Order

Reign Title (name)

Reign Years

Mausoleum

Big Events

1

Emperor Taizu Nurhachi

1616-1626

Fuling Mausoleum in Shenyang

Nurhachi (1559-1626), the founder of the Later Jin regime, ascended the throne of Khan in 1616 and held the position for 11 years. During his ruling, Nurhachi complied with the historical trend and unified other Jurchen tribes, accelerating the Manchu community's formation, strengthening the economic and cultural communication among ethnic groups, and promoting the economic development of eastern and southern Liaoning.

2

Emperor Taizong

(Hong Taiji)

1626-1643

Zhaoling Mausoleum in Shenyang

Hong Taiji (1592-1643), the eighth son of Nurhachi, inherited the throne of Khan in 1626. A decade later, he ascended the throne to be emperor in Shenyang and changed the state name to Great Qing. During his reign, Hong Taiji prioritized economic development, strengthened the military forces, and launched a series of attacks on the Ming dynasty. His efforts laid the foundation for the establishment of the Qing Dynasty and the unification of China.

3

Emperor Shunzhi (Fulin)

1643-1661

Xiaoling Mausoleum of Eastern Tombs of Qing Dynasty in Zunhua, Hebei

Fulin (1638-1661), the ninth son of Hong Taiji, was the first emperor after the Qing army entering the Shanhai Pass. He ascended the throne at 6, and his uncle Dorgon acted as a regent to help him until he was 14. In his early reign, the ethnic contradictions between Manchu and Han people and the class contradictions were incredibly fierce. By the end of his ruling, the Qing army had defeated all the revolting powers and completed the national unification.

4

Emperor Kangxi (Xuanye)

1661-1722

Jingling Mausoleum of Eastern Tombs of Qing Dynasty

Xuanye (1654-1722), the third son of Emperor Shunzhi, is the second emperor after the Qing army entering the Shanhai pass. He suppressed the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, retrieved Taiwan, expelled the tsarist Russia power, and put down the turmoil in Mongolia and Tibet, strengthening the multi-ethnic country's stability and unification. In terms of economy and culture, Emperor Kangxi set a relatively open society and created the last prosperous period of the Chinese feudal society - The Reign of Kangxi and Qianlong.

5

Emperor Yongzheng (Yinzhen)

1722-1735

Tailing Mausoleum of Western Tombs of Qing Dynasty

Yinzhen (1678-1735), the fourth son of Emperor Kangxi, is the third emperor after Qing forces entering the Shanhai pass. During his 13 years of ruling, Emperor Yongzheng oppressed anyone who impeded the imperial power, effectively improved the administrations, increased the national treasury's revenue, and laid a solid foundation for the prosperity of the Qianlong's reign.

6

Emperor Qianlong (Hongli)

1735-1796

Yuling Mausoleum of Eastern Tombs of Qing Dynasty

Hongli (1711-1799) is the fourth son of Emperor Yongzheng. He pushed the prosperous age of Kangxi's reign to the top and brought the flourished Qing Dynasty into the trough with his own hands, which made Emperor Qianlong one of the most important emperors influenced the historical process after the 18th century.

7

Emperor Jiaqing (Yongyan)

1796-1820

Changling Mausoleum of Western Tombs of Qing Dynasty

Yongyan (1760-1820) is the fifteenth son of Emperor Qianlong. He ascended the throne at 27 and ruled for 25 years. Once he ruled, Emperor Jiaqing immediately exterminated the extremely corruptible He Shen and took many measures to maintain Kangxi and Qianlong's prosperous times. However, the contradictions at home, aggression from abroad, the ever-growing corruption, and the lack of new mechanism made it hard to escape the declining fate.

8

Emperor Daoguang

(Minning)

1820-1850

Muling Mausoleum of Western Tombs of Qing Dynasty

Minning (1782-1850), the second son of Emperor Jiaqing, ascended the throne at 29 and ruled for 30 years. He strongly advocated frugality, reformed the salt department, partially allowed private mining, and rectified the government administration. However, the prevailing corruption made his reform hard to take effect. Meanwhile, the opium brought in by foreigners began to prevail and poison people's minds. Emperor Daoguang initially resisted, but his ignorance of the current situation and the incompetence of ministers made him frequently change his strategy. Rather than banning opium smoking, the emperor persecuted the leading force in charge of smoking, which caused the Qing army to be unable to resist the foreign powers' aggression.

9

Emperor Xianfeng (Yizhu)

1850-1861

Qingling Mausoleum Eastern Tombs of Qing Dynasty

Yizhu (1831-1861) is the fourth son of Emperor Daoguang. He ascended the throne at 20 and ruled for 11 years. It was during his reign that China had undergone some of the darkest historical times. No less than a year after Emperor Xianfeng's enthronement, the Taiping Rebellion broke out, along with which were all kinds of peasant uprisings, big or small. Only three years later, Beijing was under significant threat despite the multiple times of suppression. With rebellion powers growing stronger on one side, the Anglo-French joint army launched an attack against the Qing court. Beijing and Tianjin were quickly seized, forcing the emperor to abandon his capital and fled to Summer Resort in Chengde. Yixin was ordered to negotiate with the invaders. The result is the Anglo-French aggressors savaged many imperial palaces, among which the Old Summer Palace suffered the most. The Qing court was coerced to accept many unequal treaties. Even if Emperor Xianfeng had the ambition to save the country, he wouldn't have the power.

10

Emperor Tongzhi (Zaichun)

1861-1875

Huiling Mausoleum Eastern Tombs of Qing Dynasty

Zaichun (1856-1874) is the eldest son f Emperor Xianfeng. Ascending the throne at 5, Emperor Tongzhi acted as the puppet for his mother, Queen Cixi, all his life. During his reign, relying on Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, and other high-ranking ministers, the Qing government suppressed the Taiping Rebellion, and pacified the Muslim Turmoils in Shaanxi and Gansu areas. Meanwhile, to strengthen ruling, the ruling class launched a series of Westernization Movement, in the hope of learning from the western world and rejuvenate China, which created a relatively stable political period.

11

Emperor Guangxu (Zaitian)

1875-1908

Chong Mausoleum of Western Tombs of Qing Dynasty

Zaitian (1871-1908) ascended the throne at 4. Empress Dowager Cixi still reigned on behalf of him behind the screen. When Emperor Guangxu finally ruled personally, the Sino-Japanese war broke out. He strongly advocated that the Qing army should fight back and continue to reform. However, his ideas were strongly resisted by Dowager Cixi and her followers. When the Constitutional Reform Reform and Modernization failed, the Dowager Cixi confined the emperor Guangxu until he died.

12

Emperor Xuantong (Puyi)

1908-1911

Hualong Imperial Cemetery nearby the Western Tombs of Qing Dynasty

Puyi (1906-1967) is the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty and the second to last emperor in Chinese history. He ascended the throne at two and held the position for three years. In 1911, the Xinhai Revolution broke out, forcing him to abdicate the throne, and the Qing Dynasty finally ended. But he still lived in the Forbidden City. In Nov.5 1924, the warlord Feng Yuxiang broke into the palace and expelled Puyi out. After the September 18 Incident in 1931, Puyi was controlled by the Japanese and became the puppet emperor under the state name of Kangde (1934-1945). With the Japanese army surrendering in the Second World War, Puxi was captured by the Soviet Union and transferred to the hands of the Communist Party of China. Later, he became a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and lived like a normal person.