Let's pick a few celebrities' comments on the Ming and Qing Dynasties:
Generally speaking, the Qing Dynasty was much better than the Ming Dynasty. Compared with the 16 emperors of the Ming dynasty, the average score of the emperors of the Qing dynasty 12 from the Qing Taizu is almost incomparable in mathematics, because the former is a very high positive number and the latter is a very high negative number. -Jin Yong
The life span of the Qing Dynasty was 296 years, and there were twelve emperors. Among the twelve emperors, nearly two-thirds were very capable, understood and tried to perform their duties, and one-third were of medium intelligence. For example, there were a series of bad emperors in the Ming Dynasty, but none in the Qing Dynasty. There is no dynasty in China, including Zhou Dynasty, Western Han Dynasty, Eastern Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. There have been so many emperors who are capable and willing to work hard.
Standing on the national feelings at that time, the collapse of the Ming Dynasty composed of Han people made people sad. But looking back at the peak of China's history, we are delighted with its fall. In this century (17th century), the territory of the Ming Dynasty has shrunk to more than 3 million square kilometers, and it is still shrinking. There is no hope for internal affairs reform, and it will only get worse. If it drags on to the19th century and meets the invading western powers, I can definitely say that China will be carved up and the Chinese nation will become another Jewish nation that has lost its land. Moreover, without the strong religious feelings of the Jewish nation as a centripetal force, the country will never be restored. At least, notice that after the Qing Dynasty ceded land for many times in the 20th century (a total of1500,000 square kilometers was cut off), China still had11400,000 square kilometers, which was three times larger than that of the Ming Dynasty, giving China a chance to turn over. -Poplar
In the Qing Dynasty, the state machinery maintained normal operation for a long time, and the imperial power was centralized and the rule was consolidated, which troubled the queens, consorts, ministers, cronies and buffer regions of China in the past dynasties to a minimum. In the early Qing Dynasty, he summed up the experience and lessons of China's rule in history, made decisions and formulated policies. After careful consideration, he was cautious and authoritarian, law-abiding, and made great achievements. -Dai Yi
Throughout the ancient history of China, the emperors of the Qing Dynasty were generally better, among which Emperor Kangxi was even one of the best emperors in the history of China. Like Emperor Taizong and Li Shimin, he made me proud as a modern Han Chinese. -Yu
In addition to Bai Yang's guess, the above evaluation seems to be no problem from a local perspective. But these celebrities and everyone seem to have forgotten a famous saying, that is, "the ass decides the head." To comment on things, you must first have a position, and then have a standard. This orientation and the correct choice of standards are directly related to the scientific evaluation. So, where should we stand first? I think this orientation should be in line with the interests of China people, and the standard at that time should be "modernization". Whoever can promote (or hinder) China's modernization more under his rule should get a higher score. There should be no doubt about the scientific nature of this position and standard, but I don't understand why these famous people above don't adopt it, but insist on using the diligence of some emperors as the standard. Is it true that the more dictatorial the world is, the better its dictatorial ability will be?
Let's take a look at the system of Ming and Qing Dynasties. As we all know, Ming Taizu's abolition of the Prime Minister marked the strengthening of China's autocratic imperial power. But in the Ming dynasty, there was no prime minister in name, and the university students became the de facto prime minister. In the Ming Dynasty, officials of science and Taoism restricted the power of ministers and emperors, and emperors and university students could not do whatever they wanted. There was no powerful minister like Yan Song in the Ming Dynasty, and he was never severely impeached by the government. Even the emperor was officially impeached. However, the Qing dynasty really achieved the monopoly of imperial power, which was really "exclusive rights and exclusive laws." During the period of Ganjia, Guan Tong, an essayist of Tongcheng School, made a typical comparison of the great political differences between Ming and Qing Dynasties: "In the Ming Dynasty, the minister was in power, but now the governor of the cabinet department can't announce his official career; In the Ming dynasty, officials competed with each other, but today, there can be no big discussion between admonition and history; Scholars gave lectures in the Ming dynasty, but today, people who gathered disciples and formed societies are unknown; In the Ming Dynasty, the literati held a clear discussion, but now it is the imperial examination ... "It can be seen that the so-called ministers in the Qing Dynasty are just" announcing the decree ",and it is even more difficult for officials to speak out. It is strictly forbidden to associate and discuss other taxis. Under such a system as the Qing Dynasty, how much vitality can the society maintain, and how many people can be flexible and adapt to the changes of the current situation? And these are exactly what modern society needs.
Another major feature of the Qing system was the rule of the blood clan. Although the rulers of the Qing Dynasty always advertised that "Man and Han always looked at each other", in fact, their colonial mentality towards the Han nationality did not change. "The laws of the Qing Dynasty confirmed that Manchu enjoyed political, economic, judicial and other privileges. Manchu officials did not pass the imperial examination, but relied on privileges; All important military and financial departments and other major positions were monopolized and controlled by Manchu; Give Manchu (flag bearer) special legal protection in flag land and flag production. Manchu crimes are not tried by the general judicial organs, but by the yamen and the criminal justice department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the imperial clan nobles are tried by Zongrenyuan. If a sentence must be punished, it can be' reduced' or' modified' (from the perspective of Chinese legal history). Such a policy of ethnic discrimination, coupled with the dominant position of Manchu in the ruling group, in an era of dealing with drastic changes, he first considered safeguarding his ruling interests, and then the country's self-improvement, which undoubtedly dragged down China's progress. At the very least, he can't be meritocratic, but he won't need this kind of consideration in the future.
Let's take a look at the ideology and culture of the two dynasties. As we all know, in the Ming Dynasty, China's ideology and culture were also developing constantly. Although Neo-Confucianism is advocated by the government, it is easy to produce, develop and spread heresy because of lax official control. In the middle of Ming Dynasty, Wang Xue rose to the last stage, and his disciples preached that interests and desires were human nature. Profit and desire are the motive force to pursue and meet human material needs, and it is precisely because of this motive force that people can continuously improve their living and production level. How similar these ideas are to the discovery of human nature in the Western Renaissance! The "childlike innocence" advocated by Li Zhi has not only not been banned, but also become expensive in Luoyang for a while. By the end of Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, Huang Zongxi was even more opposed to the traditional theory of "respecting the foundation and restraining the end", and put forward the theory of "industry and commerce as the foundation", bravely questioning the supremacy of imperial power.
On the other hand, the Qing Dynasty declared the dead Neo-Confucianism in Zhu Cheng as the state religion, forbidding people to give lectures and form associations, and built a literary inquisition. A large number of scholars were killed and exiled, and books were banned. Even in the 300 years of the Qing dynasty, there was not a commendable thinker. No wonder. What can people think when chanting the breeze and the bright moon can be punished by the clan, and in the fear of "avoiding the seats and fearing the literary inquisition"?
The science and technology of the Ming Dynasty has been developing and making achievements. Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica, Zhu Zaiyu's New Law, Song's Heavenly Creativeness, Xu Guangqi's Complete Book of Agricultural Administration, etc. They were all world-class works at that time. Xu Guangqi also cooperated with Matteo Ricci, a foreign missionary, in translating The Elements of Geometry. Qi Jiguang wrote a new book about Ji Xiao, detailing the progress of firearms and military technology in the Ming Dynasty. It's a pity that the Qing Dynasty not only got nothing for itself, but also lost Song's Heavenly Creations and other books. Now we can see the heavenly creations. Thanks to Japan's possession of this book, our descendants will not even know that our ancestors have made such achievements.
The rulers of the Qing dynasty blindly emphasized the worship of the foundation and the suppression of the end, and strictly banned the sea, which was a great reaction to the economic policy in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. Although there was a "sea ban" in the Ming Dynasty, there were often orders not to do so, and there were endless exchanges between China and foreign countries. In the Qing Dynasty, coastal residents moved inland for 50 miles, and those who did not follow were killed. In the so-called Kanggan heyday, China's industrial level actually declined. According to statistics, by the end of Kanggan heyday 1840, China's industrial output was only 6% of the world's. Both the total output and the proportion in the world are not as good as those in the late Ming Dynasty 200 years ago.
Indeed, both the Ming and Qing dynasties adhered to the feudal system and Confucianism, but the reaction of the Ming dynasty was much lighter than that of the Qing dynasty, and new ideas were easy to sprout and grow. What about the Qing dynasty? In this case, what development can we have? We are engaged in blood clan rule and literary inquisition, focusing on the prevention and control of the Han Dynasty? How to deal with the changes of the times?
Of course, it can't be said that there is no contribution. At least under the Qing dynasty, the population increased. In fact, this is mainly due to the introduction of high-yield crops in South America, but the promotion of the Qing Dynasty cannot be erased. In addition, under the rule of Qing Dynasty, the territory of China was expanded. Although the territorial expansion of the Qing Dynasty was mainly for its own colonial rule. During most of his reign in China, Han people were not allowed to go to the newly developed land for apartheid. But, after all, it has circled some places for China and laid a legal foundation for future generations to fight for their rights and interests. Think about it. Since the Republic of China, despite the efforts of a large number of patriots, we have never acquired an inch of land outside the territory of the Qing Dynasty.
To sum up, Shi Ming in Qing Dynasty was a historical tragedy, and we really have no reason to beautify it. Today, if we deliberately whitewash it for some political needs, the price we pay will be the mental impotence of the Han nationality. Of course, we don't have to exaggerate its influence and blame it for all the reasons why China is backward. There is no doubt, however, that the reactionary rule of the Qing Dynasty delayed the modernization of China, which made the people of China pay a heavy price.
Attachment: 20 moments when the Qing Empire fell behind the West.
1, 1644 (the first year of Qing Shunzhi), Li Zicheng conquered Beijing, established the name of Dashun, died in the Ming Dynasty and entered the customs.
Britain is undergoing a bourgeois revolution, and Cromwell led his soldiers to defeat Wang Jun in the battle of meston.
2. 1663 (the second year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty): the case of Wen Zi's judicial identification; Burned down the Ming Dynasty's scientific and technological masterpieces "Heavenly Creations", "New Theory of Law" and "Pestilence Theory" ...
Britain enacted laws on major commodities. Financial and industrial and commercial laws and regulations.
3. 1668 (the seventh year of emperor Kangxi of Qing dynasty) stipulated that foreign trade was not allowed before the supply period. Began to tamper with the history of the Ming Dynasty, banned geography books of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Xiake's travels, the wrong ideas of Fujian and China, banned math books and unified arithmetic. ...
Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden entered into a three-nation alliance to jointly fight against France. Yingdong India Company controlled Mumbai.
4. 1684 (twenty-third year of emperor Kangxi of the Qing dynasty) established the Taiwan government, which was under the jurisdiction of Fujian. The jaxa war between China and Russia broke out, and Kangxi made a southern tour.
Newton discovered the theorem of universal gravitation and the basic theorem of mechanics.
5. 1696 (twenty-five years of Qing emperor Kangxi), Kangxi personally signed Grdan.
Peter sent 50 young people to England, Holland and Venice to study shipbuilding and construction, and the first property insurance company in England was established.
6. 1705 (forty-four years of Qing Emperor Kangxi) Guangdong stopped mining; Prohibit guns and shotguns; Implement a comprehensive ban on the sea.
The improved steam engine in newcomen, England (the predecessor of Watt steam engine) is used for pumping water in mines.
7. Yongzheng 1722 (sixty-one years of Qing Emperor Kangxi) acceded to the throne.
R.A. Reaumur wrote a paper on steelmaking.
8. 1733 (in the 11th year of Yongzheng, Qing Dynasty), the book "Qing Hui Dian" was established in various provinces.
British Kay invented the shuttle loom.
Voltaire's philosophical correspondence was published.
9. 1735 (13th year of Yongzheng in Qing dynasty), the history of Ming dynasty was tampered with. Gan Long acceded to the throne.
Britain began to use coal to make iron.
10, 1744 (the 19th year of Qing Qianlong) set up the enrollment quota of each province.
French textile workers went on strike angrily.
1 1, 1752 (the 17th year of Qing Qianlong) allowed reclamation in the South China Sea of Zhejiang.
American Franklin invented the lightning rod. Britain changed to Pope Gregory's new legislation.
12, 1760 (twenty-five years of Qing Qianlong) Guangdong rebuilt the public library.
The British industrial revolution began.
13, 1769 (thirty-four years of Qing Qianlong) The Qing Dynasty made peace with Myanmar. The anti-Qing uprising of the Yellow Sect in Taiwan Province Province was suppressed.
Watt made the first steam engine.
14, 1776 (forty-one years of Qing Qianlong) prohibited Han people from flowing into Liaoning and Jilin. The Qing army suppressed large and small rebellions.
North America issued the Declaration of Independence to establish the United States of America, and Adam Smith of Britain published The Wealth of Nations.
15, 1794 (fifty-nine years of Qingganlong) Law on Salt Prohibition.
The first telegraph line appeared between Paris and Lille.
16 and 1805 (the 10th year of Jiaqing, Qing Dynasty) forbade westerners to carve books, preach and set up schools in China.
Britain, Austria, Poland and Russia formed the third anti-French alliance.
17 and 1828 (eight years of Qing Daoguang) prohibit the use of foreign currency.
Friedrich Weller's synthetic urea pioneered organic chemistry.
The reconstruction of Kangxi Dictionary was completed in 18 and 183 1 year (the 11th year of Qing Daoguang).
Faraday, a British scientist, discovered electromagnetic induction.
19, 1839 (19th year of Qing Daoguang) Lin Zexu Humen Smoke.
James Ross and F R M Groser started their trip to the South Pole.
20. The first Opium War broke out in 1840 (twenty years of Qing Daoguang).