Heshen
Encyclopedia
Heshen or Hešen from the Manchu Niohuru
clan, was a Manchu
official of the Qing Dynasty
, a favourite
of the Qianlong Emperor
. Born Shanbao (善保), his given name was later changed to Heshen. His courtesy name (字) was Zhizhai (致齋). He was a member of the Plain Red Banner
, as well as one of the most corrupt officials in Chinese history. Heshen was born as the son of a Manchu
military officer and was selected to go to the most privileged school for Manchu aristocratic boys. He lost his mother when he was young and it was said he and his younger brother had a hard life under his stepmother. However, it was reported that Heshen was an excellent student, knowing several languages besides Mandarin and Manchu. In 1772, he began work in the Imperial Palace, assigned as an imperial bodyguard and was stationed at the gates to the Forbidden City
.
. Heshen was reportedly very attractive in appearance, with very fair skin and luscious, red lips. This invoked rumours of the reasons behind the emperor's fascination with this man.
It was said that when the Qianlong Emperor was still a young prince
in the palace
, he accidentally ran into the room of an Imperial concubine, just as she was putting on her make-up. As a young prince with a childish nature, the future Emperor decided to play a prank on the imperial concubine, tiptoeing from behind her and scaring her. The concubine jumped at the sudden shock and whilst turning around, hit the future emperor (some say with her comb, some say with her fist). This was a direct breach of Imperial protocol, and the action was witnessed by another court lady who was passing by. The imperial concubine was then demoted, and in face of sudden humiliation, committed suicide by hanging. It was said that Qianlong, in his guilt, bit his finger and left a bloody mark on her neck so he would recognize her even in her next life. This incident had a profound impression on Qianlong, and it was said that he found Heshen to be very similar in appearance to the imperial concubine. It had been hypothesised that Qianlong thought Heshen was the reincarnation of the imperial concubine, since he was born in the year of her death and carried a red birth mark on his neck, and thus he attempted to overcome his guilt through indulging Heshen with gifts and promotions.
. Within three months, he was promoted even further to a minister of the Imperial Household Department
, a post usually filled with the most meritorious officials. In 1777, at the age of 27, Heshen was given the privilege
of riding a horse within the Forbidden City
, a prestigious privilege given only to high ranking officials of elderly age. It was not long before Heshen was given control of both the Boards of Revenue and the Civil Council, allowing him to control the revenue of the entire empire, and appoint his own henchmen to important posts within the officials.
Heshen's hold on the Emperor was further strengthened when in 1790, his son was married to Qianlong's tenth and favourite daughter. Once secure of the Emperor's favour and approbation, Heshen enjoyed almost complete freedom of his actions. He became openly corrupt and practiced extortion
on a grand scale. His henchmen within the imperial system followed his lead, and his military
associates prolonged campaigns
in order to continue the benefits of additional funds. He abrogated powers and official posts, including that of Grand Councillor, and regularly stole public funds and taxes. Taxes were raised again and again, and this led to the suffering of the people. Unfortunately, their suffering was compounded by severe floods of the Yellow River
- an indirect result of the corruption
where dishonest officials pocketed funds that were meant for the upkeep of canals and dams
. Rising prices of rice led to many that simply starved to death. This widespread corruption and nepotism
was the start of a century that led to the downfall of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1793, Heshen was responsible for hosting the Macartney Embassy
to the imperial court.
. It was not until his death on February 7, 1799 that the Jiaqing Emperor
was able to prosecute Heshen. On February 12, Heshen was arrested along with military officer Fu Chang'an (福長安). Declared guilty by Imperial Edict, he was condemned to slow slicing. The Jiaqing Emperor spared Heshen this horrible death, and instead ordered him to commit suicide in his home on February 22, sparing his family.
From the 24 years that Heshen caught The Qianlong Emperor's attention and favour, he had amassed an incredible fortune. In Renzong's (The Jiaqing Emperor) confiscation of Heshen's property, his wealth were as thus:
3,000 rooms in his estates and mansions, 8,000 acres (32 km²) of land, 42 bank branches, 75 pawnbroker branches, 60,000 taels of copper alloyed gold, 100 large ingots of pure gold, (1,000 taels each), 56,600 medium silver ingots, (100 taels each), 9,000,000 small silver ingots, (10 taels each), 58,000 livres/pounds of foreign currency, 1,500,000 copper coins, 600 lb of top-quality Jilin ginseng
, 1,200 jade charms, 230 pearl bracelets (each pearl comparable in size to large cherries or longans), 10 large pearls (each the size of apricots), 10 large ruby crystals, 40 large sapphire crystals, 40 tablefuls of solid-silver eating utensils, (serves 10 per table), 40 tablefuls of solid-gold eating utensils, (serves 10 per table), 11 coral rocks (each over a metre in height), 14,300 bolts of fine silk, 20,000 sheets of fine sheep-fur wool, 550 fox hides, 850 raccoon dog hides, 56,000 sheep and cattle hides of varying thickness, 7,000 sets of fine clothing (for all four seasons), 361,000 bronze and tin vases and vessels, 100,000 porcelain vessels made by famous masters, 24 highly decorative solid-gold beds (each with eight different types of inlaid gemstones), 460 top-quality European clocks, 606 servants, 600 women in his harem.
His total property was ultimately estimated at around 1,100 million taels of silver, reputedly estimated to be an amount equivalent to the imperial revenue of the Qing government for 15 years. In his chief butler Liu Quan's quarters, a large quantity of treasures including 240,000 silver taels were also discovered. The Jiaqing Emperor labelled Heshen with 20 crimes, of which "defiance of imperial supremacy" and "power transcendence" accounted for half.
The influence of Heshen however did not end with his death, as corruption continued to spread through different levels in and out of the capital, among both civil and military personnel. Bannermen
developed habits that made them useless as a military force. The Chinese Green Standard Army
was beset with irregular practice and had lost much of its fighting spirit shown in early Qing Dynasty. The habits of luxury and big spending led to moral degradation and the general decline of the dynasty. The Qianlong Emperor's Ten Great Campaigns
were completed at the cost of 120 million taels, against an annual revenue of some 40 million taels. The result of these massive spendings and increasing trend towards luxury set the path towards financial instability within the latter part of the Qing Dynasty.
role in theatrical, film
and TV
productions. The most famous portrayal of Heshen is played by Chinese actor
Wang Gang
, who gives Heshen a comical quality with his plump figure.
In a 2004 blockbuster TV series, The Qianlong Dynasty (乾隆王朝), the 'good' version of Heshen is that played by Chinese actor
Chen Rui. He is said to bear a closer resemblance to Heshen than Wang Gang.
The alternative argument states that whatever the Emperor dictates becomes the content of the records. The many official positions held by Heshen could have posed a threat to the authority of the Jiaqing Emperor, and produced a sense of jealousy to his power and influence over the royal court, as well as the more legitimate threat to the Emperor. Whether Heshen was an honest official that worked for the empire did not matter to the Emperor, because Heshen still held a prominent position. It is uncertain whether Heshen yielded significant respect from the other officials during the Qianlong Era or the administrations simply feared his power. Emperor Jiaqing, whether acting from the threat of Heshen's overarching influence over the court or from jealousy, with the influence of other officials who disliked Heshen, could have brought charges against Heshen through legal pretexts that would condemn him to a death sentence.
It is argued that the majority of Heshen's wealth were originally from gifts of the Qianlong Emperor, not from money siphoned by corrupt actions.
The former residence of Heshen
, Prince Gong's Palace, is located at 17 Qian Hai Road West, now
a tourist attraction in Beijing.
Niohuru
The Niohuru or Niuhuru Clan were a powerful Manchu clan belonging to the Plain Red Banner during the Qing dynasty in China...
clan, was a Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
official of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, a favourite
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
of the Qianlong Emperor
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
. Born Shanbao (善保), his given name was later changed to Heshen. His courtesy name (字) was Zhizhai (致齋). He was a member of the Plain Red Banner
Eight Banners
The Eight Banners were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. They provided the basic framework for the Manchu military organization...
, as well as one of the most corrupt officials in Chinese history. Heshen was born as the son of a Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
military officer and was selected to go to the most privileged school for Manchu aristocratic boys. He lost his mother when he was young and it was said he and his younger brother had a hard life under his stepmother. However, it was reported that Heshen was an excellent student, knowing several languages besides Mandarin and Manchu. In 1772, he began work in the Imperial Palace, assigned as an imperial bodyguard and was stationed at the gates to the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
.
Interaction with The Qianlong Emperor
At the age of 25, Heshen was noticed by the Qianlong EmperorQianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 11 October 1735 to 8 February 1796...
. Heshen was reportedly very attractive in appearance, with very fair skin and luscious, red lips. This invoked rumours of the reasons behind the emperor's fascination with this man.
It was said that when the Qianlong Emperor was still a young prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
in the palace
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
, he accidentally ran into the room of an Imperial concubine, just as she was putting on her make-up. As a young prince with a childish nature, the future Emperor decided to play a prank on the imperial concubine, tiptoeing from behind her and scaring her. The concubine jumped at the sudden shock and whilst turning around, hit the future emperor (some say with her comb, some say with her fist). This was a direct breach of Imperial protocol, and the action was witnessed by another court lady who was passing by. The imperial concubine was then demoted, and in face of sudden humiliation, committed suicide by hanging. It was said that Qianlong, in his guilt, bit his finger and left a bloody mark on her neck so he would recognize her even in her next life. This incident had a profound impression on Qianlong, and it was said that he found Heshen to be very similar in appearance to the imperial concubine. It had been hypothesised that Qianlong thought Heshen was the reincarnation of the imperial concubine, since he was born in the year of her death and carried a red birth mark on his neck, and thus he attempted to overcome his guilt through indulging Heshen with gifts and promotions.
The Rise of Heshen
Within a year, Heshen was promoted to vice-president of the Board of Revenue, and two months later was made a grand councillorGrand Council
The Grand Council or Junjichu was an important policy-making body in the Qing Empire. It was established in 1733 by the Yongzheng Emperor...
. Within three months, he was promoted even further to a minister of the Imperial Household Department
Imperial Household Department
The Imperial Household Department was an institution of Qing-dynasty China...
, a post usually filled with the most meritorious officials. In 1777, at the age of 27, Heshen was given the privilege
Privilege
A privilege is a special entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. It can be revoked in certain circumstances. In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth...
of riding a horse within the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
, a prestigious privilege given only to high ranking officials of elderly age. It was not long before Heshen was given control of both the Boards of Revenue and the Civil Council, allowing him to control the revenue of the entire empire, and appoint his own henchmen to important posts within the officials.
Heshen's hold on the Emperor was further strengthened when in 1790, his son was married to Qianlong's tenth and favourite daughter. Once secure of the Emperor's favour and approbation, Heshen enjoyed almost complete freedom of his actions. He became openly corrupt and practiced extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
on a grand scale. His henchmen within the imperial system followed his lead, and his military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
associates prolonged campaigns
Military campaign
In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
in order to continue the benefits of additional funds. He abrogated powers and official posts, including that of Grand Councillor, and regularly stole public funds and taxes. Taxes were raised again and again, and this led to the suffering of the people. Unfortunately, their suffering was compounded by severe floods of the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
- an indirect result of the corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
where dishonest officials pocketed funds that were meant for the upkeep of canals and dams
DAMS
Driot-Arnoux Motorsport is a racing team from France, involved in many areas of motorsports. DAMS was founded in 1988 by Jean-Paul Driot and former Formula One driver René Arnoux. It is headquartered near Le Mans, only 2 km from the Bugatti Circuit.- History :The year after its foundation,...
. Rising prices of rice led to many that simply starved to death. This widespread corruption and nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
was the start of a century that led to the downfall of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1793, Heshen was responsible for hosting the Macartney Embassy
Macartney Embassy
The Macartney Embassy, also called the Macartney Mission, was a British embassy to China in 1793. The Mission ran from 1792–94 . It is named for the first envoy of Great Britain to China, George Macartney, who led the endeavour...
to the imperial court.
The Fall of Heshen
The shame of Heshen's corruption came to play when the Qianlong Emperor abdicated in February 1796, the full damage of the corruption was now in wide view. However, Qianlong continued to rule China behind the scenes under the grand title of Taishang HuangTaishang Huang
Retired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used throughout East Asian feudal regimes for former emperors who had abdicated voluntarily to their sons. This title appeared in the history of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam...
. It was not until his death on February 7, 1799 that the Jiaqing Emperor
Jiaqing Emperor
The Jiaqing Emperor was the seventh emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China, from 1796 to 1820....
was able to prosecute Heshen. On February 12, Heshen was arrested along with military officer Fu Chang'an (福長安). Declared guilty by Imperial Edict, he was condemned to slow slicing. The Jiaqing Emperor spared Heshen this horrible death, and instead ordered him to commit suicide in his home on February 22, sparing his family.
From the 24 years that Heshen caught The Qianlong Emperor's attention and favour, he had amassed an incredible fortune. In Renzong's (The Jiaqing Emperor) confiscation of Heshen's property, his wealth were as thus:
3,000 rooms in his estates and mansions, 8,000 acres (32 km²) of land, 42 bank branches, 75 pawnbroker branches, 60,000 taels of copper alloyed gold, 100 large ingots of pure gold, (1,000 taels each), 56,600 medium silver ingots, (100 taels each), 9,000,000 small silver ingots, (10 taels each), 58,000 livres/pounds of foreign currency, 1,500,000 copper coins, 600 lb of top-quality Jilin ginseng
Ginseng
Ginseng is any one of eleven species of slow-growing perennial plants with fleshy roots, belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae....
, 1,200 jade charms, 230 pearl bracelets (each pearl comparable in size to large cherries or longans), 10 large pearls (each the size of apricots), 10 large ruby crystals, 40 large sapphire crystals, 40 tablefuls of solid-silver eating utensils, (serves 10 per table), 40 tablefuls of solid-gold eating utensils, (serves 10 per table), 11 coral rocks (each over a metre in height), 14,300 bolts of fine silk, 20,000 sheets of fine sheep-fur wool, 550 fox hides, 850 raccoon dog hides, 56,000 sheep and cattle hides of varying thickness, 7,000 sets of fine clothing (for all four seasons), 361,000 bronze and tin vases and vessels, 100,000 porcelain vessels made by famous masters, 24 highly decorative solid-gold beds (each with eight different types of inlaid gemstones), 460 top-quality European clocks, 606 servants, 600 women in his harem.
His total property was ultimately estimated at around 1,100 million taels of silver, reputedly estimated to be an amount equivalent to the imperial revenue of the Qing government for 15 years. In his chief butler Liu Quan's quarters, a large quantity of treasures including 240,000 silver taels were also discovered. The Jiaqing Emperor labelled Heshen with 20 crimes, of which "defiance of imperial supremacy" and "power transcendence" accounted for half.
The influence of Heshen however did not end with his death, as corruption continued to spread through different levels in and out of the capital, among both civil and military personnel. Bannermen
Eight Banners
The Eight Banners were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. They provided the basic framework for the Manchu military organization...
developed habits that made them useless as a military force. The Chinese Green Standard Army
Green Standard Army
Green Standard Army is the name of a category of military units under the control of the Qing Dynasty in China. It was made up mostly of ethnic Han soldiers and operated concurrently with the Manchu-Mongol-Han Eight Banner armies...
was beset with irregular practice and had lost much of its fighting spirit shown in early Qing Dynasty. The habits of luxury and big spending led to moral degradation and the general decline of the dynasty. The Qianlong Emperor's Ten Great Campaigns
Ten Great Campaigns
The Ten Great Campaigns were a series of wars fought during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, much celebrated in the official Qing Dynasty annals. They included three to enlarge the area of Qing control in Central Asia: two against the Dzungars and the pacification of Xinjiang...
were completed at the cost of 120 million taels, against an annual revenue of some 40 million taels. The result of these massive spendings and increasing trend towards luxury set the path towards financial instability within the latter part of the Qing Dynasty.
Heshen in popular culture
For hundreds of years, and right through to the present, Heshen has been the stock villainVillain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
role in theatrical, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
productions. The most famous portrayal of Heshen is played by Chinese actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Wang Gang
Wang Gang (actor)
Wang Gang is a Chinese performing artist, TV host and actor. He came to prominence hosting the CCTV New Year's Gala in 1986 and later playing the role of He Shen in various films and television series, appearing in 168 episodes as the character. He has also hosted the CCTV program Friends since...
, who gives Heshen a comical quality with his plump figure.
In a 2004 blockbuster TV series, The Qianlong Dynasty (乾隆王朝), the 'good' version of Heshen is that played by Chinese actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Chen Rui. He is said to bear a closer resemblance to Heshen than Wang Gang.
The alternative view on Heshen
The widespread portrayal about Heshen and his corruption very likely came from the source of the Qing historical records, and that only the Emperor had the authority to determine what content is kept in the documents.The alternative argument states that whatever the Emperor dictates becomes the content of the records. The many official positions held by Heshen could have posed a threat to the authority of the Jiaqing Emperor, and produced a sense of jealousy to his power and influence over the royal court, as well as the more legitimate threat to the Emperor. Whether Heshen was an honest official that worked for the empire did not matter to the Emperor, because Heshen still held a prominent position. It is uncertain whether Heshen yielded significant respect from the other officials during the Qianlong Era or the administrations simply feared his power. Emperor Jiaqing, whether acting from the threat of Heshen's overarching influence over the court or from jealousy, with the influence of other officials who disliked Heshen, could have brought charges against Heshen through legal pretexts that would condemn him to a death sentence.
It is argued that the majority of Heshen's wealth were originally from gifts of the Qianlong Emperor, not from money siphoned by corrupt actions.
Former residence of Heshen in Beijing
Prince Gong Mansion
The Prince Gong's Mansion or Gong Wang Fu Museum is located in the western part of central Beijing, China, north of the Shichahai Lake...
, Prince Gong's Palace, is located at 17 Qian Hai Road West, now
a tourist attraction in Beijing.
Family
- Maternal great-grandfather
- A La Na (阿喇納), 3rd Count Fujiangjun (副將軍三等伯)
- Maternal grandfather
- Wumi Tai (伍彌泰) (1713 - 1786), a Mongol of the Plain Yellow BannerEight BannersThe Eight Banners were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. They provided the basic framework for the Manchu military organization...
- Wumi Tai (伍彌泰) (1713 - 1786), a Mongol of the Plain Yellow Banner
- Maternal grandmother
- Lady Lingiya (劉佳氏)
- Father
- Changbao (常保)
- Mother
- Lady Wumi (伍彌氏)
- Younger brother
- Helin (和琳) (26 August 1753 - 28 September 1796), father of Fengshen Yimian and two daughters
- Younger sister-in-law
- Lady Tatala (他他拉氏), daughter of Sulinga (蘇凌阿), mother of Fengshen Yimian
- Nephew
- Fengshen Yimian (豐紳宜綿) (1755 - 1813)
- Nieces
- Two daughters of Helin
- Wife
- Feng Jiwen (馮霽雯), granddaughter of Feng Yinglian (馮英廉); mother of Fengshen Yinde, Heshen's second son, and Heshen's three daughters
- Concubine
- Lady Chang (長氏)
- Sons
- Fengshen Yinde (丰紳殷德) (18 February 1775 - May 1810), married Kurun Princess Hexiao
- second son (1794-?)
- Daughters
- Three daughters
External links
- The Qing Dynasty at All Empires