Cole Morse

HIS 394
Dr. Howard
9/16/14
Ching Dynastys Earliest Form of Success, Kang-hsi
In the early seventeenth century, Kang-hsis father and grandfather began
unifying Mongolian tribes and began to establish an allegiance with Chinese living North
of the Great Wall; the common goal being to destroy and dismantle the Ming Dynasty. In
1644, upon Manchu invasion, the last Ming emperor hung himself in the courtyards of
Peking, the Ching Dynasty was then established marking the end of Han rule over China
and initiated the beginning of Manchu rule. Shortly after his fathers death, Kang-hsi
adopted rule around the age of eight and mainly relied only on his own intuition and
scholarly research in order to lead the country into prosperity and unification, avoiding
persuasion by high clergy and cliques. Consolidating rule over the vast country of China,
for any ethnic Chinese group, was not something that could be done abruptly and called
for a ruler that could empathize with the many diverse ethnic groups within the country.
In the following paragraphs I will depict how Kang-hsi was able to unite one of the most
prosperous empires in Chinese history through: organized military operations and
punishment, unbiased administration of laws and an open minded approach to learning
and teaching others around him.
History proves that when an able, militarized group wants something that another
group has they usually take it by force and punish the factions subjects accordingly.
Previous Emperors have failed by reacting too soon on military strategies and also failed
in punishment that has resulted in the same societal problems reoccurring. This is where I
believe Kang-hsi was efficient during his tenure as the Emperor of the Ching Dynasty,

knowing the severity of being underprepared and the consequences that bear from poor
decision-making. It is my belief that when something is to be put into operation, the
sequence must be carefully calculated; when there will be benefit to the country, then is
the time to initiate action. Lightly embarking on a dangerous course inevitably leads to
trouble (Spence, p. 36). Emperor Kang-hsi knew the importance of being prepared.
Before attacking enemies his scouts were to bring back the exact number of soldiers,
weapons, horses, boats, which direction they were facing, full description of the
landscape that surrounded the enemies, and many others; attention to detail was of the
upmost importance. With such detail and knowledge, when Kang-hsi orchestrated a
military attack he always tried to hold the upper hand. Kang-hsi was also aware of the
significance of punishment and worked diligently with the Law of Codes in order to
justify his retributions against various perpetrators. My reading of this (Book of
Changes) was that the ruler needs both clarity and care in punishing: his intent must be to
punish in order to avoid the need for further punishing (Spence, p. 29). Kang-hsi was
cautious and apprehensive with strategy and punishment because he knew that if done
right the first time, the likelihood of future reoccurrences of the same problems would be
rather minimal.
Now embarking on Kang-hsis unbiased administration of the law, he sentenced
and punished according to his own judgment as to whether the committed crime was
enough for execution, lingering death or confinement. Kang-hsi read through the check
lists of men sentenced to the death penalty and double checked the lists with the Grand
Secretaries in order to make sure that each man was convicted properly and spared the
ones that were not. The point is not to abandon the category of Definitely guilty and

have the judges give all kinds of murderers a suspended sentence; it is rather to review
those found Definitely guilty of murder and check the motives and circumstances
(Spence, p.33). Emperor Kang-hsi typically gave everyone a fair shot and opportunity to
prove themselves no matter the situation. Not to misconstrued Kang-hsis many
beheadings of prisoners, but he was a just individual and ruler that worked in accordance
with the law in order to make the best possible decision for a convicted person. With this
mentality, he was able to connect with the common people of China and form a sense of
justice and true liberty. This is what we have to do: apply ourselves to human affairs to
the utmost, while remaining responsive to the dictates of Heaven (Spence, p.57).
The center of Kang-hsis abilities were entangled with his desire to continuously
learn about the ways of the world from previous scholars before his time, also from the
common people and eunuchs that surrounded him. Keep an open mind, and youll learn
things; you will miss other peoples good qualities if you just concentrate on your own
abilities (Spence, p.65). By learning on his own and from previous scholars, Kang-hsi
was able to form his own knowledge and avoid persuasion by other officials on
governing policies within the Ching Dynasty. Not only did he learn from others and
books that previous scholars had published, but Kang-hsi believed in first hand
experiences and thought this to be the most important way one could learn various
vocations and responsibilities. If you really want to know something you have to
observe or experience it in person; if you claim to know something on the basis of
hearsay, or on happening to see it in a book, youll be laughingstock to those who really
know (Spence, p. 66). Kang-hsi learned western arithmetic and geometry from Jesuit
priests and began teaching these methodologies to his officials in order to regulate and

record accurate calculations pertaining to river works. By being open to new learning
experiences and methodologies, Kang-hsi kept an open view and avoided stubborn
persuasion from cliques throughout the country; one of the key elements that ended the
previous Ming Dynasty.
The previous paragraphs have shed light on three areas that Kang-hsi was very
proficient in, and in turn, these aspects were vital in fabricating the Ching Dynastys
long reign of power. Through precise military operations, Kang-hsi was able to
overthrow remaining Ming factions and their threats to the Ching Dynasty while
remaining the dominant force within China. The beheading of Corporal Yambu in front of
all shipyard personnel shows how he instilled fear within the masses of the population;
whether peasants or high ranking officials, and called for all citizens to be in accordance
with the law for a peaceful country. Manchu or Han Chinese, Kang-hsi gave everyone a
fair chance with unbiased administration of the laws, which in return allowed for
everyone to receive the same chances and benefits by placing different factions on the
same scale. Kang-hsis ability to be open to learning opportunities and relying on his
own experiences to teach him principles, he was able to govern in some ways that were
never done before, initiating the long rule of the Ching Dynasty.

Works Cited
Spence,Jonathan.EmperorofChina:SelfPortraitofKangHsi.NewYork:
RandomHouse,1974.