| Last Name： | 爱新觉罗 | |||||||||
| First Name： | 玄烨 | |||||||||
| Web/Pen/Nick Name： | 清圣祖 | |||||||||
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Kangxi's reign of 61 years makes him the longest-reigning Chinese emperor in history (although his grandson, the Qianlong Emperor, had the longest period of de facto power) and one of the longest-reigning rulers in the world. However, having ascended the throne at the age of seven, he was not the effective ruler until later, with that role temporarily fulfilled for six years by four regents and his grandmother, the Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
Kangxi is considered one of China's greatest emperors. He suppressed the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, forced the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan to submit to Qing rule, blocked Tzarist Russia on the Amur River and expanded the empire in the northwest. He also accomplished such literary feats as the compilation of the Kangxi Dictionary.
Kangxi's reign brought about long-term stability and relative wealth after years of war and chaos. He initiated the period known as the "Prosperous Era of Kangxi and Qianlong", which lasted for generations after his own lifetime. By the end of his reign, the Qing Empire controlled all of China proper, Taiwan, Manchuria, part of the Russian Far East (Outer Manchuria), both Inner and Outer Mongolia, Tibet proper, and Joseon Korea as a protectorate.
Early reign
Portrait of Young Kangxi Emperor in Court DressBorn on 4 May 1654 to the Shunzhi Emperor and Empress Xiaokangzhang, Kangxi was originally given the personal name Xuanye (Chinese: 玄燁; Manchu language: ᡥᡳᠣᠸᠠᠨ ᠶᡝᡳ; Möllendorff transliteration: hiowan yei). He was enthroned at the age of seven (or eight by East Asian age reckoning), on 7 February 1661, 12 days after his father's death, although his reign formally began on 18 February 1662, the first day of the following lunar year.
According to some accounts, Shunzhi gave up the throne to Kangxi and became a monk. Several alternative explanations are given for this: one is that it was due to the death of his favorite concubine; another is that he was under the influence of a Buddhist monk. The story goes that Shunzhi did indeed became a monk, but the empress dowager ordered the deletion of the incident from official history records, and replacement with the claim that he died from smallpox.
Before Kangxi came to the throne, Grand Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang (in the name of Shunzhi Emperor) had appointed the powerful men Sonin, Suksaha, Ebilun, and Oboi as regents. Sonin died after his granddaughter became Empress Xiaochengren, leaving Suksaha at odds with Oboi in politics. In a fierce power struggle, Oboi had Suksaha put to death and seized absolute power as sole regent. Kangxi and the rest of the imperial court acquiesced in this arrangement.
In 1669, Kangxi had Oboi arrested with the help of Grand Dowager Empress Xiaozhuang, who had raised him and began taking personal control of the empire. He listed three issues of concern: flood control of the Yellow River; repair of the Grand Canal; the Revolt of the Three Feudatories in south China. The Grand Empress Dowager influenced him greatly and he took care of her himself in the months leading up to her death in 1688.
Military achievement
Army
The Emperor mounted on his horse and guarded by his bodyguards.The main army of the Qing Empire, the Eight Banners Army, was in decline under Kangxi. It was smaller than it had been at its peak under Hong Taiji and in the early reign of the Shunzhi Emperor; however, it was larger than in the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors' reigns. In addition, the Green Standard Army was still powerful with generals such as Tuhai, Fei Yanggu, Zhang Yong, Zhou Peigong, Shi Lang, Mu Zhan, Shun Shike and Wang Jingbao.
The Kangxi Emperor in ceremonial armor, armed with bow and arrows, and surrounded by bodyguardsThe main reason for this decline was a change in system between Kangxi and Qianlong's reigns. Kangxi continued using the traditional military system implemented by his predecessors, which was more efficient and stricter. According to the system, a commander who returned from a battle alone (with all his men dead) would be put to death, and likewise for a foot soldier. This was meant to motivate both commanders and soldiers alike to fight valiantly in war because there was no benefit for the sole survivor in a battle.
By Qianlong's reign, military commanders had become lax and the training of the army was deemed less important as compared to during the previous emperors' reigns. This was because commanders' statuses had become hereditary; a general gained his position based on the contributions of his forefathers.
Revolt of the Three FeudatoriesFurther information: Revolt of the Three Feudatorie
In the spring of 1662, the regents ordered a Great Clearance in southern China to counter a resistance movement started by Ming loyalists under the leadership of Koxinga. This involved the forced migration of entire populations in the coastal regions of inland southern China.
In 1673, the Revolt of the Three Feudatories broke out. Wu Sangui's forces overran most of southwest China and he tried to ally himself with local generals such as Wang Fuchen. Kangxi employed generals such as Zhou Peigong and Tuhai to suppress the rebellion, and also granted clemency to the common people who were caught up in the war. He intended to personally lead the armies to crush the rebels but his subjects advised him against it. The revolt ended with victory for Qing forces in 1681.
Kingdom of TungningIn 1683, the Kingdom of Tungning was defeated by Qing naval forces under the command of admiral Shi Lang at the Battle of Penghu. Zheng Keshuang, ruler of Tungning, surrendered a few days later, and Taiwan was annexed by the Qing Empire. Soon afterwards, the coastal regions of southern China were ordered to be repopulated. In addition, to encourage settlers, the Qing government granted financial incentives to families that settled there.
VietnamIn 1673, Kangxi's government helped to mediate a truce in the Trịnh–Nguyễn War in Vietnam, which had been ongoing for 45 years since 1627. The peace treaty that was signed between the conflicting parties lasted for 101 years until 1774.
RussiaMain article: Russian–Manchu border conflict
European couple, Kangxi periodIn the 1650s, the Qing Empire engaged the Russian Empire in a series of border conflicts along the Amur River region, which concluded with victory for the Qing side. After the Siege of Albazin, he gained control of the area.
The Russians invaded the northern frontier again in the 1680s. After a series of battles and negotiations, both sides signed the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689, in which a border was fixed, and the Amur River valley given to the Qing Empire.
MongolsIn 1675, Burni of the Chahar Mongols started a rebellion against the Qing Empire. The revolt was crushed within two months and the Chahars were incorporated in the Manchu Eight Banners.
The Khalkha Mongols had preserved their independence, and only paid tribute to the Qing Empire. However, a conflict between the houses of Tümen Jasagtu Khan and Tösheetü Khan led to a dispute between the Khalkha and the Dzungars over the influence of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1688, as the Khalkhas were fighting wars with Russian Cossacks in the north of their territory, the Dzungar chief, Galdan Boshugtu Khan, attacked the Khalkha from the west and invaded their territory. The Khalkha royal families and the first Jebtsundamba Khutuktu crossed the Gobi Desert and sought help from the Qing Empire in return for submission to Qing authority. In 1690, the Dzungars and Qing forces clashed at the Battle of Ulaan Butun in Inner Mongolia, in which the Qing eventually emerged as the victor.
The Kangxi Emperor at the age of 45, painted in 1699In 1696, Kangxi personally led three armies, totaling 80,000 in strength, in a campaign against the Dzungars. The western section of the Qing army defeated Galdan's forces at the Battle of Jao Modo and Galdan died in the following year.
The Dzungars continued to threaten the Qing Empire and invaded Tibet in 1717. In response to the deposition of the Dalai Lama and his replacement with Lha-bzang Khan in 1706, they took control of Lhasa with a 6,000 strong army and removed Lha-bzang from power. They held on to the city for two years and defeated a Qing army sent to the region in 1718. The Qing did not take control of Lhasa until 1720, when Kangxi sent a larger force there to defeat the Dzungars.
Economic achievement
The contents of the national treasury during Kangxi's reign were:
1668 (7th year of Kangxi): 14,930,000 tael
1692: 27,385,631 tael
1702–1709: approximately 50,000,000 taels with little variation during this period
1710: 45,880,000 tael
1718: 44,319,033 tael
1720: 39,317,103 tael
1721 (60th year of Kangxi, second last of his reign): 32,622,421 tael
The reasons for the declining trend in the later years of Kangxi's reign were a huge expenditure on military campaigns and an increase in corruption.
To fix the problem, Kangxi gave Prince Yong (the future Yongzheng Emperor) advice on how to make the economy more efficient.
Cultural achievements
A vase from the early Kangxi period (Musée Guimet)During his reign, Kangxi ordered the compilation of a dictionary of Chinese characters, which became known as the Kangxi Dictionary. This was seen as an attempt by Kangxi to gain support from the Han Chinese scholar-bureaucrats, as many of them initially refused to serve him and remained loyal to the Ming Dynasty. However, by persuading the scholars to work on the dictionary without asking them to formally serve the Qing imperial court, Kangxi led them to gradually taking on greater responsibilities until they were assuming the duties of state officials.
In 1705, on Kangxi's order, a compilation of Tang poetry, the Quantangshi, was produced.
Kangxi also was interested in Western technology and wanted to import them to China. This was done through Jesuit missionaries, such as Ferdinand Verbiest, whom Kangxi frequently summoned for meetings, or Karel Slavíček, who made the first precise map of Beijing on Kangxi's order.
From 1711 to 1723, Matteo Ripa, an Italian priest sent to China by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, worked as a painter and copper-engraver at the Qing court. In 1723, he returned to Naples from China with four young Chinese Christians, in order to groom them to become priests and send them back to China as missionaries. This marked the beginning of the Collegio dei Cinesi, sanctioned by Pope Clement XII to help the propagation of Christianity in China. This Chinese Institute was the first school of Sinology in Europe, which would later develop to become the Instituto Orientale and the present day Naples Eastern University.
Kangxi was also the first Chinese emperor to play a western musical instrument. He employed Karel Slavíček as court musician. Slavíček was playing Spinet; later Kangxi would play on it himself. He also invented a Chinese calendar.
ChristianityMain article: Chinese Rites controversy
Jesuit astronomers of the Jesuit China missions, with the Kangxi Emperor (Beauvais, 1690–1705)In the early decades of Kangxi's reign, Jesuits played a large role in the imperial court. With their knowledge of astronomy, they ran the imperial observatory. Jean-François Gerbillon and Thomas Pereira served as translators for the negotiations of the Treaty of Nerchinsk. Kangxi was grateful to the Jesuits for their contributions, the many languages they could interpret, and the innovations they offered his military in gun manufacturing and artillery, the latter of which enabled the Qing Empire to conquer the Kingdom of Tungning.
Kangxi was also fond of the Jesuits' respectful and unobtrusive manner; they spoke the Chinese language well, and wore the silk robes of the elite. In 1692, when Fr. Thomas Pereira requested tolerance for Christianity, Kangxi was willing to oblige, and issued the Edict of Toleration, which recognized Catholicism, barred attacks on their churches, and legalized their missions and the practice of Christianity by the Chinese people.
However, controversy arose over whether Chinese Christians could still take part in traditional Confucian ceremonies and ancestor worship, with the Jesuits arguing for tolerance and the Dominicans taking a hard-line against foreign "idolatry". The Dominican position won the support of Pope Clement XI, who in 1705 sent Charles-Thomas Maillard De Tournon as his representative to Kangxi, to communicate the ban on Chinese rites. On 19 March 1715, Pope Clement XI issued the papal bull Ex illa die, which officially condemned Chinese rites.
In response, Kangxi officially forbade Christian missions in China, as they were "causing trouble".
Disputed succession
The Kangxi Emperor on a tour, seated prominently on the deck of a junkThe matter of Kangxi's will is one of the "Four Greatest Mysteries of the Qing Dynasty". To this day, whom Kangxi chose as his successor is still a topic of debate amongst historians: on the face of things, he chose Yinzhen, the fourth prince, who later became the Yongzheng Emperor, and indeed there is strong evidence that this is correct.
However many have claimed that Yinzhen forged the will, and that in reality the 14th prince Yinti, had been chosen as the successor.
Kangxi's first spouse, Empress Xiaochengren, gave birth to his second surviving son Yinreng, who at the age of two was named crown prince, a Han Chinese custom, to ensure stability during a time of chaos in the south. Although Kangxi left the education of several of his sons to others, he personally oversaw the upbringing of Yinreng, intending to groom him into a perfect heir. Yinreng was tutored by the mandarin Wang Shan, who remained devoted to him, and spent the later years of his life trying to persuade Kangxi to restore Yinreng as the crown prince.
Yinreng did not prove himself to be worthy of the succession despite his father showing favoritism towards him. He was said to have beaten and killed his subordinates, and was alleged to have had sexual relations with one of his father's concubines, which was deemed as incest and a capital offence. Yinreng also purchased young children from Jiangsu to satisfy his pedophiliac pleasure. In addition, Yinreng's supporters, led by Songgotu, gradually formed a "Crown Prince Party" (太子黨), that aimed to help Yinreng get the throne as soon as possible, even if it meant using unlawful methods.
The seated Kangxi EmperorOver the years, Kangxi kept constant watch over Yinreng and became aware of his son's many flaws, while their relationship gradually deteriorated. In 1707, Kangxi decided that he could no longer tolerate Yinreng's behavior, which he partially mentioned in the imperial edict as "too embarrassing to be spoken of",
and decided to strip Yinreng off his position as crown prince. Kangxi placed his oldest surviving son, Yinzhi, in charge of overseeing Yinreng's house arrest. However, Yinzhi attempted to sabotage Yinreng numerous times and requested for his father to order Yinreng's execution. Kangxi was enraged and stripped Yinzhi of his titles. Kangxi advised his subjects to stop debating about the succession issue, and despite attempts to reduce rumours and speculation as to who the new crown prince might be, the imperial court's daily activities were disrupted. Apart from that, Yinzhi's actions also caused Kangxi to suspect that Yinreng might have been framed, hence Kangxi restored Yinreng as crown prince in 1709, with the support of the 4th and 13th princes, and on the excuse that Yinreng had previously acted under the influence of mental illness.
A turtle-based stele with the Kangxi Emperor's inscription, erected in 1699 at the Nanjing mausoleum of the Hongwu Emperor, honouring the founder of the preceding Ming Dynasty as surpassing the founders of the Tang and Song dynasties.In 1712, during Kangxi's last inspection tour to the south, Yinreng, who was put in charge of state affairs during his father's absence, tried to vie for power again with his supporters. He allowed an attempt at forcing Kangxi to abdicate when his father returned to Beijing. However, Kangxi received news of the planned coup d'etat, and was so angry that he deposed Yinreng and placed him under house arrest again. After the incident, Kangxi announced that he would not appoint any of his sons as crown prince for the remainder of his reign. He stated that he would place his Imperial Valedictory Will inside a box in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, which will only be opened after his death.
Death and successionFollowing the deposition of the crown prince, Kangxi implemented groundbreaking changes in the political landscape. The 13th prince, Yinxiang, was placed under house arrest as well for cooperating with Yinreng. The eighth prince Yinsi was stripped off all his titles and only had them restored years later. The 14th prince Yinti, whom many considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Kangxi, was sent on a military campaign during the political conflict. Yinsi, along with the ninth and tenth princes, Yintang and Yin'e, pledged their support to Yinti.
In the evening of 20 December 1722 before his death, Kangxi called seven of his sons to assemble at his bedside. They were the third, fourth, eight, ninth, tenth, 16th and 17th princes. After Kangxi died, Longkodo announced that Kangxi had selected the fourth prince, Yinzhen, as the new emperor. Yinzhen ascended to the throne and became known as the Yongzheng Emperor. Kangxi was entombed at the Eastern Tombs in Zunhua, Hebei.
Personality and achievementsKangxi was the great consolidator of the Qing Dynasty. The transition from the Ming Dynasty to the Qing was a cataclysm whose central event was the fall of the capital Beijing to the invading Manchus in 1644, and the installation of the five-year-old Shunzhi Emperor on their throne. By 1661, when Shunzhi died and was succeeded by Kangxi, the Qing conquest was almost complete and the leading Manchus were already adopting Chinese ways including Confucian ideology. Kangxi completed the conquest, suppressed all significant military threats and revived the ancient central government system with important modifications.
Kangxi was an inveterate workaholic, rising early and retiring late, reading and responding to numerous memorials every day, conferring with his councillors and giving audiences – and this was in normal times; in wartime, he might be reading memorials from the warfront until after midnight or even, as with the Dzungar conflict, away on campaign in person.
Kangxi devised a system of communication that circumvented the scholar-bureaucrats, who had a tendency to usurp the power of the emperor. This Palace Memorial System involved the transfer of secret messages between him and trusted officials in the provinces, where the messages were contained in locked boxes that only he and the official had access to. This started as a system for receiving uncensored extreme-weather reports, which the emperor regarded as divine comments on his rule. However, it soon evolved into a general-purpose secret "news channel". Out of this emerged a Grand Council, which dealt with extraordinary, especially military, events. The council was chaired by the emperor and manned by his more elevated Han Chinese household staff. From this council, the mandarin civil servants were excluded – they were left only with routine administration.
Kangxi managed to seduce the Confucian intelligentsia into co-operating with the Qing government, despite their deep reservations about Manchu rule, by encouraging them to sit the traditional civil service examinations, become mandarins and subsequently to compose lavishly conceived works of literature such the History of Ming, the Kangxi Dictionary, a phrase-dictionary, a vast encyclopedia and an even vaster compilation of Chinese literature. On a personal level, Kangxi was a cultivated man, steeped in Confucian learning.
In the one military campaign in which he actively participated, against the Dzungar Mongols, Kangxi showed himself an effective military commander. According to Finer, Kangxi's own written reflections allow one to experience "how intimate and caring was his communion with the rank-and-file, how discriminating and yet masterful his relationship with his generals".
As a result of the scaling down of hostilities as peace returned to China after the Manchu conquest, and also as a result of the ensuing rapid increase of population, land cultivation and therefore tax revenues based on agriculture, Kangxi was able first to make tax remissions, then in 1712 to freeze the land tax and corvée altogether, without embarrassing the state treasury.
FamilyFather: Shunzhi Emperor
Mother: Empress Xiaokangzhang (1640–1663). Her family was of Jurchen origin but had lived among the Chinese for generations. It had a Chinese family name, Tong (佟), but converted to the Manchu clan name Tongiya later. She was instated as the Empress Dowager Cihe (慈和皇太后) in 1661 when Kangxi became emperor. She is known posthumously as Empress Xiaokangzhang (Chinese: 孝康章皇后; Manchu: Hiyoošungga Nesuken Eldembuhe Hūwanghu).
ConsortsThe total number is approximately 64.
1.Empress Xiaochengren (died 1674) from the Heseri clan – married in 1665.
2.Empress Xiaozhaoren (Manchu: Hiyoošungga Genggiyen Gosin Hūwanghu) from the Niohuru clan.
3.Empress Xiaoyiren (Manchu: Hiyoošungga Fujurangga Gosin Hūwanghu) from the Tunggiya clan.
4.Empress Xiaogongren (Manchu: Hiyoošungga Gungnecuke Gosin Hūwanghu) from the Wuya clan.
5.Imperial Noble Consort Que Hui (1668–1743) from the Tunggiya clan, Empress Xiaoyiren's younger sister.
6.Imperial Noble Consort Dun Yi (1683–1768) from the Guwalgiya clan
7.Honored Imperial Noble Consort Jing Min (died 1699) from the Janggiya clan
8.Noble Consort Wen Xi (died 1695) from the Niuhuru clan, Empress Xiaozhaoren's younger sister.
9.Consort Shun Yi Mi (1668–1744) from the Wang clan was Han Chinese from origin.
10.Consort Chun Yu Qin (died 1754) from the Han Chinese Chen clan.
11.Consort Rong (died 1727) from the Magiya clan.
12.Consort Yi (died 1733) from the Gobulo clan.
13.Consort Hui (died 1732) from the Nala clan.
14.Consort Liang (died 1711) from the Wei clan.
15.Consort Cheng (died 1740) from the Daigiya clan.
16.Consort Xuan (died 1736) from the Mongol Borjigit clan.
17.Consort Ding (1661–1757) from the Wanliuha clan.
18.Consort Ping (died 1696) from the Heseri clan, Empress Xiaochengren's younger sister.
19.Consort Hui (died 1670) from the Borjigit clan.
SonsHaving the longest reign in Chinese history, Kangxi also has the most children of all Qing emperors. He had officially 24 sons and 12 daughters. The actual number is higher, as most of his children died from illness.
#1 Name2 Born Died Mother Notes
Chengrui
承瑞 5 November 1667 10 July 1670 Consort Rong Died young
Chenghu
承祜 4 January 1670 3 March 1672 Empress Xiaochengren Died young
Chengqing
承慶 21 March 1670 26 May 1671 Consort Hui Died young
Sayinchahun
賽音察渾 24 January 1672 6 March 1674 Consort Rong Died young
1 Yinzhi
胤禔 12 March 1672 7 January 1735 Consort Hui Created Prince Zhi of the Second Rank (直郡王) in 1698;
Stripped of his title in 1708;
Buried with honors due a Beizi
Changhua
長華 11 May 1674 12 May 1674 Consort Rong Died young
2 Yinreng
胤礽 6 June 1674 27 January 1725 Empress Xiaochengren Original name Baocheng (保成);
Created Crown Prince in 1675;
Stripped of his position in 1708;
Re-created Crown Prince in 1709;
Stripped of his position in 1712;
Posthumously created Prince Li of the First Rank
Changsheng
長生 12 August 1675 27 April 1677 Consort Rong Died young
Wanpu
萬黼 4 December 1675 11 March 1679 Imperial Concubine Tong Died young
3 Yinzhi
胤祉 23 March 1677 10 July 1732 Imperial Consort Rong Created Prince Cheng of the Second Rank (誠郡王) in 1698;
Demoted to a Beizi in 1730;
Original title posthumously restored;
Granted the posthumous name Yin (隱)
4 Yinzhen
胤禛 13 December 1678 8 October 1735 Empress Xiaogongren Created Prince Yong of the First Rank (雍親王) in 1709;
Ascended the throne as the Yongzheng Emperor on 27 December 1722
Yinzan
胤禶 10 April 1679 30 April 1680 Imperial Concubine Tong Died young
5 Yinqi
胤祺 5 January 1680 10 July 1732 Consort Yi Created Prince Heng of the First Rank (恆親王) in 1698;
Granted the posthumous name Wen (溫)
6 Yinzuo
胤祚 5 March 1680 15 June 1685 Empress Xiaogongren Died young
7 Yinyou
胤祐 19 August 1680 18 May 1730 Consort Cheng Created a Beile in 1698;
Elevated to Prince Chun of the Second Rank (淳郡王) in 1709;
Elevated further to Prince Chun of the First Rank (淳親王) in May 1723;
Granted the posthumous name Du (度)
8 Yinsi
胤禩 29 March 1681 5 October 1726 Consort Liang Created Prince Lian of the First Rank (廉親王) in 1723;
Stripped of his title and expelled from the imperial house in 1726;
Forced to rename himself Akina (阿其那) ("pig")
Posthumously restored in 1778
Yinju
胤䄔 13 September 1683 17 July 1684 Honored Lady Gorolo Died young
9 Yintang
胤禟 17 October 1683 22 September 1726 Consort Yi Created a Beizi in 1709;
Stripped of his title and expelled from the imperial house in 1725;
Forced to rename himself Sesihei (塞思黑) ("dog")
Posthumously restored in 1778
10 Yin’e
胤䄉 28 November 1683 18 October 1741 Noble Consort Wen Xi Created Prince Dun of the Second Rank (敦郡王) in 1709;
Stripped of his title in 1724;
Granted the title “Duke Who Assists the State" (輔國公) in 1737
11 Yinzi
胤禌 8 June 1685 22 August 1696 Consort Yi Died young
12 Yintao
胤祹 8 June 1685 2 September 1763 Consort Ding Created Prince Lü of the First Rank (履親王) in 1709;
Granted the posthumous name Yi (懿)
13 Yinxiang
胤祥 16 November 1686 18 June 1730 Imperial Noble Consort Jing Min Created Prince Yi of the First Rank (怡親王) in 1722;
Was one of the Qing Dynasty’s 12 iron-cap princes
14 Yinti
胤禵 16 January 1688 13 January 1756 Empress Xiaogongren Born Yinzhen (胤禎);
Created Prince Xun of the Second Rank (恂郡王) in 1723;
Granted the posthumous name Qin (勤)
Yinji
胤禨 23 February 1691 30 March 1691 Consort Ping Died young
15 Yinwu
胤禑 24 December 1693 8 March 1731 Consort Shun Yi Mi Created Prince Yu of the Second Rank (愉郡王) in 1726;
Granted the posthumous name Ke (恪)
16 Yinlu
胤祿 28 July 1695 20 March 1767 Consort Shun Yi Mi Adopted by Boguoduo, Prince Zhuang;
Inherited the title Prince Zhuang of the First Rank (莊親王) in 1723;
Granted the posthumous name Ke (恪)
17 Yinli
胤禮 24 March 1697 21 March 1738 Consort Chun Yu Qin Created Prince Guo of the Second Rank (果郡王) in 1723;
Granted the posthumous name Yi (毅)
18 Yinxie
胤祄 15 May 1701 17 October 1708 Consort Shun Yi Mi Died at the Chengde Mountain Resort from the mumps
19 Yinji
胤禝 25 October 1702 28 March 1704 Imperial Concubine Xiang Died young
20 Yinyi
胤禕 1 September 1706 30 June 1755 Imperial Concubine Xiang Created a Beile (貝勒) in 1726
21 Yinxi
胤禧 27 February 1711 26 June 1758 Imperial Concubine Xi Created Prince Shen of the Second Rank (慎郡王) in December 1735
22 Yinhu
胤祜 10 January 1712 12 February 1744 Imperial Concubine Jin Created a Beile in 1730;
Granted the posthumous name Gongqin (恭勤)
23 Yinqi
胤祁 14 January 1714 31 August 1785 Imperial Concubine Jing Created a Beile in 1730;
Granted the posthumous name Cheng (誠)
24 Yinmi
胤祕 5 July 1716 3 December 1773 Imperial Concubine Mu Created Prince Xian of the First Rank (諴親王) in 1733;
Granted the posthumous name Ke (恪)
Yinyuan
胤禐 2 March 1718 2/3 March 1718 Honored Lady Chen Died soon after birth
Notes: (1) The order by which the princes were referred to and recorded on official documents were dictated by the number they were assigned by the order of birth. This order was unofficial until 1677, when Kangxi decreed that all of his male descendants must adhere to a "generation code" as their middle character (see Chinese name). As a result of the new system, the former order was abolished, with Yinzhi, Prince Zhi becoming the First Prince, thus the current numerical order. (2) All of Kangxi's sons changed their names upon Yongzheng's accession in 1722 by modifying the first character from "胤" (yin) to "允" (yun) to avoid the nominal taboo of the emperor. Yinxiang was posthumously allowed to change his name back to Yinxiang. Yongzheng forced his two brothers to rename themselves, but his successor restored their names. There have been many studies on their meanings.
Daughters# Title Born Died Married Spouse Issue Mother
1 unnamed 23 December 1668 November 1671 Ordinary Consort Zhang
2 unnamed 17 April 1671 8 January 1674 Ordinary Consort Dong
3 State Princess Rongxian
固倫榮憲公主 20 June 1673 29 May 1728 July 1691 Borjigit Urgun, Prince of Baarin
博爾濟吉特烏爾袞 Consort Rong
4 unnamed 16 March 1674 1678 Ordinary Consort Zhang
5 Princess Duanjing of the Second Rank
和碩端靜公主 9 June 1674 April 1710 November or December 1692 Ulanghan Garzang
烏梁罕噶爾臧 Honored Lady Bu
6 State Princess Kejing
固倫恪靖公主 4 July 1679 1735 1697 Borjigit Dunduobudorji, Prince of the Khalkha Mongols Honored Lady Gorolo
7 unnamed 5 July 1682 September 1682 Empress Xiaogongren
8 unnamed 13 July 1683 late July or August 1683 Empress Xiaoyiren
9 State Princess Wenxian
固倫溫憲公主 10 November 1683 August or September 1702 October or November 1700 Tunggiya Shun’anyan
佟佳舜安顏 Empress Xiaogongren
10 State Princess Chunque
固倫純愨公主 20 March 1685 1710 1706 Borjigit Celeng
博爾濟吉特策棱 Borjigit Chenggunzhabu
博爾濟吉特成袞札布 Imperial Concubine Tong
11 unnamed 24 October 1685 June or July 1686 Noble Consort Wen Xi
12 unnamed 14 June 1686 late February or March 1697 Empress Xiaogongren
13 Princess Wenke of the Second Rank
和碩溫恪公主 1 January 1688 July or August 1709 1706 Borjigit Cangjin
博爾濟吉特倉津 Imperial Noble Consort Jing Min
14 Princess Quejing of the Second Rank
和碩愨靖公主 16 January 1690 1736 1706 Sun Chengyun, Baron of the First Rank
一等男孫承運 Honored Lady Yuan
15 Princess Dunke of the Second Rank
和碩敦恪公主 3 February 1691 January 1710 January or February 1709 ‘’Taiji’’ Borjigit Dorji
博爾濟吉特台吉多爾濟 Imperial Noble Consort Jing Min
16 unnamed 27 November 1695 October or November 1707 Ordinary Consort Wang
17 unnamed 12 January 1699 December 1700 Ordinary Consort Liu
18 unnamed 17 November 1701 Imperial Noble Consort Dun Yi
19 unnamed 30 March 1703 late February or March 1705 Imperial Concubine Xiang
20 unnamed 20 November 1708 January or early February 1709 Ordinary Consort Niuhuru
Popular culture
FictionKangxi Dadi (康熙大帝; literally: The Great Kangxi Emperor): a historical fiction novel by Er Yuehe, featuring a romanticized version of Kangxi's biography
The Deer and the Cauldron (鹿鼎記): a wuxia novel by Louis Cha. In the story, by coincidence, Kangxi and the protagonist, Wei Xiaobao, become close friends since childhood. Wei helps the emperor consolidate power and strengthen his rule over the empire, playing an important role in affecting how the historical events during Kangxi's reign unfold.
Qijian Xia Tianshan (七劍下天山; literally: Seven Swords Descend from Mount Heaven): a wuxia novel by Liang Yusheng. In the story, Kangxi discovers that his father, the Shunzhi Emperor, has become a monk in a monastery on Mount Wutai. He orders a close aide to kill his father in order to consolidate power, and attempts to erase evidence of the murder later.
Film and televisionKangxi Dynasty (康熙王朝): a 2001 television series adaption of the above mentioned novel by Er Yuehe. Chen Daoming starred as Kangxi.
Secret History of Kangxi (康熙秘史): fourth installment in a series of four television dramas about the early history of the Qing Dynasty. Xia Yu starred as Kangxi.
Kangxi Weifu Sifang Ji (康熙微服私訪記; literally: Kangxi's Inspection Tours in Civilian Attire): a long-running television drama about Kangxi's inspection tours. During some of his tours, Kangxi dressed like an ordinary civilian to conceal his identity so that he can blend in with the commoners and understand their daily lives better. Zhang Guoli starred as Kangxi.
The Life and Times of a Sentinel (紫禁驚雷): TVB series about Kangxi's brother's attempt to overthrow him.
Palace (宫): a 2011 television drama set during Kangxi's rule. A girl from the 21st century accidentally travels through time and ends up in the 1700s, in the Forbidden City, shortly before Kangxi strips the crown prince Yinreng of his position.
Scarlet Heart (步步惊心): another 2011 television drama set during Kangxi's rule. A girl from the 21st century accidentally travels through time and ends up in the 1700s, in the Forbidden City, way before Kangxi strips the crown prince Yinreng of his position. Damian Lau starred as Kangxi.
Video gamesAge of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties: Kangxi is featured as the Chinese leader in this real-time strategy game.