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Yongzheng or Yinchen Biography

Yongzheng or Yinchen

(1678-1735) Chinese emperor, third of the Qing dynasty, born with the name of Yinchen.He ascended to the throne in 1723, succeeding his father, the Kangxi Emperor.Yongzheng's reign was characterized by the continuity with respect to his father's policy, improving the administration of the Empire through strict control of corruption and a fiscal reform, as well as by the consolidation of the absolute power of the sovereign that consolidated the foundations of the Manchu dynasty.

The Yongzheng Emperor

Son of one of the Kangxi court servants, Yinchen was not originally destined to inherit the Chinese throne, role that fell to Yinreng (1688-1755) or one of his brothers (at least fifteen of them aspired to the succession).However, Yinchen, a character as cunning as he is ambitious, took advantage of the ineptitude of the official heir to plot against him and get him to be separated and imprisoned, accused of conspiracy; He also got rid of the rest of his brothers who could take the throne from him, and apparently he was able to assassinate Kangxi once the rest of the suitors were eliminated, announcing to the court that the emperor had appointed him his successor on his deathbed.

During his reign, this ruthless emperor continued to relentlessly persecute anyone who was in a position to question his legitimacy, for which he had an extensive network of spies and hitmen; Furthermore, he censored all information contrary to him and did not hesitate to have former supporters executed when he considered them a threat, as was the case of the commander of the Beijing garrison, Lungkodo.

Despite the negative judgment on his cruel personality and how he came to power, it should be noted that Yongzheng was an energetic, competent ruler, well aware of the most urgent needs of the Empire.As a first step, he consolidated the emperor's personal power by wresting command of the "flags", the Manchu elite troops, from members of the imperial family, and holding them at court to keep them closely guarded.

In 1729 he created the Council of State (chun-chi chu), an institution formed by a few officials of proven competence and loyalty who came to assume the functions previously exercised by the nei-ko or cabinet of ministers; This Council responded to a clear intention on the part of the sovereign: to keep the main government affairs under his direct supervision.A staunch enemy of corruption, Yongzheng also articulated mechanisms to maintain a tight grip on the conduct of officials, and awarded rewards to those who stood out for their honesty.

However, more decisive was the reform of the tax system (1727), the most important of the Qing era: in imitation of the Ming, the personal (ting-fu) and territorial (ti-fu) in a new one, the ti-ting, collected exclusively in cash.By easing the tax burden, this measure contributed significantly to the flourishing of the Chinese economy during the 18th century, at the same time that greater efficiency in collection increased revenue from the state coffers.

In the cultural field, Yongzheng promoted the development of the various arts and sciences, and like his predecessors, he maintained a tolerant attitude towards Chinese cultural traditions; he himself was in his youth an enthusiastic reader of the classical poets of the Tang period.Later he became a faithful devotee of the Buddhist cult, as well as of Lamaism, transforming the Yongue Gong palace into a Lama temple (1732), but on the other hand, he was not so receptive to Christianity, to the point of sending out several missionaries and destroy some churches.

Regarding foreign policy, the most outstanding fact of the Yongzheng reign was the signing of the Treaty of Kiachta (1727) with Russia, which established the borders between both empires along the Amur and Argun, as well as the sending of ambassadors to the Muscovite court (1731) to negotiate the neutrality of the tsar in the face of a Chinese military campaign in Central Asia.

Fearful of the struggles for the throne, this emperor kept the name of his successor in the most absolute secret, ordering that it only be revealed after his death; the chosen one was his fourth son, Qianlong (Chien-lung).According to legend, Yongzheng was killed by the daughter of one of his many enemies, although the official chronicles of the time denied it.

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