The tradition of attaching importance to the education of princes in the Qing Dynasty began with the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty and should be related to their early experiences. When the Holy Father ascended the throne at the age of six, he did not receive a systematic education. He can only learn to read sentences and calligraphy from two internal supervisors who have little knowledge of words. He didn't have a chance to study hard until after he took office, and he began to study at five o'clock. "From overwork to illness, there is blood in the sputum, and it doesn't stop" ("Court Motto"), and he accepted Confucian scholars and held a banquet to give lectures. Therefore, when the prince approached the school age, the sage had carefully considered the choice of the master and the curriculum setting, and the prototype of reading in the study was hidden in it.
Because the Kangxi Dynasty still practiced the system of public reserve, compared with other princes, the education of Crown Prince Yin Yong was the most concerned by saints, leaving more detailed historical materials. When Yin Yong was young, he was personally guided by a saint. "Tell him what his ancestors were like, what he should do when defending his position, what he should do when fighting, and teach him history. In the past, whenever he succeeded or failed, the people would turn their backs on him and give detailed instructions on everything (Volume 234 of Records of Qing Sages), which was rare in the Qing Dynasty. After Yin Yong was a little longer, the Holy Father sent Zhang Ying, Xiong Cilv and Li Guangdi to teach him, and ordered him to accompany him when he was an old academician. In the 26th year of Kangxi (1687), Yin Yong was fourteen years old. After reading the five classics, the holy father officially chose to be a lecturer for him. After discussion among cabinet ministers, it was finally decided that Tang Bin, Shang Shu of the Ministry of Industry, Dahata, Shang Shu of the Ministry of Official Affairs, Geng Jie and Shao Zhan would start studying for Yin Yong class on June 9th. The holy father often goes to check.
As for other princes, they can't enjoy this kind of treatment. Often people of similar age study together, and there seems to be no fixed teacher. However, when the Crown Prince and all the princes were in the palace, they studied together, and the place where they studied was the later study.
Secondly, the problem of curriculum. As the Manchu conquering dynasty, the Qing Dynasty should pay attention to balancing Manchu and Han on the one hand, and emphasize "national customs" and Manchu identity on the other hand to avoid assimilation. One of Yin's lecturers, Dahata, is from Zhengbaiqi, Manchuria and doesn't know Chinese characters. The Holy Father specially summoned the instructions: "The instructions mean that Tang Bin and others are here, and I just want to serve the Crown Prince and guide him to be full of manners, not to be infected with China habits." ("Ju Ju Zhu", June 7th, 26th year of Kangxi) shows its profound meaning. According to the book Zhu Zhu, Yin Yong started reading in the morning, first reading the classics, then practicing Manchu calligraphy, then repeatedly reading the classics he learned today, going out to practice riding and shooting at night, and officially checking the day's studies at night, taking a passage for the prince to explain, and then ending the day's course. It is worth mentioning that the sage himself said, "When I was young, I had to study at a speed of 120 times. If I didn't cover it like this, I wouldn't be able to drown out the righteousness" (June 10, 26 th year of Kangxi), so I also asked my ministers to recite it according to this intensity. Yinwa often begins to recite it in the afternoon and doesn't recite it 120 times until the evening.
Sejong acceded to the throne, the third son Hongshi was twenty years old, and the fourth son Li Hong and the fifth son Hongzhi were only thirteen years old. It was the age of studying, which had been given by Jishi Shu to enrich the people. In the first month of the first year of Yongzheng (1723), Sejong appointed, Zhang, Xu and Ji Yun as Prince Taifu, and Qin chose an auspicious day to speak. Later, some younger academicians such as Cai Shiyuan, Liang and Ren appointed E Ertai, Zhang, Fumin and Xu as Taifu in the first month of Qianlong (1736). As the prince's teacher, Huang Yong, the nine-year-old eldest son, and Professor Yong Lian, the seven-year-old second son. Sejong and Emperor Gaozong both announced at the beginning of the reform that the Prince would become Fu, apparently for the sake of seriousness. However, at this time, the prince did not have a fixed place to study, and he changed several places successively, such as Nanxun Hall, Xichangfang, Zhaoxiang Institute and Xianfu Palace.
The Qianlong dynasty was a crucial period for the institutionalization of study. At the beginning of Qianlong, Emperor Gaozong chose five rooms in the east of Gan Qing Gate as a fixed reading place. According to Zhao Yun, he chose this place because "it is close to the Palace so that he can visit it" (Volume 3 of Xiao Ting), and the emperor can hear the prince reading in Gan Qing Palace. Secondly, the chef in the study came into being. In the 22nd year of Qianlong (1757), assistant ministers Fu Jie, Guan Bao and Cai Xin were the chefs of the upper study. Later, more scholars, ministers and other officials were appointed to take charge of and specialize in inspections. The second time is to establish the family law of "the prince enters school at the age of six" and extend it to his descendants. Although it is not clear when this change happened, in an imperial edict in the forty-third year of Qianlong, Emperor Gaozong described it as "China's system", and took this as an example to show that the education of the prince of the Qing Dynasty was far better than that of the previous generation (Record of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty 1067). One year before Emperor Gaozong abdicated, five generations lived under one roof, from the Prince to Sun Yuan, all of them studied in the study room, and the study class reached its peak.
However, it must be noted that there is no seal, no rated vacancy and no official office in the study room. Going to the study room is an errand, and each official has his own duties. Before the fixed address was determined in the early years of Qianlong, going to study was just a general term, and its Manchu language was dergi bithei boo, which means superior, so Chinese characters were written in two different ways: Shang and Shang. The King James version of Wen Qing Jian is interpreted as "Dorgia Ages ai Bithe Hlaraba" and the old Manchu version "study".
Since the late Qing Dynasty, scholars have been controversial about the date of the establishment of the study room. In fact, from the time when the Emperor Kangxi was studying, it was generally called the study in the palace, and it was not until the Qianlong Dynasty that a perfect reading system was formed, so it was unnecessary and impossible to trace it back to an exact starting year.
Study courses and schedules
The above-mentioned Yin Yong course is only an attempt of early prince education, and it has been significantly improved in terms of course intensity, learning content and ritual norms.
The first thing a prince should learn when he enters school is to respect teachers and emphasize morality, which is mainly reflected in the ceremony. The position of the prince in the Qing Dynasty was highly respected. All princes and ministers should kneel and salute. Although Tang Bin is sitting and talking when studying for Yin Yong's class, he still needs to bow when giving books. When Li Hong entered the school in the first year of Yongzheng, Sejong intended to let the prince visit, but later, because the teachers did not dare to accept it, they bowed to the prince instead, and the teachers stood up to receive gifts, which became the custom of giving gifts from the prince. On weekdays, teachers don't have to bow down to the prince, but this is only for Han officials. Because of the strong sense of master and servant formed under the Eight Banners system, the master who teaches Mongolian language and riding and shooting still needs to kneel down to the prince and call himself a slave.
On the other hand, learning to respect teachers and attach importance to teaching comes from the influence of the emperor's example. The master of the study room is always held by an important minister, but most of the masters who really taught the prince are held by Hanlin, whose rank is not high. The emperor respects them very much, and Kaga rewards them from time to time to establish the authority of the master among the princes. Sejong once visited the study, and Liang Shi was writing big characters for Li Hong. Sejong ordered Li Hong to keep the "ink-dyed robe sleeves" (Three Things before Lang Dynasty (1 1)).
As far as the study of Chinese classics is concerned, the upper study room is divided into several rooms according to the age and degree of the prince and grandson, and is taught by different masters. At that time, although there was no clear reading charter, the reading order and scope followed by the masters of past dynasties were roughly the same, that is, learning classics first and then learning history, which can be proved from the memories of Gao Zong and Ren Zong. Emperor Gaozong studied at the age of nine, studied composition at the age of fourteen, and by the age of twenty, "he engaged in it day and night, including four books and five classics, sexual theory, compendium, university rubbings, ancient prose and other books" (the original preface of the Complete Works of Geng Xu Leshan Hall); At the age of six, Master Ren learned from Luo Fengkuan. At the age of thirteen, he mastered the Five Classics, and turned from Xie Yong to modern poetry. At the age of seventeen, I studied ancient poetry under Zhu Gui (Preface to the Complete Works of Yu Wei Bookstore).
The customization of study in the study room is the so-called "application for study", which means that the prince stays in the study room for nearly 12 hours at most every day, and changes it to early afternoon when it is hot (1 1). In addition, there are only six days off every year, that is, New Year's Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, my birthday, longevity day and the day before, and even New Year's Eve is only one day earlier.
So, what is the daily reading life of princes in the study? The most detailed material in this respect comes from the bamboo window notes written by Yi Xuan, the seventh son of Xuanzong (later named Prince of Alcohol, that is, the biological father of Dezong), which is dedicated to recording anecdotes about the palace (see Volume 585 of the Collection of the Forbidden City for a photocopy). According to his memory, the prince and his master went to the study at noon, and then an expert taught them riding and shooting, Manchu and translation, which lasted about four minutes. After breakfast (the second hour in the morning) and before dinner (noon), they review old books, teach new books, write after lunch, read China's ancient poems, read a mirror to the elderly and practice poetry. In their spare time, they occasionally learn to write poems. Two meals are the prince's regular rest time. In addition, there are one or two rest opportunities every day, which need the approval of the master. I can only take a nap in the study room every time, and I can't go out and walk. This is the situation of Daoguang Chao. Although other periods are limited to historical data, they should be roughly the same as this. It can be said that the intensity of reading by emperors and grandchildren in the Qing Dynasty is quite great.
The prince entered school at the age of six, and had to study hard in the upper study before being knighted out of the palace in his twenties. For example, those who have been knighted in their teens and have no jobs must come to study, but they can leave school in the afternoon to show the difference. In the reading stage of nearly twenty years, the master's teaching has a direct impact on the success of the prince. In the study, the master, regardless of his rank, is in an absolute authoritative position for the prince. If the prince doesn't study carefully, the master can punish him for writing, writing and standing, and the prince "only listens to his master's orders"; At breakfast and dinner, "the host is allowed to eat", otherwise, the attendants are knowledgeable, the jailer is "afraid to rush", and so is the class at night (Bamboo Window Notes).
Human feelings and politics in research
Since the implementation of the secret storage, the Qing dynasty has become more and more strict with the prince, always preventing him from making friends with ministers. As Qian Zai said at the beginning of the article, studying in the study actually binds the prince here and prevents him from participating in foreign affairs, so it is not difficult to understand why a prince who is nearly 30 years old and has served in the court for a long time still needs to study every day. In the fifth year of Xianfeng (1855), in July, literate Sect clashed with Prince Gong because of the funeral of Queen Kang Ci, and the imperial edict dismissed him, saying that he was "still in the imperial palace, learning from his study" and "to teach himself to be cautious and never to do it again" (Record of Literate Sect of Qing Dynasty 173). Generally speaking, the moderation policy of the Qing Dynasty was quite successful. However, for this young prince who lives in the palace, the study is one of the few places where he can communicate with foreign countries. Many important interpersonal relationships, even political resources, come from his twenty years of study and life.
Of course, the most important thing is teacher-student relationship. Before the prince divided the government, the only court minister he knew was your master. They followed him day and night and remembered him all their lives. He entered school at the age of six and studied under Zhu for sixteen years. "My teacher is kind and seductive, teaches Zhou Zhi and watches courses in his spare time. As soon as I say something, the teacher will quote the classics, add joy to the fun, imitate the guidance, and blame me very severely. " In the 11th year of Xianfeng (186 1), Yi Xuan was appointed as the viceroy. Zhu was worried that he was young and took on a heavy responsibility, and that he might make mistakes. "He often writes calligraphy. He teaches me every detail." When Yi Xuan comes to see him, he will raise his face and warn him repeatedly. Yi Xuan was deeply impressed by his teacher, who once described it as "if it's winter, you can't leave for the time being" (preface to "Leave a manuscript window class"). After Zhu died, he specially carved a book of poems revised in his early years as a souvenir.
However, in the early and middle period of the Qing Dynasty, in order to avoid suspicion of party affiliation, the communication between teachers and students was very cautious and restrained, and it would never involve political affairs. The prince who is studying in the upper study will often sing along with the poems of the masters, which is of course part of the course training. After the prince left the study room, the friendship between teachers and students still existed. For example, Yan Yong, the sixth son of Emperor Gaozong, and Yan Yong, the eleventh son of Emperor Gaozong, had close contacts with Cai Xin, Xie Yan, Qian Zai, Huang Zhou, Jin Yan, etc. as adults, and sometimes they even wrote poems. Cai Xin and Qian Zai returned to their posts in their later years, and all the collected works were sent to Yan Yong after finishing. Xie Yong was sent to Beijing in his later years, and Yong Yongte chose the rare wild vegetables, dried meat and venison in Beijing in Jehol to feed his mentor (Ji Jin Zhai Ji, Volume 5).
When discussing the relationship between teachers and students in the study, we can't help but mention the dispute between Yi and Yi, which is widely spread in the history of Qing Dynasty. There is an anecdote in the Grand View of unofficial history in Qing Dynasty compiled by Tsui Hark in the early years of the Republic of China. It is said that when Xuanzong shot Nanyuan, Yi Yi's teacher Du Shoutian knew that Yi Yi was not as good as Yi Yi and taught him not to shoot, but to shoot. If Xuanzong asked, he couldn't bear to hurt Chun's life, and Yi Yiyi followed suit. Xuanzong was overjoyed and said he was a gentleman. There are many similar stories, and the success of the game is generally attributed to Du Shoutian's calculation. If we consider how deep literate scholar Du Shoutian was after he ascended the throne, this legend may not be groundless. At the same time, the prince of the same age wants to be loved by his father and even become Chu Jun in his heart. Secret competition is inevitable, and the master is becoming a staunch supporter behind the prince.
Of course, this kind of competition is held in secret. The prince's daily gesture must be modest and friendly. For them, going to the study became the best place to cultivate and show Kunzhong's feelings, and even became a symbol of harmony between brothers and sisters to some extent. On the solstice of winter in the first year of Daoguang (182 1), Xuanzong came to the study, thinking that he was not allowed to go to the book curtain to meet his brother after he ascended the throne for more than a year, he couldn't help feeling greatly: "Last winter, I went to the study, and my cold window was facing Kundi's words. This month 19, I have a few leisure times, and occasionally come back to rest and caress the paperback version as before, feeling very dizzy. " The most common way of communication between princes is to recite poems and write poems, and comment on calligraphy and painting. In his early years, Injong lived in Yuqing Palace with Yong Xun and Lin Yong, and studied in the same room in the upper study. The closest relationship for more than 20 years, so there are a lot of works sung with them in the manuscript. When the two brothers were studying in winter, they often took chanting as a pleasure and compiled a book "Shangshufang Quhan Zayong". In the forty-ninth year of Qianlong (1784), Yan Yong wrote poems on it, and soon Yan Yong (Injong) made peace with the original rhyme. At the age of 51, the sixth son of Emperor Yan Yong, who had left his study, used another rhyme. The friendship between Kun Zhong and the Prince of the Imperial Palace was shown to the courtiers through these works sung in the study.
Finally, I need to mention the attendants in the study, that is, Haha Zhu. This word is written in Manchu, with the pronunciation of "Ha ha lay man", which means a child, but it is "only used when you are under eighteen" (listen to Yu Cong Tan, volume 12). Princes each have eight haha beads, which are responsible for chores. They were born in the Eight Banners, and they were idle, similar to princes, and easy to be trusted, especially in the early Qing Dynasty. Yin Yong's close friend, Haha Zhu Zide, lived in the thirty-sixth year of Kangxi (1697) and was suddenly executed for "rebellion". This is a secret matter, and the details are unknown. Probably because he was involved in the political struggle in the palace. The Pope wishes to warn Yin Yong. However, with the increasingly strict constraints on the prince and the reform of the Eight Banners system, Haha Zhu was unified by the Eight Banners and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and it was impossible to participate in political competition as a private force of the prince.