Emperor of china self portrait of kang hsi

The fiction, Emperor of China: Self-portrait of K’ang-Hsi, is written by Jonathan D. Spence in 1974. Based on various historical records and the letters written by K’ang Hsi Emperor, Spence creates a fictional memoir to describe K’ang Hsi’s later years. This book is divided into six chapters plus two appendixes. The first chapter, “In Motion”, illustrates his talents in hunting skills and his extensive knowledge on how to survive by taking the natural advantages during wars. The second chapter, “Ruling”, expresses K’ang Hsi’s opinions on how to rule the country. The third chapter, “Thinking”, compares the cultures and ideologies between the Western countries and China. The fourth chapter, “Growing Old”, shows his medical knowledge and how to apply in real life and medical clinic in the palace. The last chapter, “Son”, shows his father’s love toward his sons and the process and conflicts on the succession. The additional translated appendixes display K’ang Hsi’s seventeen letters and his final valedictory edict that hidden from the palace. Those original documents clearly the audience a clear idea of K’ang Hsi’s inner self. This book report will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of reading this book and how this book affects the reader.

Jonathan D. Spence creates a memoir to show K’ang Hsi from the first person narration. This technique immediately brings the reader into this remarkable emperor’s world. K’ang Hsi (1654-1722) was the third emperor in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and he ruled China for 61 years (start from 1661 and end at 1722), which was the longest period throughout Chinese history. Han Chinese is the majority ethnicity in China and they ruled over China since the start of Chinese history. However, until Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the Mongols from Northern China took cover China and it was the first time that the Han Chinese was not the ruling ethnicity during the Yuan Dynasty. Following by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Han Chinese fought back the country and became the emperors again. Corruption and civil wars were the main reasons for the Ming Dynasty’s decline. Manchu (former name: Mongols) was the ruler during the Ming Dynasty.

Due the cultural differences between the Han and Manchu, Spence tries to develop a fair assumption that K’ang Hsi was trying his best to balance the Han and Manchu cultural conflicts, and compares the benefits and disadvantage between two ethnics[footnoteRef:1]. On the other hand, in reality, the one who rule the country may have a superior sense of pride. Spence is also included that pride of being a Manchu Emperor from K’ang Hsi’s mind. For instance, when the Western missionaries saw K’ang Hsi in the meetings, they must bow in front of him as the sign of respect. If the missionary refused to do so, he would put himself in trouble or even death[footnoteRef:2]. In chapter 3,”Thinking”, there are examples to demonstrate on how K’ang Hsi was interested in the Western ideologies and had conversations with the missionaries but in the same time, he set rules in order to control their actions and the spread of Christianity[footnoteRef:3]. As a reader, I personally appreciate Spence’s presentation on K’ang Hsi’s solutions of how to solve the cultural conflicts, such as the domestic problems between Manchu and Han Chinese and the cultural shocks between Western and Chinese cultures. The solutions also prove how remarkable that K’ang Hsi was as an Emperor for China. [1: P.43] [2: P.121-122] [3: P.122-P.123]

The Book of Change and The Analects are the historical sources that Spence uses the most throughout the book and he explains that K’ang Hsi always made reference to these two sources. The Book of Change and The Analects are the classical reading for Confucian scholars to study. Throughout the entire book, the reader can sense that K’ang Hsi was an impressive learner. He learnt his managing skills through books, experiences and advises from his government; his hunting and martial arts skills were natural from his Manchu blood; he also recorded his conversations with different people in order for himself as a reminder and for future records. Spence use all three types of sources to present K’ang Hsi’s talents and virtues.

Being a virtuous emperor requires a lot of knowledge to do fair judgments, yet K’ang Hsi did not like the people who only depended on books. Through all the historical records, he criticized the governors who were being bias on either Manchu or Han[footnoteRef:4]. He also hated the people who only talked about Confucianism without considering other practical; knowledge, he states: “there are too many men who claim to be ju – pure scholars – and yet are stupid and arrogant; we’d be better off with less talk of moral principle and more practice of it.” (Spence 40). In the first chapter, “In Motion”, Spence also includes examples that K’ang Hsi was not an emperor who only sit and rule the country in the palace: he was the one who led the army to fight against the enemy and took care of his subordinates with his medical knowledge. [4: P.75]

The main purpose for Spence to create a memoir for K’ang Hsi is, through his research, he can explore K’ang Hsi’s inner world as an emperor. Being the emperor for the country must not be easy. K’ang Hsi must not show and express his personally emotions in front of his people. In order to maintain a peaceful environment for his people, he must learn more than other people, everything he had done is for the sake of his people and country. He could not even have enough rest because he wanted to know everything from the country. On the other hand, he was a father in the same time; Spence also includes K’ang Hsi’s personal opinions on his sons and the matters of the succession. He loved his sons like a normal father: for example, when he would forgive his sons if they did something wrong. He also taught his sons on different things, such as books and hunting skills. Not because his sons were more superior to the general people, K’ang Hsi would spoil them in any case, in fact, he would punish his sons according the Qing’s code of law.

I could not find any discussions on female during reading the book. In my opinion, in order to understand K’ang Hsi as an emperor or a father in the family, Spence should also include some information about his wives and female. The only one female story in the book is his sick grandmother and how to take care her as an act of filial piety. Spence does not add K’ang Hsi’s family point of view. I am interested in K’ang Hsi’s daily family stories, because K’ang Hsi was a successful emperor from the historian’s opinion, however, I personally would be more interested in his private family life. Those family stories may make K’ang Hsi as fully as a man and an emperor.

From the political figure to a father of 56 sons and daughters in the family, Spence organizes all the information into this fictional memoir in order for the reader to understand K’ang Hsi’s talents and personal point of views. It provides a significant platform for reader to explore the heart from a Qing Emperor who ruled China for 61 years.