read hôwangdi-i boobai "Seal of the Emperor". The black handwritten characters say Kangxi liu nian qi yue chu qi ri "The seventh day of the seventh [lunar] month of the sixth year of the Kangxi-period", which is 1667/08/25 (Thu).
Wolfgang Odendahl (26.10.1995)
