Analysis of Jonathan Spence’s Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K’ang-Hsi.
The ‘Great Qing’ dynasty formed a study in contrasts. It represented China’s greatest territorial expansion, yet ultimately became the last Chinese empire. It was started by ‘outsiders’ from the Northeast, but Qing rulers became firmly ‘Sinicised’ bastions of Han traditions and culture. Emperors blended frontier roughness with elite urbanity. The court was insular and isolated, yet also expansive and aware of foreign ideas and developments. To outside observers, Qing society seemed ‘stuck’ in the past and obsessed with past glory, but in reality life was fluid and experiences were dynamic. Rulers looked back to tradition yet fixed their gazes forward to new challenges and future generations.
Few individuals reflect the duality of the Qing era and existence like the Kangxi Emperor. Jonathan Spence’s book, in turn, offers a rare view inside the imperial mind and experience. The book provides the opportunity to see Kangxi as both an powerful emperor and a living human being. In the emperor’s own words we learn that how to "control through compassion." However, it also becomes clear that both "control" and "compassion" operate as deeply subjective notions. Your task is as follows:
Read the entire book
Consider how Kangxi’s emotions and experiences shaped his policies and practises and how imperial policies and practises guided his outlook and feelings.
Write a 500-word essay with a strong central argument that answers the question: Did personal contingencies define governance or did imperial traditions dictate decisions in the Kangxi era?
Your response must include specific examples from at least two sections of the book (i.e. "In Motion", "Ruling", "Thinking", "Growing Old", "Sons", and "Valedictory")
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