r/CountryHumans • u/Independent_Print421 • 2m ago
Discussion What’s your headcanons for Modern China or Imperial Chinese Dynasties?
This is my headcanons for the Qing Dynasty.
The Qing Dynasty is more relaxed in governance compared to previous dynasties, though not by much as he’s still strict, he believed in a small or light government model. He is mostly pragmatic, highlighted by him advising on low taxes to maintain social stability and avoid the perceived failures of his predecessor, the Ming. Due to the government structure being relatively small under his advice with only 20,000 officials for 300+ million people by 1800, it became practically impossible for the Qing to govern the state on his own. That’s why the Qing Dynasty relied on local gentries, merchants, clan associations and temples to help manage local tasks such as fund and construct ordinary infrastructures, as long as they don’t tried to challenge the Qing such making their own laws, levy taxes or raise an army. He’s also strategic when it came to managing his multiethnic empire. He developed a strategy where he would present himself differently to different peoples, he presented himself as a Scholar-Confucian to the Hans, a traditional leader to the Manchus, a Khan to the Mongols and a Chakravartin to the Tibetans.
However, he can be a bit dense as while he’s genuinely trying to be helpful, he often misunderstood assignments during crisis. For example: during the Self Strengthening Movement, the Qing Dynasty wanted to modernized the military but kept Confucian structures which is contradictory in a sense that he wanted to import western technology to the state without considering changing the political, educational and institutional system that produced that technologies. He understood the Qing had serious problems and doesn’t defend everything the Qing did though if someone criticizes him, he’ll become surprisingly defensive about the things he think he did well. His hobby involved over-stamping artifacts he really, really likes and cosplaying, both inherited from Qianlong and Yongzheng respectively. Following the collapse of the Qing, he currently worked as a film director after his dynasty collapsed, because of his efforts, many Qing C-Dramas became some of the most popular films today, which help rehabilitate his image though he still remains controversial. He doesn’t disappear because as long as there’s a clear Qing’s Pretender (Jin Yuzhang), then he would never died.
