Jiaqing Emperor

The Jiaqing Emperor, born Yongyan (1760–1820) and known by his temple name as Renzong, was the seventh emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He reigned from 1796 to 1820.

He came to the throne at the end of his father's long and prosperous reign, and inherited an empire already in decline: an exhausted treasury, entrenched corruption and rebellion in the interior. He spent most of his reign trying to contain these problems and to restore the strength of earlier years.

He was a conscientious and hard-working ruler, but not an innovator, and he could not solve the empire's deeper social and economic problems.

Early Life and Enthronement

Yongyan was born in 1760, the 15th son of the Qianlong Emperor. His mother was Noble Consort Ling, a daughter of Wei Qingtai, a Han Chinese official whose family had long been part of the Manchu Eight Banners.

The Qianlong Emperor had considered two other sons as his successor, but both died of illness.

In December 1773 he secretly chose Yongyan, then thirteen, as his heir, following the Qing practice of keeping the name of the chosen successor sealed until it was needed.

In 1789 the emperor made Yongyan Prince Jia of the First Rank.

The Reign of the Jiaqing Emperor

In October 1795, in the 60th year of his reign, the Qianlong Emperor announced that he would abdicate. His grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor, had reigned for 61 years, and Qianlong considered it disrespectful to rule for longer.

Prince Jia took the throne in 1796, at the age of 35, with Jiaqing as his reign name. For the next three years he ruled in name only.

Real power stayed with his father, who took the title Taishang Huang, the honorific given to a retired emperor.

The Fall of Heshen

When the Qianlong Emperor died in February 1799, the Jiaqing Emperor took full control of the government. He moved at once against Heshen, his father's favourite minister.

Heshen was charged with corruption and abuse of power. He was stripped of his titles, his property was confiscated, and he was ordered to take his own life.

Princess Hexiao, the emperor's half-sister, had married Heshen's son. She was spared any penalty and was allowed to keep some of the property from Heshen's estates.

Rebellion and Decline

The empire faced serious internal disorder, above all the White Lotus and Miao rebellions, and the imperial treasury was empty. Much of the reign was spent restoring order and putting down these uprisings.

In 1813 rebels of the Eight Trigrams sect broke into the Forbidden City itself before they were driven off. The emperor's second son, Mianning, was among those who fought them.

Jiaqing hoped to recover the prosperity and power China had enjoyed in the 18th century. Opium smuggling, which his government prohibited, was a growing problem that would soon drain the empire's silver.

Death of the Jiaqing Emperor

The Jiaqing Emperor died on 2 September 1820 at the Rehe Travelling Palace, north-east of Beijing, where the court was spending the summer. The Draft History of Qing does not record the cause of his death.

Various explanations have been offered. Some say he was struck by lightning; others that he died of a stroke, perhaps linked to his weight.

His second son, Mianning, succeeded him as the Daoguang Emperor.

Jiaqing Porcelain

Porcelain made for the court during his reign carries the six-character mark of the period, Da Qing Jiaqing nian zhi (大清嘉慶年製), "made in the Jiaqing reign of the Great Qing". The imperial kilns at Jingdezhen largely continued the styles of the Qianlong period. Qing pieces we currently hold are listed in our Qing dynasty porcelain collection.