Imperial Seals Speak for Ancient China

There is another characteristic about Qianlong Imperial Seals.  Many of them had carved inscriptions which were taken from selected literature of China.  As Manchu people, all the Qing emperors were conscious of their identity as "foreigners."  This occured during their rule over the Han people of ancient China.  So it was necessary for these emperors to have a thorough knowledge of Chinese culture... if they hoped to create a permanent social and economic stability!  Therefore, they became careful students of the writings of Confucius.  They even began to exercise Confucian rites to help persuade the Han people of their "Chinese" appreciation.

By the time of the Qianlong era, Han culture had spread into every aspect of Manchurian rule.  The reason for this was that the Manchu people had been totally assimilated with the Chinese culture.  The Manchus were so well absorded into China that the emperor had to issue an edict to "encourage speaking Manchu and practicing horseback riding and hunting."  The Qianlong emperor himself was a fervent admirer of Han culture.  He demonstrated his sincere knowledge of traditional Chinese thought and literature through the inscriptions located on many of his famous seals.  Many of these inscriptions came from literature containing the wisdom of Confucius!

Qianlong's sources for his inscriptions demonstrate his deep understanding of Confucius.  However, they also show the depth of his knowledge of Chinese literature.  Qianlong often composed original inscriptions for his seals.  The inscriptions are selections from his personal collection of poetry.  They tend to be very well written, extremely poetic in nature, and they relay profound meaning to us today.  Perhaps the emperor chose these inscriptions as a way of proclaiming himself to the future generations?  As one considers the subject of Asian art and culture today, the Qianlong emperor's work seem very relevant indeed!

Harlan Urwiler

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