Reign name of the Qing emperor who ruled for 60 years until 1796, when the empire was at its largest. A keen poet and collector who stamped his seals on old paintings, he is a stock figure of palace dramas like 还珠格格.
《 Sìkù Quánshū 》 shì zài Qiánlóng niánjiān biānzuǎn de.
The 'Complete Library in Four Sections' was compiled during the Qianlong era.
Tips
history
He abdicated in 1796 so as not to reign longer than his grandfather Kangxi, but as 太上皇, 'retired emperor', he kept real power until his death in 1799. The fortune amassed by his favourite 和珅 became legendary.
mistakes
Never write 干 for the 乾 of 乾隆: 干 replaced it only in its gān sense, 'dry'. The 1964 official table of simplified characters says so in a footnote, naming 乾坤 'heaven and earth' and 乾隆 as words where it keeps its form.
