Mirroring China's Past: Emperor Qianlong—The Making of an Empire

Emperor Qianlong ruled China from 1735 to 1796. Under his rule, China became the largest and most powerful empire in East Asia. He created an image of himself as a politician, militant, priest, scholar, and artist. A true Renaissance man, Qianlong was renowned for his passion for art. He assembled some of the largest collections of the time, gathering paintings, calligraphy, jades, ceramics, and bronzes into his expansive palace. The emperor recognized that to rule effectively, he could use the power of a shared artistic culture as well as a strong military to unite his subjects and keep them loyal. But there was more to Qianlong's collecting than a love for beautiful objects and political self-promotion. The activity had a religious element, too, as it was believed that ancient relics granted their owners rule over the past and the present. This idea may have motivated Qianlong's affinity for ancient bronze mirrors, also called shenwu or divine things. The mirror's reflections were thought to generate direct links to ancestors and their power. Qianlong used collecting to position himself as an all-encompassing ruler who enjoyed a universal connection with the cosmos. The activity also forged a relationship between himself and history. The objects the emperor collected, including bronzes, extended his presence into the future as they are currently housed in his original palace in Beijing, the Forbidden City, now the Palace Museum.