Briefly describe the four heyday situations in China's medieval history

The Rule of Wen and Jing, the Rise of Guangwu, the Rule of Zhenguan, and the Sheng Shi of Kang and Qian.

According to written records, there have been four recognized 'Sheng Shi' in ancient China: ( the reign of Wen Jing of the Western Han Dynasty, about 93 years; the reign of Kai Yuan of the Tang Dynasty, about 129 years; the reign of Yong Xuan of the Ming Dynasty, the shortest period of time is only 32 years; and the Kangxi and Qianlong Sheng Shi of the Qing Dynasty, there are 133 years but with great controversy).... Sheng Shi - there are the following conditions: 1, national unity; 2, no foreign trouble or foreign trouble is not serious, the border is relatively stable; 3, social stability, economic prosperity, the people live in peace and work in contentment; 4, science and technology and culture has a great development; 5, political clarity. According to the above criteria and then compared with the reality, our country is now considered to be in the stage of prosperity? Preparing to discuss the topic later.

While it is called the four great dynasties, but due to the short duration of the Ming Yongxuan, and the performance is not outstanding, so historians usually only introduce the three great dynasties, to what extent? What are the internal and external factors?

1, the Western Han Dynasty

Western Han Empire during the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty was the most powerful country in the world at that time, and in the history of China, it is also a relatively strong period. In the history of dynasties, there are "Han and Tang Dynasty". The "Han" here mainly refers to the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. People often compare Emperor Wu of Han with Qin Shi Huang, because the feudal authoritarian centralized state of China was founded by Qin Shi Huang and consolidated by Emperor Wu of Han. During his 54-year reign, he introduced many new measures that brought unprecedented prosperity to the Western Han Dynasty.

Because of the greatly strengthened centralization of power and the unprecedented economic strength of the country, Emperor Wu of Han decided to change the peace and new policies towards the Xiong Nu since the beginning of Han Dynasty and conduct a war against the Xiong Nu in order to maintain the production of the northern border areas and the life of the people, and launched 3 large-scale battles against the Xiong Nu in 127, 121 and 119 BC. These 3 campaigns achieved decisive victories and dealt a fatal blow to the Xiongnu aristocracy, basically solving the threat of the Xiongnu and guaranteeing a peaceful and productive life for the people in the border areas. However, these wars consumed the country's wealth and made the people at large suffer from increased labor and pay a high price. In order to unite the western region, *** resistance to the Xiongnu, twice sent Zhang Qian mission to the Western Regions, communication with the Western region of the connection, opened up the "Silk Road", opened up the Central and Western cultural and material exchanges around the new era. It not only promoted the development of economy and production in Asia, but also promoted the connection between Europe and Asia.

2, from Zhengan to the reign of Kaiyuan

Kaiyuan (713-74 AD) for the Tang Xuanzong reign of the early years of the year, this period of the Tang Dynasty, the country strong, in all aspects of the unprecedented prosperity of the world scene, known as the "Kaiyuan era". In order to strengthen the national power and increase the financial revenue, Emperor Tang Xuanzong firstly reformed the economy. Firstly, he cracked down on the rich and powerful clansmen and competed for land and labor; secondly, he reformed the system of food and real sealing to increase the government's financial revenue and reduce the burden on the people; thirdly, he cracked down on the Buddhist forces and eliminated the monks and nuns; and fourthly, he developed the agriculture.

In foreign affairs, Emperor Xuanzong implemented a conciliatory ethnic policy, which improved ethnic relations and further unified the country. At the same time, the harmonious ethnic relations during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong contributed greatly to social stability and economic development. Thanks to a series of positive political and economic measures taken by Emperor Xuanzong and the hard work of the people, the Tang dynasty reached a high level of prosperity in all aspects. Social prosperity contributed to a significant increase in the population, which grew to more than 52.9 million during the Kaiyuan period. The Tang Dynasty was also very developed in terms of commerce. Domestic transportation was well-connected, cities became more prosperous, and foreign trade continued to grow, with merchants from Persia and Ghana arriving in large numbers. The metropolises of Chang'an, Luoyang, and Guangzhou were crowded with merchants of different colors and languages, wearing different costumes. Chinese feudal society reached its heyday.

3. The Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties

From the middle of the Kangxi period onwards, the Qing Dynasty enjoyed relative prosperity, and by the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, the Qing Dynasty was at its peak. This period, which spanned more than 130 years, was the peak of Qing rule, so some Chinese historians refer to the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong periods as the "Kangxi-Qianlong period". The "Kangxi and Qianlong Sheng Shi" is most notably characterized by population growth, with the country's population surpassing 100 million in the sixty-first year of the Kangxi reign (1722) and 300 million in the fifty-fifth year of the Qianlong reign (1790). Some attribute this to the diligence of the Qing rulers; however, a more important reason was the spread of high-yield crops such as sweet potatoes and corn introduced at the end of the Ming Dynasty. During this period, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty practiced a closed-door policy and suspended the Western learning of the late Ming Dynasty; internally, they practiced the "Prison of Words". Therefore, some people believe that it is the "Kangxi and Qianlong Shengshi" that seriously hindered the development of Chinese society and made China lag behind the West, which is not worthy of praise.

One viewpoint is that the "Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties" is a fraud, a claim made by some Chinese historians who have ignored history and deceived themselves and others. In the Kangxi period, after the war against Russia signed the "Treaty of Nerchinsk" on the cession of territory, if it is a period of prosperity but the cession of territory is really inconceivable. Coincidentally, also in the "Kangxi and Qianlong years" of the Yongzheng years, also signed the cession of territory of the "Treaty of Chakotu". And in the reign of Kangxi, Yongqian three emperors, what did they do? Created a wave after wave of the word prison tragedy, Kang Qian several times to the south of the extravagant travel, since the Yongzheng and the exhaustion of the people's fat and wealth to build the Yuanmingyuan. And the same period of the rapid development of Western science and culture, the eve of the Opium War, the British invaders are already strong ships and artillery, while the Qing Dynasty army is still using the artillery of the Ming Dynasty, the heyday to this point, really shameless. Tang Zhen, a civilian thinker during the Kangxi period, mentioned in his book "submerged book": the Qing Xing fifty years, the four seas, increasingly poor, agricultural empty, empty, empty, empty, empty city, empty. He saw with his own eyes Shanxi women have no pants to wear, and "Wuzhong people sell their children in the north". During the Qianlong period of the British emissary Maga?a came to China, recorded many beggars on the streets of Beijing. Many of the people were disheveled and in rags, so he described the Manchurian Qing Dynasty as nothing more than a giant with feet of clay. In China's history, the more widely recognized heyday only three times, namely, from the "rule of Wenjing" to "Emperor Wu's great prosperity" and then "Zhaoxuan Zhongxing" of the Western Han Dynasty, from the "rule of Zhengan" to the "rule of the Emperor". "Zhen Guan's rule" to "Kai Yuan full bloom" of the Tang Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty's "Kangxi, Yongqian and Qianlong Sheng Shi". These three great dynasties, on the one hand, established the basic connotation of the traditional Chinese concept of "prosperity", but on the other hand, they have not been able to avoid the end of "prosperity and decline", thus leaving people endless topics and thoughts.

The three great dynasties of the same characteristics

The three great dynasties of Chinese history are very different, but on the whole, in the following aspects of the same characteristics of its ****.

One is the elimination of internal and external problems, the military power of the country is strong, the country is unified, the territory is vast, there is no counterweight to the surrounding forces. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the different vassals and kings of evil intentions, Xiongnu tribes frequently attacked; Tang Dynasty, the beginning of the foundation, the Central Plains, the border Turkic offenses; Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty into the Ding Ding, within the Sanfan, Taiwan, quasi-departmental worries, outside the trouble of Russia. But after several generations of unremitting efforts, were respectively pacified internal strife, defeated or forced back the foreign enemy, realized the unity of the country, and in the process, open up the frontier, military power of the country is becoming increasingly strong. The vastness of the territory was unique in Chinese history, except for the Yuan Dynasty, and rare in the history of the world. For quite a long period of time, there was no rival not only in Asia but even in the world that could pose a real threat or challenge to it, thus providing for the development of society and economic and cultural prosperity.

The second is that the society was generally more stable, the economy developed, the country was rich, and the national strength was ahead of the world. These three dynasties were founded in the aftermath of the Great Rebellion, when the population was depleted and the economy was in ruins. The rulers were able to learn from the previous lesson, to make efforts to govern, to promote the benefits and eliminate the shortcomings, and to pay attention to rest and recuperation with the people, so that the society in general remained stable for a longer period of time, the economy gradually recovered and developed, the national strength flourished, and the people became more and more prosperous and affluent. Western Han Dynasty at the time of Wenjing, it is reported that "the capital of the money tired of hundreds of millions, through the rotten and can not be schooled, Taicang of corn Chen Chen, overflowing with dew outside, corruption can not be eaten". Emperor Wu, water conservancy, agricultural development; salt and iron government, financial strengthening. The Tang Dynasty during the reign of Zhenguan, the economy from the recovery and development, to the full bloom of Xuanzong Kaiyuan, the poem said "small townships are still hiding 10,000 rooms, rice and grease corn white, public and private warehouses are plentiful". The history of the Han and Tang dynasties, undoubtedly proved that the Han and Tang dynasties were the richest and strongest countries in Asia and even in the world at that time. Qing Dynasty Qianlong, agriculture, handicrafts and commodity economy are prosperous and developed, the abundance of financial revenue, reached the highest level of China's ancient society, the economic scale and the total amount of the world's largest at that time. Until 1800 (Qing Jiaqing five years, Qianlong died in the previous year), China is still the center of the world's economy, production capacity and export capacity, for the rest of the world can not be expected. The stability and wealth of the country provided the basis for a strong military and national power. This led to a situation in which the rule of the people and the military complemented each other.

Thirdly, culture flourished and had a great influence on the neighboring regions. On the basis of the strength of the state and the wealth of the country, the culture of the three dynasties flourished. Since the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the court vigorously advocated the collection and organization of books and documents, so that the pre-Qin hundred schools of thought in the Qin Dynasty and tend to revive after the book-burning catastrophe. Han Wu Di when the sole respect for Confucianism, laid the ideological foundation of two thousand years of feudal society; set up the Imperial College, set the music, the birth of a magnificent, brilliant "Shiji". Tang people spit out a hundred rivers, fusion cast ancient and modern, in science, literature, art have outstanding creation. At the time of Zhenguan, the capital city of Chang'an became the center of world culture, the four directions came to the court, "the flourishing of national education, not in ancient times". The brilliant Tang poetry was finally realized in the flourishing Tang Dynasty. "Kang, Qian Sheng governance, culture and education," "Kangxi Dictionary," "Ancient and Modern Book Collection," "Siku Quanshu" compilation, the scriptures, the prosperity of history, so that the Qing Dynasty academic "beyond the Han and Song," the collection of generations of the historical status of the great achievements. A Dream of Red Mansions can be called the epic of the times. These cultural achievements, have had a great impact on neighboring countries, often held up as a model, competing to learn to emulate.

Fourth, the flourishing situation lasted longer. The Han Dynasty's prosperity from Emperor Wendi's succession (179 BC) to Emperor Xuandi's death (49 BC), lasted 130 years; the Tang Dynasty's prosperity from Emperor Taizong ascended the throne (627 AD) to the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion (755 AD), lasted 128 years; the Qing Dynasty's prosperity of the Kang, Yong and Qian Dynasties lasted from 1662 to 1795, a long time as long as 133 years. In summary, it can be seen that the three great periods of Chinese history, all in more than a century, to maintain the country's overall development and prosperity, the rule of the civil and military, complement each other, and the formation of an unparalleled grand situation. In Chinese history, there are many other periods of clarity or prosperity, especially at the beginning of the dynastic renewal, generally show a rising, developed weather, but can not be called "Sheng Shi". The reason for this, there are two fundamental: First, the duration is not long, but a few years, dozens of years or a little longer; second is not to achieve full prosperity, only in some aspects of the achievements, the end of the grandeur of the three great dynasties