Qing Imperial System

Qing Imperial System is the model of the Qing Dynasty, considered a sub-branch of Chinese Theocracy. He is an Authoritarian Right, Cultrually Right, and monarchist ideology.

History

The first iteration of the Qing Imperial System starts in 1616 with the establishment of Later Jin dynasty by the Jianzhou Jurchens. The dynasty was ruled by the House of Aisin-Gioro who unified the Jurchen (Manchu) tribes under Nurhaci.

In 1644, the Jin renamed into the Qing Dynasty and proceeded to conquer China.

In 1912, the last emperor of the Qing, Xuantong (Puyi), abdicates at the age of six, ending millennia of imperial rule.

In 1932, Japan establishes a puppet regime named Manchukuo with Puyi as a figurehead. In 1945 Manchukuo was destroyed as Japan was defeated in WWII.

Beliefs

Slavery & Abolitionism

The Qing initially oversaw an expansion in slavery and states of bondage, such as the Booi Aha. Qing possessed about two million slaves upon his conquest of China. However, like previous dynasties, the Qing rulers soon saw the advantages of phasing out slavery, and gradually introduced reforms turning slaves and serfs into peasants.

Booi Aha

Booi Aha, meaning literally "household person", hereditarily servile people in the Eight Banners system of 17th-century Qing dynasty. It is often directly translated as "bondservant", although sometimes also simply rendered as the common word, slave, or more specifically within Chinese social and political context as nucai (奴才).

Practices

Court Sessions

Morning court was one of the central responsibilities of a Qing emperor. Kangxi held court as early as 5:00 AM, while Yongzheng began at 7:00 AM. Unlike most Qing emperors who convened court sessions every few days, Kangxi and Yongzheng held them daily.

The court was held at the Gate of Heavenly Purity, without the grandiose setting often portrayed in drama series. Forget what you see on TV, there was no grand dragon throne, no changing of "long live the emperor". It was also a location designated by Kangxi himself. Attendance was restricted to senior officials of top ministries, many of whom had to rise at 3:00 AM to prepare. Reports had to be memorized, as reading from written documents was forbidden. Errors during recitation could cause public humiliation and harm an official’s career.

Life of Emperors

“”You get to retire. I don't. Every report has to be reviewed by me.

— Emperor Kangxi, looking at an official's retirement request

The daily life of Qing emperors was far more rigorous and disciplined than the luxurious depictions often portrayed in popular media. Contrary to the image of emperors surrounded by endless concubines, lavish banquets, endless luxury and indulgent leisure, Qing rulers were bound to a strict daily schedule that emphasized governance, ritual, and work, and were quite tiring. Being an emperor was no easy job. The typical day of a Qing emperor was far more demanding than most modern professors. Unlike what most people imagined, the Qing emperors worked really hard.

The Emperor's job was relentless and exhausting. Imperial China's emperors worked far harder than modern Chinese leaders. They were bonded by strict court protocol and couldn't act recklessly. Those who do will be remembered as a weak king or tyrant and be smeared by the records of well-documented history.

The Qing's archival records of the lives of emperors are incredibly detailed, with daily logs of everything the emperor did each day, from major events down to what he ate at each meal. The tradition of recording the emperor's every deed is a tradition passed from the Zhou Dynasty.

Mourning Routine

Qing emperors typically began their day at 5:00 AM sharp. The self-ringing bell of the Hall of Union in the Forbidden City marked the start of the day as it chimed. A palace maid acted as a human alarm clock, kneeling at his bedside, chanting "JÍ XIÁNG JÍ XIÁNG" ("auspiciousness") until the emperor awoke. Eunuchs then assisted him with dressing.

Before official duties, emperors visited their parents or grandparents to pay respects. For example, the Kangxi Emperor visited his grandmother and stepmother every morning for 57 years (until both elders passed, and Kangxi was already 65), a tradition later continued by the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. Or, the emperor would go to rites to pay respects to his ancestors.

After the ancestor worship, the emperor would go study, in many fields, in Chinese and Manchu. Daylight would have had broke after the studies, and so breakfast began. When the emperor is eating, eunuchs would bring him petitions from ministers. Each petition listed the official's background and discussion topic, so the emperor had to consider who to summon all while eating. After which, the emperor will usually do mourning court.

Administrative Work

Following mourning court, ministers returned to their offices, and the emperor would change out of his formal dragon robe into more comfortable clothes. Emperors returned to their quarters to review memorials and state documents. This process, known as "red ink commentary" (朱批), required the emperor to annotate petitions in red ink (instead of the usual black which the . Because of the sheer amount of memorials, in order to manage efficiency, memorials were limited to around 300 characters.

The Yongzheng Emperor was especially noted for his diligence. He criticized excessively long memorials and often worked continuously until dinner around 3:00 PM. One military officer once submitted a 5900-character report, causing Yongzheng to lash out, "how dare you write something this long?" Emperors were discouraged from napping during the day, as it was considered a sign of idleness and sloth, something unbecoming of an emperor. During his 13-year reign, Yongzheng reviewed more than 22,000 memorials, 190,000 documents, and wrote over 40 million characters, averaging 10,000 per day.

Leisure, Hobbies, Evening Rituals & Rest

While much of the emperor's time was devoted to governance, limited leisure was permitted. The Yongzheng Emperor liked cosplay, and since he couldn't travel, he commissioned the "Yongzheng at Leisure" painting series, which depicted him in various roles such as a fisherman, warrior, or monk. Other emperors preferred more traditional forms of entertainment, such as opera or art appreciation.

By 7:00 PM, emperors conducted rituals to honor the gods. Afterward, they might spend time with the empress or a concubine, though even this was scheduled, and had to be made during dinner (~3:00 PM). Even in the matters of intimacy, nothing was spontaneous. Concubinage was subject to formal protocol. Emperors were expected to retire by 10:00 PM, though Yongzheng often worked past this, sleeping only about six hours per night.

Concubines

The large number of imperial concubines often depicted in media exaggerated their role in the emperor's life. While the palace did house many women, the vast majority are not the pretty girls you see on TV and would be considered quite ugly by today's standards, as looks were not a big part for bearing children.

Emperors had little time for indulgence. Encounters were brief and governed by strict protocol. Only with his empress can the emperor be free, but producing an heir is more important.

Relationships

Friends

• Imperialism - Hanland, Mongolia, Uyghurstan, and Tibet will be for me to rule! Southeast and Central Asia will be my tributaries.
• Isolationism - “Our Celestial Empire possesses all things in prolific abundance and lacks no product within its own borders. There was therefore no need to import the manufactures of outside barbarians.”

Neutral

• Police Statism - I have my ways of gathering intelligence, but in no way of the massive scale and centralized system of the Ming.

Enemies

• Shōwa Statism - Who do you think you are?! How is Japanese filth beating me so much?!
• Tsarism - I beat you the first time, my first treaty was with you, but you now genocide my people! GIVE ME BACK MY HOMELAND!
• Sodomy - Immoral practice that goes against the teachings of great Confucius! Glad I outlawed you in 1740 via my Great Qing Legal Code.

How to draw

"Great Qing" in Manchu script

Qing Imperial System has a drawing rating of intermediate.

1. Draw a ball
2. Fill it with yellow
3. Write ᡩᠠᡳ᠌ᠴᡳᠩ in black in the middle, vertically
4. Add Asian eyes and done!

Color Name		HEX
	Yellow (from Yellow Dragon Flag)	#FECD21
	Black	#1B1B1B

Gallery

Informational

• 
  "Great Qing" in Manchu script

See Also

• Chinese Theocracy
• Qing Dynasty