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Emperor of China: Self-portrait of K'ang-Hsi: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi
A remarkable re-creation of the life of K'ang-hsi, emperor of the Manchu dynasty from 1661-1772, assembled from documents that survived his reign. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
March 15, 2014
An fascinating window on Imperial Qing China in the words of Emperor K'ang-Hsi (reigned 1661-1722). I've never read anything like it. To think that author Spence created this "memoir" by assembling disparate fragments. The result is a dazzling continuous whole. Outstanding and highly recommended.
January 7, 2019
Manchu Monarch’s Memorable Moments and More
Jonathan Spence has not written any bad books. If you want readable, interesting books about China which take unusual angles, choose any of his. This one, which focuses on the life of the Qing (Manchu) emperor Kang-hsi (now spelled Kangxi) who ruled for 61 years, from 1661 to 1722, is no exception. China at that time was powerful and mostly peaceful, though a vicious civil war marked eight years in the 1670s. Though you may learn much Chinese history here, that is not the main aim of the book. Spence went through reams of Qing Dynasty documents and even got hold of some of Kang-hsi’s personal letters. From these he created a text in which the Emperor seems to speak for himself, a kind of faux-autobiography. It’s an interesting idea, a historical montage if you will, with all the dots connected by an author who lived more than 250 years later. The emperor is a big hunting aficionado, writes poetry, and is very interested in traditional medicine. As he grew older, medical topics loom larger---probably a human universal. He admonishes readers to regulate what they eat and drink and describes various herbs and remedies. He criticized the Western missionaries who flew like buzzards around the court, hoping to see Chinese religion crash, and commented that they hardly understood Chinese culture, but wanted to give advice anyhow. They did prove useful in many ways and the emperor acknowledges this fact. He rubbishes Taoist quacks who claimed to have pulled off various incredible feats. Like other Chinese emperors (and most other absolute monarchs as well) he condemns many people to execution or to the “lingering death”. He praises himself for all the people he pardoned, exiled, or otherwise showed mercy. The problems of choosing which of his many sons to succeed him are among the most interesting parts. Several of said sons were total wastrels, whom he repeatedly punishes then forgives. He reiterates the Confucian principles of ruling---to listen to the people, while remaining true to the Rules of Heaven. The ultimate responsibility for China’s welfare was his, after all. Though there are many fascinating details of an emperor’s life, inevitably there are large sections of idealistic moralizing and repetition of various philosophies. These may really have been what he would have written if he’d put this life story together, but they seem too pat and rather trite for today’s readers.
Kang-hsi comes across as very human. What a fate, to be emperor of the largest nation on earth! Perhaps he would have written something closer to the heart, if he’d known such a work would be compiled. But as it is, his personality comes out between the lines, a man, who despite his nearly unlimited power, remained true to a philosophy of moderation, thought, interest in education, and moral principles. Spence has created a portrait that, though it might have been photoshopped (if I may use such an anachronistic term) is still a detailed and accurate picture of life at the top in those times.
Jonathan Spence has not written any bad books. If you want readable, interesting books about China which take unusual angles, choose any of his. This one, which focuses on the life of the Qing (Manchu) emperor Kang-hsi (now spelled Kangxi) who ruled for 61 years, from 1661 to 1722, is no exception. China at that time was powerful and mostly peaceful, though a vicious civil war marked eight years in the 1670s. Though you may learn much Chinese history here, that is not the main aim of the book. Spence went through reams of Qing Dynasty documents and even got hold of some of Kang-hsi’s personal letters. From these he created a text in which the Emperor seems to speak for himself, a kind of faux-autobiography. It’s an interesting idea, a historical montage if you will, with all the dots connected by an author who lived more than 250 years later. The emperor is a big hunting aficionado, writes poetry, and is very interested in traditional medicine. As he grew older, medical topics loom larger---probably a human universal. He admonishes readers to regulate what they eat and drink and describes various herbs and remedies. He criticized the Western missionaries who flew like buzzards around the court, hoping to see Chinese religion crash, and commented that they hardly understood Chinese culture, but wanted to give advice anyhow. They did prove useful in many ways and the emperor acknowledges this fact. He rubbishes Taoist quacks who claimed to have pulled off various incredible feats. Like other Chinese emperors (and most other absolute monarchs as well) he condemns many people to execution or to the “lingering death”. He praises himself for all the people he pardoned, exiled, or otherwise showed mercy. The problems of choosing which of his many sons to succeed him are among the most interesting parts. Several of said sons were total wastrels, whom he repeatedly punishes then forgives. He reiterates the Confucian principles of ruling---to listen to the people, while remaining true to the Rules of Heaven. The ultimate responsibility for China’s welfare was his, after all. Though there are many fascinating details of an emperor’s life, inevitably there are large sections of idealistic moralizing and repetition of various philosophies. These may really have been what he would have written if he’d put this life story together, but they seem too pat and rather trite for today’s readers.
Kang-hsi comes across as very human. What a fate, to be emperor of the largest nation on earth! Perhaps he would have written something closer to the heart, if he’d known such a work would be compiled. But as it is, his personality comes out between the lines, a man, who despite his nearly unlimited power, remained true to a philosophy of moderation, thought, interest in education, and moral principles. Spence has created a portrait that, though it might have been photoshopped (if I may use such an anachronistic term) is still a detailed and accurate picture of life at the top in those times.
December 27, 2021
A brilliant portrayal.
January 1, 2012
The Chinese Emperor K'ang-hsi (1654-1722) reigned from eight years old for sixty-one years. This biography about him is pieced together from his fragmented writings and is illustrated from his own authentic brush-and-ink ideographs and from the marginal drawings with which he would have been familiar. Its fragmentary origin is hard to detect because the book reads like a good story, or even like a letter. K'ang-hsi tells about his actions, his worries, his practice of governing, his country, and his predecessors (former Chinese emperors). K'ang-hsi in a few facts shows his importance in Chinese history, but Spence's biography describes K'ang-hsi in flesh-and-blood, as the longest ruling Chinese emperor. K'ang-hsi advises today's reader about his ideas on fair government and healthy living, on revered gods and ancestors, and on plans for his successor. Readers, whose knowledge of China is a little or a lot, will truly enjoy this biography. If you can't get a copy of Emperor of China: Self-Portrait of K'ang-Hsi, parts of it are in the Google Preview.
September 16, 2011
A very interesting read for historians. Spence gives readers amazing insight into the life and mind of Kangxi, one of the Qing dynasty's longest reigning emperors. I had to read this for a history class and write a position paper on what made Kangxi's role as emperor so "heavy". My professor couldn't have picked a better book; Spence's text is very rich and engrossing.
June 5, 2018
Beautifully written book that offers insights in the head of a man living a life of almost mythical proportions, considered by his subjects the connection between Heaven and Earth himself. As his own words and edicts are used, an honest account is given of his personal life, difficulties, beliefs and political views in ways that are not accessible of almost any other great leaders in history. Highly recommended for those with a special interest in early modern Chinese history.
October 2, 2025
set in the 1700s, this is a biography of a very intelligent man.
August 19, 2016
One of the strangest and most worthwhile books I've ever read on China. Back in the 1970s, the historian Jonathan Spence realized that China's early modern history had few of the detailed autobiographies and personal memoirs so important to historians of the West. Spence doesn't speculate on why, but he implies that the autocratic and hierarchical court and focus on official documents left little time for independent and personal literature. Spence therefore worked to compile all the personal anecdotes and reminiscences of the Emperor Kangxi, the second Qing emperor, who ruled from 1661 to 1722, that were scattered about innumerable documents and notes, and he made a semi-coherent autobiography out of them. Spence doesn't quite state where his edits and organizations end and where Kangxi's voice begins, but one does feel that he strove to convey Kangxi's personality and words as honestly as possible.
Unlike so many other early histories of China, one gets the sense from this book of a real individual. Kangxi was obsessed with his health and aging, and his regular laments on his teeth and dizziness can be tiring. But he was also dedicated to touring his domain and collecting the plants and flowers he found there. He regularly celebrated the wonders of the hunt on horseback, as his Manchu ancestors had. He consulted the I Ching for fortunes, but counseled his underlings to convey truthfully bad omens (this was the equivalent, after all, of demanding honest research and science from his Bureau of Astronomy). Kangxi clearly liked to experience things for himself, which adds to the piquancy and realism of the story. He questioned the keepers of Confucius's home about the layout and garden, and he wrote letters about the quality of noodles and grapes in different regions.
I actually wished for more about how Kangxi governed China, but Spence does include some discussion of this. Kangxi complains about the short and uninformative petitions and memorials he received at the palace from provincial underlings (he was always, always responding to memorials, up to 500 a day he said, as well as signing off on every execution and on every form of execution). He describes his battle against recalcitrant former Ming generals, and the need for leniency when reincorporating their supporters. Kangxi wonders out loud about how to deal with the Jesuits who came to China, and mentions how he made them fill out registrations and forms and controlled their movements ("some of their words were no different from the wild and improper teachings of the Buddhists and the Taoists"), but how he also advised listening to them and learning about their technology. He successfully defended the Jesuits who had moved to China earlier in the century, from a new Jesuit, de Tournan, who came from the Pope to corral those the church worried had adopted too many Chinese teachings.
Each of these little anecdotes and stories and observations may seem disconnected, but they emerge as a comprehensible whole. This is a magnificent work of scholarship as well as a deft portrait of recognizable man, all the more amazing in that that man's life is almost impossible to imagine in the modern world.
Unlike so many other early histories of China, one gets the sense from this book of a real individual. Kangxi was obsessed with his health and aging, and his regular laments on his teeth and dizziness can be tiring. But he was also dedicated to touring his domain and collecting the plants and flowers he found there. He regularly celebrated the wonders of the hunt on horseback, as his Manchu ancestors had. He consulted the I Ching for fortunes, but counseled his underlings to convey truthfully bad omens (this was the equivalent, after all, of demanding honest research and science from his Bureau of Astronomy). Kangxi clearly liked to experience things for himself, which adds to the piquancy and realism of the story. He questioned the keepers of Confucius's home about the layout and garden, and he wrote letters about the quality of noodles and grapes in different regions.
I actually wished for more about how Kangxi governed China, but Spence does include some discussion of this. Kangxi complains about the short and uninformative petitions and memorials he received at the palace from provincial underlings (he was always, always responding to memorials, up to 500 a day he said, as well as signing off on every execution and on every form of execution). He describes his battle against recalcitrant former Ming generals, and the need for leniency when reincorporating their supporters. Kangxi wonders out loud about how to deal with the Jesuits who came to China, and mentions how he made them fill out registrations and forms and controlled their movements ("some of their words were no different from the wild and improper teachings of the Buddhists and the Taoists"), but how he also advised listening to them and learning about their technology. He successfully defended the Jesuits who had moved to China earlier in the century, from a new Jesuit, de Tournan, who came from the Pope to corral those the church worried had adopted too many Chinese teachings.
Each of these little anecdotes and stories and observations may seem disconnected, but they emerge as a comprehensible whole. This is a magnificent work of scholarship as well as a deft portrait of recognizable man, all the more amazing in that that man's life is almost impossible to imagine in the modern world.
October 27, 2009
《康熙字典》，亦都寫做《康煕字典》，喺大清康熙年間由翰林院嘅張玉書同陳廷敬主編，參考大明嘅《字彙》、《正字通》兩本書而編寫嘅中文辭典。由康熙五年寫到康熙五十五年（1716年）至成書，重印次數多到數唔倒。
《康熙字典》總共有 4萬7035 隻字，分成 12 集，用 214 個部首分類，有反切注音、出處、參考等等。另外仲附有《字母切韻要法》同《等韻切音指南》。
《康熙字典》字頭之下列有嗰個字嘅唔同音切同意義，除僻字僻義之外都有引書為證。清代法律規定，凡讀書人應考科舉考試，寫嘅字必須攞《康熙字典》做標準，因此，該書對學術界影響好大，成書之後，好鬼流行，即使，今時今日仲係一本好嘅工具書。
《康熙字典》有清代嘅木刻本，晚清時，上海出現幾種影印本，中華書局舊時用同文書局嘅影印本做底本，製成鋅版，而家利用存版重印，並且附有王引之嘅字典考證擺響後面，攞嚟參考。
《康熙字典》總共有 4萬7035 隻字，分成 12 集，用 214 個部首分類，有反切注音、出處、參考等等。另外仲附有《字母切韻要法》同《等韻切音指南》。
《康熙字典》字頭之下列有嗰個字嘅唔同音切同意義，除僻字僻義之外都有引書為證。清代法律規定，凡讀書人應考科舉考試，寫嘅字必須攞《康熙字典》做標準，因此，該書對學術界影響好大，成書之後，好鬼流行，即使，今時今日仲係一本好嘅工具書。
《康熙字典》有清代嘅木刻本，晚清時，上海出現幾種影印本，中華書局舊時用同文書局嘅影印本做底本，製成鋅版，而家利用存版重印，並且附有王引之嘅字典考證擺響後面，攞嚟參考。
January 6, 2022
Probably the most down-to-earth biography (autobiography) about a Qing Emperor I've read so far. The perspective and organization of the book are truly interesting. It speaks more of Kang Xi's own reflection and emotions instead of all those grand works he accomplished, bringing this Son of Heaven to a mere commoner especially in the part where he talks about his sons, how he loves his heir apparent and feels sorrow when he's deviated from the right track. Another field that the book sheds light on is how Kangxi actually embraces western technology and missionaries, forming a noteworthy contrast with later Qianlong's attitude. Overall, I'd say Kangxi is one of the role model emperors. But 1st person perspective definitely overlooks/ omits many of Kangxi's mistakes and darker side. So this book is not that objective for sure, but Spence did try his best to compile a detailed and comprehensive picture of Kangxi.
February 14, 2018
What a great idea. This book is basically an autobiography (or self-portrait) of someone who never wrote an autobiography (or self-portrait), by taking what he did write, and grouping it by certain subject matters. It doesn't hurt that it's of one of the smartest and most interesting Chinese emperors.
Interesting notes:
How he spotted cheaters on national examinations
"The Seven Military Classics are full of nonsense" (p. 22)
His notes on the difference between Manchus and Chinese (p .44)
His discussions on Catholicism (page 81) and Jesus
His discussions on Western knowledge (p. 68) and Western doctors (p. 99)
His discussions on Math
His comments on his son's odd behavior
Interesting notes:
How he spotted cheaters on national examinations
"The Seven Military Classics are full of nonsense" (p. 22)
His notes on the difference between Manchus and Chinese (p .44)
His discussions on Catholicism (page 81) and Jesus
His discussions on Western knowledge (p. 68) and Western doctors (p. 99)
His discussions on Math
His comments on his son's odd behavior
September 24, 2020
As a work of historical fiction, as I believe this work must be treated, Spence has delivered a masterwork, delving deep into themes of religion and politics, as well as the commonplaces of literature: the loss of innocence, the fraught relationships between fathers and sons, the pains and sorrows of aging, the entirely understandable desire to be understood. Spence has succeeded in at least one of his aims. His Kangxi, the Kangxi that he has puzzled together out of the fragments he was working with, is indeed a vibrant and full human being, and it is a pleasure to read about him.
See full review here:
https://www.silkandchai.info/2020/09/...
See full review here:
https://www.silkandchai.info/2020/09/...
June 28, 2025
This book gets five stars because of the originality of this piece of writing - bringing one of the most influential Chinese emperors ever to have lived back to life in a way that reveals the contradiction that although he was the most powerful man, at the end of the day he was also a part of a system. A system he tried to perfect, but which outlived his efforts and eventually determined how he would be remembered. A humbling portrait of how systems can be more powerful than those at the top of the hierarchy.
July 5, 2017
as a chinese, kangxi is one of my favorite emperors thrughout the whole history, and i remmber the TV series KANGXI ,played by Chen daoming really atrractive for me. by the way ,kangxi might be the first chinese who started learning English.
the tv series KANGXI: http://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrjs52kt.htm...
the tv series KANGXI: http://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rrjs52kt.htm...
January 8, 2022
Spence provides and translates a compilations of musings written by the renowned Chinese scholar-emperor Kangxi. I went into this books with higher hopes, expecting to gain a better understanding of that period of Chinese history. Save for the final few chapters about the struggles for succession, this book is almost purely an unadorned window into Kangxi's mind.
November 5, 2016
Fascinating insight into the life of and times of an Emperor in ancient China told in an interesting way, with original documentation. Not a story to read, but rather more an historical document to study.
January 3, 2024
Goodreads has eaten my uncompleted reviews twice. Very frustrating.
This is remarkable in the extreme.
The details of K’ang-hsi’s thinking and experiences are unique.
The ability to cobble bits from the historical record to craft a narrative about K’ang-hsi’s life and times is special.
This is remarkable in the extreme.
The details of K’ang-hsi’s thinking and experiences are unique.
The ability to cobble bits from the historical record to craft a narrative about K’ang-hsi’s life and times is special.
Read
August 5, 2021read in: junior year
February 5, 2023
Kangxi was a cool dude and cool emperor
April 8, 2023
don't like spence, idk why im taking this class
January 11, 2024
Cool dude
March 27, 2025
This book was for class and it took everything out of me to actually read it.
It was actually interesting and kept me engaged when I actually locked in and read.
It was actually interesting and kept me engaged when I actually locked in and read.
September 14, 2025
Where’s the smut? (Satire)
It had some banger lines though.
It had some banger lines though.
December 2, 2022
[2022.11.30_145]
第一次讀史景遷的作品，的確是奇特且獨具個人風格的寫作手法，若非腦中存擋大量史料並全盤消化，並且隨時抓取適當素材，作品不可能得以呈現這樣的風貌。翻譯也很厲害。
【31 Mar 2022/readmoo/158】
第一次讀史景遷的作品，的確是奇特且獨具個人風格的寫作手法，若非腦中存擋大量史料並全盤消化，並且隨時抓取適當素材，作品不可能得以呈現這樣的風貌。翻譯也很厲害。
【31 Mar 2022/readmoo/158】
June 16, 2024
Seemed like a cool dude
May 29, 2022
"We must urge on Heaven in its work, not just rely upon it. Similarly, in our own lives, though fixed by fate, yet that fate comes from our own minds, and our happiness is sought for in ourselves." (58)
"One should make concessions to the fat, the old, and the ill; they have to move ore slowly and avoid the heat of the day." (109)
"One of the greatest Manchu taboos is against letting people hold you up under the armpits; and even when my feet swelled so that I could barely move -- to touch them even lightly was an agony and I had to have the bound in a kerchief and supported on a padded chair -- I would only allow a little help to hold me and I leaned on no stick ... But today's youth have themselves held up with two hands under each arm for no reason -- it's disgusting, uncanny." (104)
"One should make concessions to the fat, the old, and the ill; they have to move ore slowly and avoid the heat of the day." (109)
"One of the greatest Manchu taboos is against letting people hold you up under the armpits; and even when my feet swelled so that I could barely move -- to touch them even lightly was an agony and I had to have the bound in a kerchief and supported on a padded chair -- I would only allow a little help to hold me and I leaned on no stick ... But today's youth have themselves held up with two hands under each arm for no reason -- it's disgusting, uncanny." (104)
January 13, 2015
This book, a memoir constructed and arranged by primary sources, but by Jonathan Spence 360 years or so after his subject’s death, is a piece of highly original and interesting scholarship. Spence’s books are wonderfully written pieces of Chinese scholarship, none more than this. Kang-hsi was the Manchu dynasty Emperor from 1661 to 1722.
The organization of the writings is interesting, and I was absolutely surprised by the frankness and wisdom of this absolute ruler. He was condescending toward his Western emissaries, but not so condescending that he could not learn from them advances in mathematics and the sciences that could contribute to Chinese capabilities. In general, he comes across as a thoughtful, wise, harsh but just, absolute ruler. My favorite quotations are as follows:
“Giving life to people and killing people—those are the powers that the emperor has.” (29)
A “ruler needs both clarity and care in punishing: his intent must be to punish in order to avoid the need for further punishing.” (29)
“Talent does not depend on geographical location. Even in the mountain wildernesses how can there be no one with ability? Have the talented ever chosen where they were born?” (50)
“For even though some of the Western methods are different from our own, and may even be an improvement, there is little about them that is new. The principles of mathematics all derive from the Book of Changes, and the Western methods are Chinese in origin.” (74)
“History may be written by officials, but it is the emperor whose reign the history is written who is finally responsible, and it is he who will be blamed by posterity if there are distortions and errors, as there were in both the Sung History and the Yuan History.” (86)
“When you are young your mind is sharp and penetrating—after you grow up the thoughts scatter and gallop away. So you must not lose the chance to study while you are still young. The books I read when I was seven or eight were not forgotten after fifty or sixty years; those read after I was twenty are forgotten unless I review them after a few months. If you had no chance to study when young, then certainly you should still do so when you are grown-up—but things you studied as a child are the light of the rising sun; the studies in your maturity, a candle.” (112)
He had a ridiculous number of children – 56 who survived after birth by 30 different women. His attitude toward women seems honorable within the bounds of Chinese society at the time, but would be considered completely misogynistic today. “I keep only three hundred women around the palace, and those who have not served me personally I release when they are thirty years old and send them home to be married…Don’t waste money on cosmetics for the women, and be content to keep the same old fur rugs on the palace floor.” Wow.
The section on his sons is quite revealing. He struggled mightily with his heir-apparent, who continually disappointed him. He tried various forms of punishments, only to see him return to his ways. Kang-hsi appears to have genuinely wanted to see Yin-jeng become the Emperor he should have been, but was guided by the facts and reason over emotion, and acted responsibly toward his successor. His final valedictory reveals a man at peace with his actions. He is aware of his successes and failures. Spence has restored the honesty of this valedictory, revealing him to be a very human Emperor.
See my other reviews here!
The organization of the writings is interesting, and I was absolutely surprised by the frankness and wisdom of this absolute ruler. He was condescending toward his Western emissaries, but not so condescending that he could not learn from them advances in mathematics and the sciences that could contribute to Chinese capabilities. In general, he comes across as a thoughtful, wise, harsh but just, absolute ruler. My favorite quotations are as follows:
“Giving life to people and killing people—those are the powers that the emperor has.” (29)
A “ruler needs both clarity and care in punishing: his intent must be to punish in order to avoid the need for further punishing.” (29)
“Talent does not depend on geographical location. Even in the mountain wildernesses how can there be no one with ability? Have the talented ever chosen where they were born?” (50)
“For even though some of the Western methods are different from our own, and may even be an improvement, there is little about them that is new. The principles of mathematics all derive from the Book of Changes, and the Western methods are Chinese in origin.” (74)
“History may be written by officials, but it is the emperor whose reign the history is written who is finally responsible, and it is he who will be blamed by posterity if there are distortions and errors, as there were in both the Sung History and the Yuan History.” (86)
“When you are young your mind is sharp and penetrating—after you grow up the thoughts scatter and gallop away. So you must not lose the chance to study while you are still young. The books I read when I was seven or eight were not forgotten after fifty or sixty years; those read after I was twenty are forgotten unless I review them after a few months. If you had no chance to study when young, then certainly you should still do so when you are grown-up—but things you studied as a child are the light of the rising sun; the studies in your maturity, a candle.” (112)
He had a ridiculous number of children – 56 who survived after birth by 30 different women. His attitude toward women seems honorable within the bounds of Chinese society at the time, but would be considered completely misogynistic today. “I keep only three hundred women around the palace, and those who have not served me personally I release when they are thirty years old and send them home to be married…Don’t waste money on cosmetics for the women, and be content to keep the same old fur rugs on the palace floor.” Wow.
The section on his sons is quite revealing. He struggled mightily with his heir-apparent, who continually disappointed him. He tried various forms of punishments, only to see him return to his ways. Kang-hsi appears to have genuinely wanted to see Yin-jeng become the Emperor he should have been, but was guided by the facts and reason over emotion, and acted responsibly toward his successor. His final valedictory reveals a man at peace with his actions. He is aware of his successes and failures. Spence has restored the honesty of this valedictory, revealing him to be a very human Emperor.
See my other reviews here!
August 20, 2015
Through fastidious research, Spence draws together the life of China's longest reigning emperor. This work (introduction aside) could easily be regarded as translation rather than historical scholarship proper, as it is a compilation of primary documents with no analytical component. More than a translation, however, Spence arranges carefully considered source material in a manner which affords the reader a glimpse into the Son of Heaven’s soul. When considering the highly ritualized language used in most imperial written-communication, this is an impressive feat.
Spence gives a brief yet nuanced account of both the man and office: a general who relishes military triumphs, an administrator aware of personal and bureaucratic limitations, a father burdened by familial difficulties. At once the aloof and enlighten monarch, and the fragile human.
The emperor’s love of the hunt evocatively described in the first section ‘In Motion’, is paralleled with Kangxi’s victory against the Galdan Boshugtu Khan, the Dzungar Khanate of the Eurasian Steppe, and is a recurring theme throughout the book. Although the Emperor obviously delights in notions of physical conquest and prowess, he also provides flashes of philosophical musings which are borne from a rigorous education in the Classics and deep abiding respect for Sinic culture. Kangxi's successfully realised territorial ambitions are harmonized with cultural pursuits that managed to bring numerous Ming loyalist scholar-officials to heel and therefore consolidate the fractious Manchu rule during the early Qing Dynasty. Spence cleverly portrays this complex man.
In terms of methodology and argument, however, the book falls short. The authors stated intention to explore the 'power that memory has to transcend time' and attempt to 'depict the events of a lifetime as they can be reborn by a few moments of mental concentration', though sounding alluring, is ultimately found wanting. In fact, this portion of the introduction reads more like labour rationalization rather than a consciously pursued objective. However, there is no denying the value Spence’s scholarship holds in its portrayal of usually enigmatic imperial personality.
Spence gives a brief yet nuanced account of both the man and office: a general who relishes military triumphs, an administrator aware of personal and bureaucratic limitations, a father burdened by familial difficulties. At once the aloof and enlighten monarch, and the fragile human.
The emperor’s love of the hunt evocatively described in the first section ‘In Motion’, is paralleled with Kangxi’s victory against the Galdan Boshugtu Khan, the Dzungar Khanate of the Eurasian Steppe, and is a recurring theme throughout the book. Although the Emperor obviously delights in notions of physical conquest and prowess, he also provides flashes of philosophical musings which are borne from a rigorous education in the Classics and deep abiding respect for Sinic culture. Kangxi's successfully realised territorial ambitions are harmonized with cultural pursuits that managed to bring numerous Ming loyalist scholar-officials to heel and therefore consolidate the fractious Manchu rule during the early Qing Dynasty. Spence cleverly portrays this complex man.
In terms of methodology and argument, however, the book falls short. The authors stated intention to explore the 'power that memory has to transcend time' and attempt to 'depict the events of a lifetime as they can be reborn by a few moments of mental concentration', though sounding alluring, is ultimately found wanting. In fact, this portion of the introduction reads more like labour rationalization rather than a consciously pursued objective. However, there is no denying the value Spence’s scholarship holds in its portrayal of usually enigmatic imperial personality.
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March 16, 2014What a HUGE disappointment! I was SO excited to learn there was a book about the K'ang-Hsi emperor, so I could learn more about the man who was at the center of the Chinese soap opera program I've been watching. I was also interested to learn more about his various sons. Several years ago, I read "The Search for Modern China," which was also by Jonathan Spence. That book gave a very detailed, yet interesting account of the history of China from around the middle of the 16th century until around 1989. So I felt this book about the K'ang-Hsi emperor would be written in the same vein. NOT! Professor Spence chose to write the exact words of the emperor himself, which to me sounded just like an old man simply rambling. I did not get the historical background and context I was hoping for.
"The Emperor of China: Self-Protrait of K'ang-Hsi" was Book No. 6 for 2014!
"The Emperor of China: Self-Protrait of K'ang-Hsi" was Book No. 6 for 2014!
August 6, 2013
Jonathan Spence's account of Emperor Kang- Hsi comes from the unrelated documents written by the emperor himself. Spence puts these isolated parts together and creates an intriguing cohesive report. The topics span from Kang-Hsi's relationship with his sons, his hunting expeditions, to a farewell speech. My favorite chapter is about the emperor's contemplation on aging. "Growing Old," as the chapter on aging is called, reveals the importance of exploiting opportunities at the right time and having respect for ones energy and strength.
Overall, Emperor Kang-Hsi views himself as a sincere governor who focuses on 'nourishing' the people that he rules. The Manchu ruler sees his kingdom as one whole; a responsibility to foster and protect his (big) corner of the earth.
Overall, Emperor Kang-Hsi views himself as a sincere governor who focuses on 'nourishing' the people that he rules. The Manchu ruler sees his kingdom as one whole; a responsibility to foster and protect his (big) corner of the earth.
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