A Great Biography of Yongzheng cover

A Great Biography of Yongzheng

Rating 3.8
Word count
284K words
Chapters
172
ISBN
9787514372793

Tags

Summary

He cleaned up the bureaucracy and abolished cruel punishments, rising early and staying up late to annotate memorials! His iron fist made him the victor in the nine princes' succession struggle; his diligent, sharp-tongued nature made him a true memorial-annotating fanatic! One of literary historian Guanhe Wushizhou's "Emperor Trilogy," this book restores the true, vivid life of an emperor and deciphers the statecraft and talent management of a great reformer.

What was the real climate of the Yongzheng reign? Of the fourteen major events in five hundred years of Ming-Qing history, the brief thirteen-year Yongzheng reign accounts for two. What kind of man was Yongzheng? Some call him "diligent in governance and caring for the people" and note that he "wrote over ten million characters of annotations"; others brand him "heaped with infamy" for "plotting against his father, coercing his mother, killing his brothers." He used thunderous measures to clean up corrupt officials while also turning into a "meme lord" grumbling and writing. Through historical sources, this book restores the true, vivid life of this emperor and tells how this fourth prince, initially underestimated, won Kangxi's trust for the great cause and founded the Yongzheng reign.

Editor's review

One of Guanhe Wushizhou's "Emperor Trilogy," this book draws on solid historical sources to bring the highly controversial Emperor Yongzheng back to concrete historical ground. Rather than stopping at labels like "diligent ruler" or "tyrant," the author uses memorial annotations, administrative details, and key moments in the succession struggle to present a complex figure who was both iron-fisted and genuine. By sorting through issues such as rectifying officialdom, abolishing cruel punishments, and the art of personnel management, the book helps readers understand why a mere thirteen years carries such weight in Ming-Qing history. The narrative is accessible, with historical sources woven in naturally—suitable for reading in segments on a commute or before bed, and as an introductory work for understanding mid-Qing political operations. As you read, watch how the author balances "revisionism" with "objectivity"; that tension is itself part of the pleasure of history writing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • General readers interested in Qing history who want to understand Yongzheng and his era
  • Readers who enjoy accessible historical narrative and prefer biographies
  • Readers who want to observe an emperor's daily governance through memorial annotations
  • Organizers looking for discussion titles for history reading groups

Not a good fit for

  • Professional historians expecting rigorous academic sourcing and annotation
  • Readers who prefer strong plot and fast pacing in the style of fiction
  • Beginners with no basic grasp of Qing political institutions who may find it dry

Reading tips

  1. Start with the chapters on the succession struggle and officialdom reform to establish the relationships, then read the whole book
  2. Slow down when reading quoted memorial annotations to appreciate Yongzheng's language and emotion
  3. After each chapter, summarize its core controversy in two or three sentences for easy cross-reference

About the publisher

Modern Press China · Founded in 1982

Founded in 1982, Modern Press is a Chinese publisher that serves general readers across a diverse range of subjects. Judging from its catalog, its publishing focuses on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, psychological research and application, popular science, and modern poetry, along with history, biography, and children's books. The Book of Songs, the illustrated vernacular edition of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, The Complete Poems of Dai Wangshu, and Buddhism in the Vegetable Roots reflect efforts to make traditional culture and poetry accessible; works by Carl Gustav Jung such as The Development of Personality and Understanding Your Psychological Type, together with titles from the Ivy International Education Alliance, show sustained attention to psychology and educational reading; and Stephen Hawking's works and the illustrated two-volume Brief History of Everything and A Brief History of Time indicate a commitment to popular science. Its authors include figures such as Qu Wanli, Xu Ke, Dai Wangshu, and Jung, and its publishing emphasizes retelling classics and accessible, illustrated presentation. Because public information is limited, this summary is based only on the titles in our catalog.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 第一章 高手从来都不是天生的
  3. 严苛的教育方式
  4. 十全十美的皇太子
  5. 错误的轨道
  6. 蠢蠢欲动
  7. 戒急用忍
  8. 探测器
  9. 弄巧成拙
  10. 狩猎场
  11. 意外偏偏就发生了
  12. 风向还在变
  13. 扶不起的阿斗
  14. 夺储策
  15. 你敢跟我一斗吗
  16. 十三太保
  17. 第二章 一石激起千层浪
  18. 让你们知道什么叫作以卵击石
  19. 备感心惊
  20. 万字命
  21. 短板
  22. 退台策
  23. 不挖白不挖
  24. 我辈岂有把屁当香闻之理
  25. 大将军王
  26. 布袋和尚呵呵笑
  27. 究竟选中了谁
  28. 威严政治
  29. 近在咫尺
  30. 以海寇攻海寇
  31. 最重要一票
  32. 有福之相
  33. 第三章 旋涡和激流
  34. 末命
  35. 康熙皇帝死了
  36. 养心殿风波
  37. 棘手现实
  38. 权斗场
  39. 你们祝贺我什么
  40. 相煎何太急
  41. 揖让
  42. 打蛇打七寸
  43. 剥笋原理
  44. 一狠到底
  45. 流言四起
  46. 七伤拳
  47. 究竟立储好不好
  48. 密建皇储
  49. 第四章 出了大问题
  50. 唯一捷径
  51. 获宠
  52. 别无选择
  53. 那不是风
  54. 絮絮叨叨
  55. 恩人
  56. 凭什么啊
  57. 大花面
  58. 不知如何疼你
  59. 岂有此理
  60. 情报网
  61. 打招呼
  62. 皇帝说了算
  63. 苍蝇不叮无缝的蛋
  64. 借题发挥
  65. 第五章 中国的奈龙
  66. 帝出三江口
  67. 虎入年宅
  68. 败家之尤
  69. 以言定罪
  70. 佟选
  71. 白帝城
  72. 恐怖故事
  73. 你怎么看
  74. 便宜行事
  75. 背锅侠
  76. 抄家皇帝
  77. 一追到底
  78. 反套路
  79. 罢考事件
  80. 第六章 直来直去的皇帝
  81. 以天心为心
  82. 不谋而合
  83. 科甲人
  84. 心病
  85. 开了头炮
  86. 也爱玩这一套
  87. 独特之处
  88. 没有一点问题
  89. 羊毛出在羊身上
  90. 两害相权取其轻
  91. 人生哲学
  92. 养廉银
  93. 不负人
  94. 第七章 有一件算我输
  95. 人命关天
  96. 仁政
  97. 通向自由的道路
  98. 棘手的难题
  99. 李卫当官
  100. 大闹天宫
  101. 并没有什么大不了的
  102. 他的居心是好的
  103. 大爷我只会武的
  104. 退而求其次
  105. 那些所谓毛病
  106. 英雄作为
  107. 借力打力
  108. 李卫为第一
  109. 第八章 伟大的变革
  110. 拒绝与被拒绝
  111. 改土归流
  112. 说起来容易,做起来难
  113. 不能半途而废
  114. 政治家的品格
  115. 破点
  116. 重剿不重抚
  117. 用将
  118. 杯酒释兵权
  119. 理财高手
  120. 三十万兵安在
  121. 鸡蛋里挑骨头
  122. 月黑见渔灯
  123. 浙江习气
  124. 投书案
  125. 第九章 好辩的性格
  126. 五星连珠
  127. 岳公爷
  128. 万万没想到
  129. 头等大事
  130. 诡诈术
  131. 死人在指挥活人
  132. 收买人心
  133. 辩论
  134. 明顶暗抗
  135. 小人行径
  136. 名山藏
  137. 十大罪状
  138. 哭笑不得
  139. 最新线索
  140. 第十章 出奇料理
  141. 报祥瑞
  142. 知音
  143. 柳暗花明
  144. 改造和利用
  145. 大功告成
  146. 奇书
  147. 神秘人
  148. 什么叫奇
  149. 内中堂
  150. 股肱大臣
  151. 次第解决
  152. 毕其功于一役
  153. 颓丧之气
  154. 后事安排
  155. 第十一章 最险恶之局
  156. 廷寄
  157. 失策
  158. 下下策
  159. 血战
  160. 败局已定
  161. 成为空中楼阁
  162. 响亮的回答
  163. 奇迹般的秋天
  164. 时势比人强
  165. 激将法
  166. 安得北斗为长弓
  167. 糊涂蛋
  168. 还是得靠战争来解决
  169. 惊骇欲绝
  170. 疑案
  171. 最好的时期
  172. 参考文献

FAQ

Is this book suitable for someone who knows nothing about Yongzheng?
Yes. The author begins with the nine princes' succession struggle and key events around the enthronement, in an accessible style that does not require prior Qing history knowledge. But if you have no idea about the late-Kangxi succession dispute, it helps to first skim the character relationships in the relevant chapters for smoother reading.
Does the book offer a revisionist defense of Yongzheng or an objective account?
Based on the material, the book restores Yongzheng's true, vivid side through historical sources, covering both his iron fist and his diligent annotation, without simply defending him. Readers can watch how the author handles the tension between infamous charges like "plotting against his father and coercing his mother" and administrative details, and judge the balance for themselves.
Should I buy the Kangxi volume in the same series together with this one?
Both belong to the "Emperor Trilogy" and share background, but each stands alone. Reading the Yongzheng volume first does not hinder understanding; if you want to see policy continuity and the succession entanglement between Kangxi and Yongzheng, reading in the order Kangxi then Yongzheng is more coherent.

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About the author

Guanhe Wushizhou (Zhao Jin) Author · Chinese

Guanhe Wushizhou, whose real name is Zhao Jin, is a native of Changzhou, Jiangsu, and a Chinese writer of modern and contemporary history and military documentary literature. He rose to prominence in 2009 with the serialized "The Frontline Anti-Japanese Battlefield" on the Tianya forum, and has since continued to work in military history. His works number twenty-six in the library. He writes mainly on military history and biography, covering the overall course of the War of Resistance, as in "One Inch of Land, One Inch of Blood" and "That Year, We Marched Out from Sichuan to Fight the Japanese," while also focusing on the fates of famous generals such as Han Xin, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing. He has further written on Japanese military history in the "Japan's Great Defeats" series and on the plight of historical figures in "Su Dongpo's Breakthrough." His writing is grounded in historical sources and marked by a readable narrative style. Public information is limited, and no confirmed records of his birth and death dates or early life are available.