The creation of this compilation provided work for hundreds of Chinese scholars, yet it also served another purpose, being to establish the Manchus as the dominant force in China while making certain that any literary works which contained negative opinions on the Manchus be summarily destroyed. An additional force which helped to consolidate the Manchus under Emperor Qianlong was based on its military organization, which at the time was considered as the quintessential military power in Asia. As a system, the Qing military organized its troops under separate banners with separate units and the fighting men "were personally attached to the emperor, in fact, he owned them." These men were also "incredibly loyal to the emperor" and often "functioned as a talent pool from which civil bureaucrats could be chosen." Another benefit related to the Qing military machine is that it "retained (its) military strength over the Chinese by separating the duties of the Chinese troops and... The Manchu troops," meaning that the "Chinese were not trained as a striking force" which allowed the Manchu elements to retain the ability to respond against any threats made by the Chinese ("Qing Dynasty," Internet).

Despite all of these efforts at consolidation, the Qing Empire faced a number of problems related to political and religious uprisings. The first of these revolts occurred in 1774 in Shantung and one year later, another came about under the guidance of the Society of the White Lotus, a rebellion that lasted for more than eight years between 1796 and 1804. However, the uprisings that occurred during the reign of Qianlong were squelched which only added to the power of the Qing Empire and to its consolidation of China under the Manchus.

In 1792, three years before the culmination of Emperor Qianlong's reign, Great Britain began to be quite concerned with its tea trading with China and wanted desperately to expand its trading activity throughout Asia. What transpired after Lord Macartney met with the emperor to discuss this situation...

One of these theories puts forth the idea that the reason for the refusal was because "the Qing court wished to legitimize its rule over the Chinese," and if this is true, then it reinforces the notion that the emperor and the Manchus had truly consolidated their power in China and that their takeover of the country had succeeded brilliantly.
In conclusion, the takeover and consolidation of China by the Qing Dynasty, brought about by the actions of Emperor Qianlong, has a very long history, dating back to the days of Dorgon in the early 1600's, the emperor Shunzhi in 1653, the Oboi (the Four Regents) in the 1660's, emperor Kangxi between 1684 and 1722, emperor Yongzheng from 1723 to 1735, and lastly, Qianlong, the son of Yongzheng. Obviously, as the consolidator of China during the Qing Empire, Qianlong must be viewed as "the greatest centralizer and stabilizer of the Qing Dynasty who revitalized state administration and fostered a time of great economic prosperity"

Wakeman, 245).

Bibliography

Qing Dynasty." 2005. Internet. Accessed October 26, 2005. http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum / prehistory/china/later_imperial_china/qing.html.

The Imperial Era: III -- The Rise of the Manchus." China History -- East Asian Library -- Qing Overview. 2004. Internet. Accessed October 26, 2005. http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/imperial3.html#qing.

Wakeman, Frederic. The Great Enterprise: The Manchu Reconstruction of the Imperial Order in 17th century China. Vol. 1. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985.