The Qing Dynasty, the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history, ruled the Central Plains for 276 years. It is puzzling that 3 million Manchurians were able to effectively rule over 300 million Han Chinese, and the Han Chinese did not revolt on a large scale.
This puzzle has led many people to speculate, and today we will combine the Qing Dynasty's ruling strategy, Manchu and Han cultural integration, and socio-economic policies to reveal the deep reasons behind this phenomenon, and talk about why the Han people did not rebel against Manchu rule on a large scale.
The Ming Dynasty fell, and the Qing Dynasty took its place
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the external troubles continued to intensify, the peasant uprising was in full swing, and the peasant rebel army such as Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong grew rapidly, causing great pressure on the Ming Dynasty government.
At the same time, the Ming government was deeply corrupt, the bureaucracy was chaotic, and the imperial court was unable to cope with various crises.
In addition, natural disasters continue to occur, the people's lives are difficult, and the society is in turmoil. Under this situation of internal and external difficulties, the military strength of the Ming Dynasty gradually weakened, and the Ming army repeatedly lost in the war against the Later Jin, and its military advantage was gradually lost.
After Emperor Chongzhen ascended the throne, although he tried to rectify the government and try to restore the national strength, he had no choice but to have too serious internal and external troubles, and finally failed to save the fate of the Ming Dynasty.
In 1644, Li Zicheng led a peasant rebel army to break through Beijing, and the Ming Dynasty fell. At the same time, Wu Sangui, the general of Shanhaiguan, was dissatisfied with Li Zicheng's rule, so he asked for help from the Qing army and led the Qing army into the customs.
The Qing army, led by Dolgon, defeated Li Zicheng's rebel army in one fell swoop and entered Beijing and began to rule the Central Plains.
After the Qing army entered the customs, it quickly quelled the rebel forces in various places and stabilized the rule of the Qing Dynasty, after which the Shunzhi Emperor Fulin officially entered the Central Plains with the assistance of Dolgon, and began to rule the whole country, and the Qing Dynasty ruled until Puyi's abdication in 1912.
Looking back at the entire reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchus were only a few million, while the Han people numbered hundreds of millions, so why would they submit to the rule of the Manchus and not resist? There are three main reasons for this.
The disparity in strength and the military disparity
The Qing Dynasty was founded by the rise of Nurhachi, a prominent leader of the Jurchen tribe who came from the family of the Jurchen Jianzhou Left Guard chieftains in the East China Sea of Manchuria.
With his superior military prowess and political wisdom, he unified the Jurchen tribes at the end of the 16th century, and later established the Later Jin regime.
Nurhachi's success lay not only in his brilliant strategic vision, but also in his effective integration within the tribes, bringing together the otherwise scattered Jurchen tribes into a formidable military force through marital alliances and military conquests.
After unifying the Jurchen tribes, Nurhachi rapidly increased the military strength of the Later Jin, focusing on training soldiers, strengthening military discipline, and building an army with strict discipline and strong combat effectiveness.
In order to expand his power, Nurhachi actively allied with the Mongol tribes to jointly fight against the Ming Dynasty, and successfully broke the Ming Dynasty's control of the northeast region through continuous conquests, laying the foundation for the rise of the Later Jin.
In other words, in the early days of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchurians quickly conquered the Central Plains with their strong military strength and combat experience.
The Manchurians learned martial arts since childhood, and were good at riding and archery, and had extremely strong combat effectiveness, while the Han people had long been mainly agricultural, attaching importance to culture and education, and lacked military training and combat experience.
This huge military disparity often put the Han Chinese at a disadvantage in the face of the Manchurian army.
The Manchurian army not only has strong combat effectiveness, but is also well-organized and disciplined, and the establishment of the eight-banner system has made the Manchurian army have a high degree of cohesion and combat effectiveness.
The mobility and combat effectiveness of the Manchurian cavalry on the battlefield often made it difficult for the Han Chinese army to deal with it, and even if there was a breakthrough in tactics and strategy, it was difficult for the Han Chinese to reverse their disadvantage in general.
At the same time, the Qing rulers took drastic repressive measures militarily, and the Qing government carried out swift and brutal repression against any resistance forces, as exemplified by the "Ten Days of Yangzhou".
This repressive policy made it difficult for the Han Chinese to organize effective revolts, and even sporadic uprisings were quickly suppressed by the Qing army, making it difficult to form large-scale revolts.
Economic policies and improvement of people's livelihood
After Nurhachi's death, his son, Huang Taiji, continued his legacy, not only possessing military prowess comparable to his father's, but also showing outstanding political wisdom.
During his reign, Huang Taiji introduced the Han administrative management system and appointed Han officials through a series of reforms, which greatly promoted the Sinicization process of Jurchen society and further consolidated the foundation of the Later Jin regime.
After entering the customs, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty adopted a series of policies aimed at restoring and developing the economy, and the Shunzhi and Kangxi emperors repeatedly reduced taxes to ease the economic burden of the peasants.
After his accession to the throne, Emperor Shunzhi took a series of measures to appease the Han Chinese in order to win the hearts and minds of the people, ordering tax reductions, promoting agricultural production, and restoring social order.
He also attached great importance to cultural education, advocated respect for Han culture, and appointed Han officials, which effectively alleviated the discontent of the Han people and strengthened the foundation of Qing rule.
After the death of Emperor Shunzhi, he was succeeded by his son Emperor Kangxi, a prominent emperor in the history of the Qing Dynasty, who not only consolidated the rule of the Qing Dynasty but also promoted the prosperity and development of the country.
At the beginning of his ascension to the throne, Emperor Kangxi faced the dual challenges of internal power struggles and external threats, and through decisive political means to quell the rebellion of the three feudatories, crack down on the power of the ministers, and strengthen the centralization of power.
He also paid attention to economic and cultural development, implemented a series of policies to lighten the peasants' burdens, and promoted the development of agricultural production.
Vigorously build water conservancy projects, reduce taxes, improve the living conditions of the people, attach importance to science and education, invite missionaries to China to disseminate Western scientific knowledge, and promote cultural exchanges between China and the West.
These measures gradually stabilized the lives of the Han Chinese and gave them a certain sense of identity with the Qing rule, whose economic policies not only benefited the peasants, but also promoted the development of handicrafts and commerce.
During the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, handicrafts and commerce flourished, and the social economy achieved remarkable social and economic development, and the economic prosperity led to the improvement of the people's living standards and social stability, and the economic improvement reduced the motivation of the Han people to resist the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
The Qing rulers also improved the administrative efficiency of the government by curbing bureaucratic corruption, and during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, he carried out drastic reforms to combat corruption and improve the integrity and administrative efficiency of officials.
These measures strengthened the Han people's trust and support for the Qing government and further stabilized the social order.
The integration and identity of Manchu and Han cultures
In fact, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty also knew that in order to rule the Central Plains for a long time, they must integrate into the Han culture and win the recognition of the Han people, and only in this way can they achieve long-term peace and stability.
Therefore, the Qing emperors and nobles actively studied Chinese, received Han cultural education, and respected the customs and habits of the Han people, and emperors such as Emperor Kangxi, Emperor Yongzheng and Emperor Qianlong were not only proficient in Chinese, but also vigorously promoted the integration of Manchu and Han in politics, economy, culture and other aspects.
Emperor Kangxi presided over the compilation of the Kangxi Dictionary to promote the standardization and normalization of Chinese characters and enhance the influence of Han culture. Emperor Qianlong presided over the revision of the Siku Quanshu to promote the development of academic culture and promote the exchange and integration of Manchu and Han cultures.
These cultural constructions made the Han people feel the respect and importance of the Qing rulers for Han culture, and strengthened their sense of identity with the Qing Dynasty.
In addition, the implementation of the Manchu-Han intermarriage policy was also an important measure to promote the integration of the two ethnic groups, and the Qing rulers encouraged the Manchu and Han intermarriages to break the racial barrier through marriage relations and enhance the understanding and trust between the two ethnic groups.
Even the royal family and aristocracy took the lead in intermarrying with the Han Chinese as a sign of respect and acceptance for Han culture, a policy that further promoted cultural integration and social harmony between the Manchus and Hans.
The rulers of the Qing Dynasty vigorously implemented the imperial examination system for the fair selection of talents, which not only provided Han Chinese with the opportunity to enter the official career, but also strengthened their sense of identity with the Qing Dynasty.
Emperors such as the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors promoted a large number of Han Chinese officials through the imperial examinations, giving them important positions in the imperial court, such as Zhou Peigong, Yao Qisheng, Zhang Tingyu, and Chen Tingjing.
During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, he also gave the green light to the Han people, forbidding the Manchus to take the top three in the imperial examinations, leaving the opportunity to the Han people, a measure that greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of the Han people, making them study harder and participate in the governance of the country.
By participating in politics, Han people not only improve their social status, but also play a role in national governance.
Han people passed the imperial examination to enter the official career, became Qing officials to participate in the governance of the country, this system made the class contradictions well resolved, Han people have a sense of ownership and reduce the motivation to resist the Qing Dynasty.
The rulers of the Qing Dynasty adopted a series of policies to promote harmonious coexistence between the two ethnic groups, and the Kangxi Emperor put forward the policy of "Manchu and Han integration", requiring Manchu and Han officials to jointly govern and participate in the governance of the country.
A series of policies that respected Han Chinese culture were also implemented, such as the legal and administrative systems of the Qing Dynasty, which largely inherited the traditions of the Ming Dynasty, giving the Han Chinese a sense of cultural continuity and security.
Overall, the Qing dynasty's 276-year rule in Chinese history is due to a series of highly effective political and social strategies.
First, the goal of domination was achieved through military deterrence, and then the xenophobia of the Han people was eliminated through cultural integration, and finally the contradictions between the ruling class and the ruled class were resolved through a fair imperial examination system and economic reform.
This policy of combining grace and power strengthened the Han people's sense of identity with the Qing Dynasty, won the support and support of the Han people, reduced their motivation to resist, and provided a political guarantee for the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
Therefore, despite the huge population gap between the Manchus and Hans, the Qing rulers relied on smart governance to successfully defuse potential resistance forces, and only then did they have a national honor for nearly 300 years.
From this point of view, any regime needs to keep pace with the times and adapt to changes in order to achieve long-term peace and stability.
What do you think differently about this?
Reference: A Preliminary Study on Ethnic Policy in the Early Qing Dynasty - CNKI (cnki.net)
The Eight Banners Imperial Examination and the Cultural Identity of the Manchu Central Plains - CNKI (cnki.net)