The Kangxi Emperor and the Jesuit Mission in China - Essay Example

I helmed a treaty to insure peace between our peoples. We Chinese are masters of war but are first and foremost lords of peace and order. All things in the cosmos have an order and working. War is like a heavy stone hammer: Sometimes necessary to fix a major problem, but it usually does more damage and is only wielded by clumsy fools. I view my providence over China as a sculptor with a fine chisel: There is perfection underneath the stone; all I had to do was bring it out. What do you think of the West?

It would be impolitic to say too much, even for an Emperor. The Russians are like their beloved bears: Sometimes foolish, but more often cunning. I hope that, in the future, our great peoples will cooperate more than bicker. I much liked your Jehovah's Witnesses and your Christians, but unfortunately, they ended up making trouble. Your technology is amazing. You have taken our knowledge, true, but you have advanced it. But ultimately, I believe it will all come back to China. We do not take anything, technology or empire, lightly: We let it stand the test of time.

Maybe you will release demons you are not ready for. What would you advise for future rulers? Be frugal. In times of prosperity, your frugality secures the loyalty of merchants, nobles and important people within your empire. I personally grew the empire's wealth by three-fold. In times of austerity and hardship, your frugality allows you to be a model to your people. Confucius taught us that good behavior is caused by good models: A good father is a good model for his sons and daughters, a good emperor is a good model for his people.

I once said, “Don't have too much sex when you are young.For example, I only have 300 women in my palace.” Leaders have done many unwise things for sex. Never forget the cultural. Preserving the words of sages, philosophers, mathematicians and astronomers can be ten times more important than your greatest military conquests. Your Romans fought many battles that no one will remember, but all will remember their language and technological advancement. My friend K'ang-shi. I believe honestly that your record, though not free from blemishes (and no one, not even the Jade Emperor, is free of tarnish), will be one of greatness.

China was a powerful empire, and yet you did not commit it to overreach. You secured Taiwan but did not assault Korea or Japan. When the Three Feudatories Revolt began, you wisely pursued the long path rather than the short one, granting ordinary people clemency and staying away from the battlefield much as you yearned to fight. You drove back Russia but secured peace. You also acted to make China a leader. You secured a truce in Vietnam. You brought great honor to China. Perhaps you acted too quickly as regards the Christians, however.

I know how it tormented you, being forced to ban these people you liked. But I think you took the short view here. The Western Pope may have condemned our rites, but that was no reason to sink to his level. When the Buddhists came to China, they pursued One Way, Three Paths with our Taoists and Confucians. This would have been the wiser course of action. Yet what is perhaps the most impressive about you is that you were a model Emperor.