New Qing Imperial History: The Making of Inner Asian Empire at Qing Chengde

Abstract

(ProQuest: ... denotes non-US-ASCII text omitted.) This collection of essays constitutes a collective achievement that enriches the field of late imperial Chinese history, adds a critical dimension to the study of Qing rulership, and allows a probing view into the lifestyle of the Manchu emperors, and in particular of Qianlong. First established in the early 1700s by the Kangxi emperor as a villa "to escape the summer heat," the site was then transformed throughout the rest of the century into a highly symbolic miniature representation of the Inner Asian possessions of the Qing empire, featuring grassland landscapes with Mongolian tents, hunting preserves, Tibetan temples and pagodas, and even a wall surrounding the main residential area, whose undulating shape and crenellations reminded the viewer of the Great Wall. [...]James Millward's essay explores the ceremony to commemorate the return of the Torghut Mongols to the Qing Empire in 1771, an epic voyage and key historical episode that ended with the Mongols' tribute-bearing visit to Chengde in October 1771.

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This collection of essays constitutes a collective achievement that enriches the field of late imperial Chinese history, adds a critical dimension to the study of Qing rulership, and allows a probing view into the lifestyle of the Manchu emperors, and in particular of Qianlong. The seventeen chapters, supplemented by an introduction and epilogue, have as their central subject the summer residence at Chengde. First established in the early 1700s by the Kangxi emperor as a villa "to escape the summer heat," the site was then transformed throughout the rest of the century into a highly symbolic miniature representation of the Inner Asian possessions of the Qing empire, featuring grassland landscapes with Mongolian tents, hunting preserves, Tibetan temples and pagodas, and even a wall surrounding the main residential area, whose undulating shape and crenellations reminded the viewer of the Great Wall.

The volume is structured as five parts, preceded by an introduction. Authored by Ruth Dunnell and James Millward, the introductory essay presents an overview of the significance of Chengde within the Qing imperium and outlines the organization of the book. Between two sections on Chengde (pp. 1-2 and 4-8), the reader finds a short explanation of the meaning of "new Qing imperial history" (pp. 3-4). This insertion sits somewhat incongruously with the rest of the introduction, and it is hard to escape the feeling that more space should have been devoted to this important analytical concept in order to justify the title of the book.

The first section, "Chengde as Inner Asian Capital," includes three general essays focusing on the history of the Qianlong period (Evelyn Rawski), Tibetan Buddhism during the early Qing (Don Lopez), and the architecture of Chengde (Anne Chayet). The last-named essay illustrates both the styles of the numerous buildings and gardens and the fictional, symbolic and esthetic associations they evoked, from the thirty-six "views" of China created by Kangxi to the miniature reproductions of famous Tibetan temples erected by Qianlong.

The second part, "Chengde as Inner Asian Capital," features four essays that illustrate the imperial style of governance that was specific to Qianlong and other emperors when traveling to and living at Chengde. This emerges as an outdoors, energetic, and intensely social lifestyle made of tours and hunting trips, banquets and receptions. Such an "excursionist" style of governance has a close relationship with other Inner Asian traditions of rulership, and it has special potential for a comparative study with the Khitan, Mongol, and Mughal imperial courts. Van J. Symons illustrates the long months Qianlong enjoyed on the road while conducting "tours of inspection." Mark Elliott and Ning Chia's chapter on the grand hunts at the Mulan hunting preserve indicates the continued commitment of the Qianlong emperor to Manchu traditions and values. Jiu Renqiu illustrates the banquets in honor of Mongol aristocrats hosted by the Qianlong emperor. Finally, James Millward's essay explores the ceremony to commemorate the return of the Torghut Mongols to the Qing Empire in 1771, an epic voyage and key historical episode that ended with the Mongols' tribute-bearing visit to Chengde in October 1771.

Part III, "The Emperor's Many Faces," opens with an essay by Joseph Adler on the relationship between Qianlong and Chinese culture (wen ) as exemplified in the inscription in the Temple of Culture. Elisabeth Benard explores Qianlong's deep commitment to Tibetan Buddhism in personal relationships, portraits, and the texts carved on his tomb's walls. Paintings collected by the Qianlong emperor at Chengde are the subject of Deborah Sommer's detailed essay, again underscoring Qianlong's fondness for shows of horsemanship, banquets, and the celebration of his role as the ultimate host. Peter Zarrow closes this section with a substantial essay on the steles erected at various locations.

The fourth section, "Voices from Chengde," includes six translations of sources representing different genres and languages. The "Preface to the 'Thirty-six Views of Bishu shanzhuang,'" written by the Kangxi emperor in 1712, is presented in translations from the Manchu and Chinese versions by Mark C. Elliott and Scott Lowe. Next comes a letter by the Jesuit Jean-Joseph-Marie Amiot on his sojourn at Chengde in 1754 (trans. Deborah Sommer). Other sources include a Qianlong inscription on the founding of the Temple of Happiness and Longevity (trans. Peter Zarrow), poems by Qianlong (trans. Scott Lowe), and two folktales recorded by Chinese researchers (trans. Karen Gernant). The longest piece consists of passages from the diary of the Third Panchen Lama's visit to Chengde in 1780, translated from Tibetan by Nima Dorjee Ragnubs. The account is beguiling and dense with fascinating details, making one wish for an integral translation.

The fifth part comprises only the epilogue by James Hevia, which traces the modern fate of Chengde from the study made by Sven Hedin in 1929-30 to its new fortune as celebrated tourist destination.

This is a book that has a definite subject matter and a precise place in Qing scholarship, focusing on Chengde as a site that was highly symbolic of the multicultural--and in particular Inner Asian--nature of the Qing empire and the style of rulership of its emperors. Yet the word "Chengde" appears only in the subtitle. The title itself, "New Qing Imperial History," does not represent the subject of the book, other than to reflect the editors' belief that their Chengde project is part of a larger enterprise called "new Qing imperial history." This reason is not sufficient to justify the gap between title and subject, and though hermetic or dramatic titles are not uncommon, they should not be misleading or deceptive. Readers interested specifically in the "new Qing history" should turn instead to articles by Kent R. Guy ("Who Were the Manchus? A Review Essay," Journal of Asian Studies 61 [February 2002]: 151-64), Sudipta Sen ("New Frontiers in Manchu China and the Historiography of Asian Empires: A Review Essay," Journal of Asian Studies 61 [February 2002]: 165-77), and especially Joanna Waley-Cohen ("The New Qing History," Radical History Review 88 [Winter 2004]: 193-206).

All readers, however, will find in the book an extensive and broad-ranging treatment of Chengde, and the editors are to be congratulated for having assembled a rich array of general, analytical, and survey essays, enriched by sources in translation. The result is an excellent addition to our understanding of Qing history, new or old.