Emperor Yongzheng’s reading scroll

[Yongzheng Emperor Reading Statue Axis]

Yongzheng Emperor Reading Statue Axis, painted by court painters in the Qing Dynasty, silk, colored, 171.3 cm vertically and 156.5 cm horizontally
In the early Qing Dynasty, the three emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong were able to achieve political achievements that would be praised by later generations, which was closely related to their good education at an early age. In order to ensure the teaching quality of the princes, the emperor selected the learned Confucian ministers as the masters of the princes, and often personally urged the princes. The prince’s courses include Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian, classics and history and other cultural courses, as well as military training courses such as horse riding and archery. It is because of the superior educational environment beyond ordinary people and the efforts of the princes themselves that they often have good cultural literacy
Emperor Yongzheng has always attached great importance to reading since he was young and grew up. After climbing the pole, he held a sutra feast and continued to study uninterruptedly. He is familiar with the classics, history, classics, and books, and is proficient in both Confucianism and Buddhism. He can learn from the experience of the previous generation, improve the way and means of governance, and control the ministers with his own laws. At the end of the reign, many drawbacks such as the relaxation of official administration in the last years of Kangxi were changed, which laid a solid foundation for the Qianlong Dynasty to reach the last peak of feudal society. It should be said that all these are closely related to Emperor Yongzheng’s diligence in reading and thinking
The Reading Statue of Emperor Yongzheng depicts him sitting on a brocade mat, holding a book in his hand, and meditating silently, as if he was savoring Samadhi in the book. The composition of this kind of reading sitting portrait was first seen in the Kangxi period, and then became a fixed layout pattern and continued to the late Qing Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty palace painting collection of the Forbidden City, the portraits of Emperor Yongzheng, Emperor Qianlong, Emperor Jiaqing, Emperor Daoguang, and Emperor Tongzhi with similar composition are still alive.