Why did the Qing emperor build a summer resort in Chengde?

The Qing emperor wanted to build a summer resort in Chengde, for one thing, to escape the summer, and for another, to avoid smallpox.

During the Qing Dynasty, there were two political centers, one was the Forbidden City and the other was chengde mountain resort. The summer resort is also called. Jehol Palace? Built in the 42nd year of Kangxi (1703), why did Emperor Kangxi build a summer resort in Chengde at that time? His real purpose at that time was not just to escape the heat.

The original intention of Kangxi to build chengde mountain resort was to avoid smallpox, which had a lot to do with smallpox. Smallpox was prevalent in the early Qing Dynasty. For a long time, leaders of various ministries in Mongolia have never had smallpox. If they didn't have smallpox when they came to Beijing, it would probably be contagious. In order to prevent Mongolian nobles from infecting the emperor and ministers when they entered the palace, the Qing Dynasty stipulated that Mongolian princes and relatives who had never had smallpox could not see the emperor.

At that time, Beijing was hot and susceptible to smallpox, and the emperor was afraid of being infected. Aren't Mongolian nobles afraid of smallpox? So Mongolian princes and nobles don't want to go to Beijing. But in the long run, the relationship between Manchu and Mongolian tribes will be alienated for several years, and this problem has not been well solved.

At that time, the Qing Dynasty attached great importance to the relationship with Mongolia, so Emperor Kangxi visited the Great Wall many times and met with Mongolian princes. In the sixteenth year of Kangxi, Emperor Kangxi visited Jehol and found that it had a pleasant climate, beautiful scenery and abundant aquatic plants. So, he decided to build a summer palace in Chengde to avoid acne, which not only avoided summer vacation and acne, but also facilitated hunting. He can also meet Mongolian princes and nobles here to strengthen ties with Mongolia.

The original summer resort was not very large, and it consisted of several small palaces, mostly used by Emperor Mulan Qiuxian. Every autumn, Emperor Kangxi led the Eight Banners nobles and soldiers to hold large-scale hunting activities in Mulan paddock, which not only enhanced the military combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners soldiers, but also exercised the physique of the princes. Of course, there is also a special political purpose, which is to strengthen ties with Mongolia.

After Qianlong ascended the throne, he expanded the summer resort. Gan Long usually leaves Beijing every May and goes to the summer resort with concubines, princes and ministers. Sometimes he stayed for two or three months. After Emperor Jiaqing ascended the throne, he followed his father's example and visited chengde mountain resort many times, and finally died here. His grandson, Emperor Xianfeng, fled to the summer with his concubines, ministers and princes after the British and French allied forces invaded the capital.

As a royal palace, chengde mountain resort has been expanded many times. According to preliminary statistics, Kangxi visited Jehol 5 1 time, Qianlong 52 times, Jiaqing 20 times and Xianfeng 1 time. None of the other emperors have been there, but several emperors stopped going in the late Qing Dynasty.

Emperor Tongzhi and Emperor Guangxu were weak and most of them did not live long. At that time, the Qing dynasty was going downhill, so they naturally had no intention of holding hunting activities or patrolling the summer resort. So after Xianfeng, there was no emperor in the villa, and the villa was gradually abandoned. The history of the summer resort endowed with political mission has also come to an end.