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JIANGNAN OFFERS
SCENERY UNRIVALLED

IN THE WORLD.

— THE QIANLONG EMPEROR
NANXUN SHENGDIAN (‘THE GRAND RECORD
OF THE SOUTHERN INSPECTION TOURS’)

The Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799, r. 1736-1795), the fourth commissioned twelve scrolls for his first Southern Inspection
Manchu emperor of the Qing dynasty, is the longest-reigning Tour.
and longest-living ruler in the history of China. Over the course When Qianlong came to power in 1736, he inherited a
th
th
of thirty-three years, between the 16 and 49 years of his prosperous empire with a thriving and strong economy. There
reign (1751-1784), Qianlong, known to show great respect was, therefore, arguably less political incentive to Qianlong’s
and reverence to his grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor (1654- tours, hence in addition to customary waterworks inspections,
1722, r. 1661- 1722), followed the example set by Kangxi to the tours also included shows of horsemanship and hunting,
complete a series of six well-documented Southern Inspection and displays of marksmanship by the emperor’s bannermen.
Tours. Though the emperors preceding Kangxi and Qianlong In comparison, the manner of preparations for Kangxi’s tours
would, on occasion, set out on one-off inspection tours of the were much hastier than those of his grandson’s journeys,
empire, or make single pilgrimages to Mount Tai; the multiple who allowed plentiful time to prepare for his visits to carefully-
journeys made by emperors Kangxi and Qianlong were unique selected areas of historical and cultural significance and those
occurrences of pronounced historical and cultural meaning.
celebrated for its natural beauty. Each of Qianlong’s lavishly
The route of the Southern Tours covered thousands of miles outfitted tours spanned the spring and summer seasons and
from Beijing to reach the Chinese empire’s most prosperous were extensive affairs lasting between three to five months.
regions of the Lower Yangtze delta (Jiangnan), overlapping Just as Qianlong ruled from Yuanming Yuan and the imperial
the boundary of two key provinces; Jiangsu and Zhejiang. summer resorts, the Southern Tours were themselves highly
Both provinces were, at this time, critical to the Qing Empire. transportable court palaces comprising a few thousand
Firstly, the two provinces generated the main portion of personnel to symbolise martial prowess, frontier-style
the empire’s commercial and agricultural wealth, providing movement and flexibility. Strict controls were in place
surplus grains used as tributes and a bulk share of tax wherever the tours led: and as a result, civilians were required
revenues. Luxury goods and staples such as porcelain, salt to make way for the emperor and his entourage, whom, on
and silk were also abundant. Secondly, the majority of lower land, travelled on horseback in their thousands, and at sea,
ranking officials in the civil administration were Han Chinese sailed upon hundreds of vessels large and small, creating
literati from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, rendering the Southern spectacles like no other.
Inspection politically significant. Finally, not only was Jiangnan
widely-recognised as the center of Han scholarship and While Qianlong took pride in the victories of his hard-fought
cultural refinement, it was also a stronghold for supporters military battles, the Southern Inspection Tours were later
of the former Ming dynasty and home to certain anti-Manchu cited by Qianlong as one of his most prominent achievements.
sentiment. Today, the scrolls from the Southern Tours serve as a
testament to the Qing emperors’ political ambitions to reign
The Chinese empire inherited by Kangxi was immense over a prosperous and unified empire. Following the example
yet politically and ethnically fractured. The purpose of set by Kangxi, Qianlong’s handscrolls commemorating the
Kangxi’s Southern Inspection Tours was strongly focused Southern Tours were kept in a palace storeroom containing
on strengthening Manchu power and endorsing national important imperial maps and portraits, as they anticipated
unity. Kangxi’s tours allowed for the emperor to survey his judgement of history. Qianlong was profoundly conscious
land and to be among his people, providing his subjects a of the fact that art was able to serve as official and personal
glimpse of their ruler among imperial splendor and pageantry. propaganda. The works commissioned by Qianlong regularly
Kangxi met with officials and scholars, and inspected the depicted the emperor as a successful warrior, Confucian
Grand Canal and important waterways which were essential scholar, Daoist priest and family man, arguably to serve as a
to the empire’s economic and political stability. It was form of publicity or self-aggrandisement in historical records
ordered by Kangxi to have the tours recorded for posterity for posterity.
in a commemorative series of twelve handscrolls, and the
act was emulated by his grandson Qianlong, who likewise

A REDISCOVERED IMPERIAL HEIRLOOM – TEN AUSPICIOUS LANDSCAPES OF TAISHAN BY QIAN WEICHENG 31