This "Imperial Cotton Picture" collected by the National Library was hosted by Fang Guancheng, the Governor-General of Zhili in the 30th year of Qianlong's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1765), with Emperor Qianlong observing the cotton production at Wang's Manor in Yaoshan, Baoding. A map of the entire process from cotton planting, management to weaving, weaving and dyeing into cloth.
Fang Guancheng, named Xiagu, a native of the Qing Dynasty, was born in Tongcheng, Anhui. During the Qianlong period, he served as the governor of Zhili for more than 20 years. During his tenure, he was diligent in civil affairs and managed the Yongding River, Ziya River, and Zhang River. Waiting for water systems, building canals and dams, developing farmland irrigation, and outstanding achievements; special attention is paid to cotton affairs activities.
Fang Guancheng’s writings and poems in Qing Dynasty, and Hongli’s running script poems in Qing Dynasty (Gaozong). In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it was made into an album with twenty-four pages and forty pages. The outer height is 30.5 cm and the width is 29.8 cm; the inner height is 23.5 cm and the width is 26.4 cm. The title of the first official script is: "Royal Inscription of Cotton Pictures". The memorials and prefaces and postscripts of Fang's family on April 11th and July 16th were engraved. As a son of an aristocratic family, he read thousands of books and traveled thousands of miles, from the south of the Yangtze River to the north of the Great Wall, and read all the customs of the world. After experiencing the vicissitudes of life, Fang Guancheng, intentionally or unintentionally, transformed himself into a young but full-fledged person. A noble man who read poetry and books, was well-informed, and well versed in human relations.
After his father and grandfather died of illness in Heilongjiang, Fang Guancheng fell into extreme poverty and lived in the capital, earning money for housing and food by measuring calligraphy outside Donghua Gate. But gold will always shine. One day, Fu Peng, a young and heroic Manchu iron-hatted prince, passed by Donghua Gate on his way to court. He was surprised by Fang Guancheng's calligraphy skills on the signboard. He stopped for a chat and found that Fang Guancheng was a man of extraordinary knowledge and knowledge. The descendants of the aristocratic family were immediately invited to serve as a staff member in the mansion, and were treated with courtesy. In the tenth year of Yongzheng (1732), because of his extraordinary talent, the 24-year-old Fu Peng was appointed as the Dingbian General and went to Junggar. He immediately reported that he wanted to recruit Fang Guancheng as his secretary to accompany the army on the expedition. Emperor Yongzheng was curious about Fang Guancheng's experience. After summoning him for questioning, he awarded him the title of Zhongshu. As a result, Fang Guancheng, a commoner, suddenly became a minister of the imperial court, and he began to rise steadily. At this time, Fang Guancheng was already 33 years old, so he couldn't be said to have achieved success as a young man.
In the second year, Fu Peng pacified Junggar and returned to the court with his troops. Fang Guancheng was promoted to Secretary of the Cabinet. In the second year of Qianlong's reign (1737), he was promoted to Zhang Jing of the Military Department, and then to Doctor of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In the seventh year of Qianlong's reign, he was granted the official title of Qinghe Road in Zhili. In the eighth year of Qianlong's reign, he was promoted to Inspector. In the ninth year of Qianlong's reign, Fang Guancheng was ordered to follow the great scholar Na to personally survey the Zhejiang seawall and the rivers in Shandong and Jiangnan. Soon he was promoted to chief envoy. In the eleventh year of Qianlong's reign, he acted as governor of Shandong. In the twelfth year of Qianlong's reign, he returned to the post of chief envoy. In the thirteenth year of Qianlong's reign, he was promoted to governor of Zhejiang. In the fourteenth year of Qianlong's reign, he was promoted to governor of Zhili. In the fifteenth year of Qianlong's reign, he was awarded the title of Prince Shaobao. In the 20th year of Qianlong's reign, he was awarded the title of Taibao of the Crown Prince and acted as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. In the 21st year of Qianlong's reign, he returned to the post of governor of Zhili. In the thirty-third year of Qianlong's reign, he died of illness while serving as the governor-general of Zhili, and was given the posthumous title "Kemin". Fang Guancheng served as governor-general of Zhili for twenty years. Only Li Hongzhang, who later supported the crumbling Qing Dynasty, served longer than him.
In just a short period of more than ten years, Fang Guancheng went from being a penniless commoner to becoming a frontier official with sole control of military and political power. He was the leader of the Qianlong Dynasty. One of the famous "Five Governors", which is very rare. Fang Guancheng was knowledgeable and capable, and he always benefited one party during his tenure as an official. He had countless political achievements. There are countless stories preserved by the people in various places about upright officials and "Governor Fang". Fang Guancheng's greatest achievement as an official was in the management of water conservancy, and his ideas and abilities won Qianlong's trust and praise. In the twenty-eighth year of Qianlong's reign, the emperor became angry because of water accumulation in Tianjin and reprimanded Fang Guancheng for not fulfilling his duties. After hearing this, the officials of the imperial court discussed and demanded that Fang Guan be dismissed from office and held accountable, but Qianlong ordered him to be lenient. The imperial censors Ji Mengxiong, Zhu Xujing and others were still chattering endlessly and kept writing memorials to impeach Fang Guancheng. Qianlong directly said: "It is easier said than done. Those who hold the views may not be able to support it as hard as Guancheng!"