Emperor Kangxi attached great importance to the preferential treatment of Han literati. He offered many well-read courses, established the system of studying in South China, and learned western science and culture from missionaries in China. During the Qianlong period, he paid great attention to learning. However, his extensive knowledge of Ci was just a whitewash, and because of too many restrictions, the talents he got were not as good as Kangxi Ci. During this period, many books were published, such as Continuation of Three Links and Three Links to the Qing Dynasty. Famous novels such as A Dream of Red Mansions, Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio and The Scholars; 1773 even ordered the compilation of Sikuquanshu, which became the largest kind of books in the world, and became the cultural symbol of the prosperous times. However, in order to maintain his rule, he strictly controlled his thoughts. In the process of book compilation, he took the opportunity to split and burn a large number of books that did not conform to his thoughts. In addition, Daxing Wenzi Prison made people like Dai Mingshi be collectively punished, executed or exiled. All these seriously hindered the literati's thoughts and delayed the development of culture. In the early Qing dynasty, scholars were dissatisfied with national oppression and autocratic rule, and there were widespread anti-Qing national thoughts, and some people also had progressive democratic thoughts. Poets and poets in this period took adherents of the Ming Dynasty who held this idea as the main body. Huang Zongxi, Gu and Wang Fuzhi are the most outstanding thinkers and scholars in this period. Their prose, with profound skill, shows strong national thoughts and different degrees of democratic thoughts, surpassing the achievements of late Ming prose and showing a brand-new look; Their poems are also of high quality. Gui Zhuang, Du Jun, Wu Jiaji, Yan, Qian Chengzhi, Qu Dajun, Chen Gongyin, etc. The important theme of adherents' poems is to reflect ethnic contradictions and express patriotic thoughts; Yan, Qian Chengzhi and Wu Jiaji reflected the social and class contradictions at that time. In style, they also have their own characteristics.
For intellectuals and some budding ideas that might endanger the rule of Qing Dynasty, the rulers in Kanggan period adopted the method of literary inquisition, and only in Qianlong period, 130 literary inquisitions appeared. The endless literary inquisition movement wiped out all the seeds of heresy considered by the rulers of the Qing Dynasty. Most of the literati in the late Kangxi period grew up in the Qing Dynasty, and their life experiences were different from those of adherents of the Ming Dynasty. Poetry in this period no longer pays attention to the expression of national contradictions and class contradictions, but is devoted to the pursuit of artistic skills. The content is mainly lyrical and depicting landscapes.
Famous poets include Shi, Wang Shizhen, Zhu Yizun, Cha, and so on. Wang Shizhen is the leader of verve school. Tea's poems are exquisitely carved and made great achievements. Zhao Zhixin pays more attention to reflecting reality. The novels of this period exude unique brilliance. The Scholars fully exposes and satirizes the destruction of talents by the feudal stereotyped imperial examination system. Although it is exaggerated, it embodies the profound reality that "satirizing life is real". Coupled with a sense of humor and simple language art, it can also be "harmonious and sad, but ironic", which is full of meaning. It is the most accomplished satire novel in ancient China. A Dream of Red Mansions, through the love tragedy between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu and the story of the rise and fall of Jia Fu, reflects the decay of bureaucratic landlord's life, shows the conflict between the democratic thought of rebellious youth and traditional ideology, and reveals the declining trend of feudal ruling class and feudal society. Through the meticulous description of daily life trivia and characters' inner world, a large number of characters with profound typical significance and distinctive personality have been created. Delicate description, rich atmosphere and beautiful language. It became the pinnacle of China's classical novels with great achievements in thought and art.
Short classical Chinese note novels, such as Ji Yun's Yuewei Caotang Notes and Yuan Mei's New Qi Xie, are not as successful as the previous Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio. During the Kanggan period, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty gathered many experts and scholars to compile large-scale cultural classics such as Kangxi Dictionary, Integration of Ancient and Modern Books and Sikuquanshu, which became valuable cultural heritage of China. However, for the rulers of the Qing Dynasty, it was a great sin to destroy many books. During the Kanggan period, the Qing government attached great importance to astronomy. During the period from Shunzhi to Qianlong, missionaries were also ordered to manufacture and purchase many astronomical instruments, such as equator latitude and longitude, ecliptic latitude and longitude, and simple leveling instrument. At the same time, related astronomical academic works appeared, and more advanced calendars were improved and compiled. Western physics knowledge also spread in China from the late Ming Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, scholar Dai Zhen wrote books about Archimedes' principle, missionary Ferdinand ferdinand verbiest wrote books about various engineering technologies, as well as books about western optical knowledge, which had a certain influence on the physics circle in China and also inspired some scholars to study optics to a certain extent. For example, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi, many scholars, craftsmen and scientists in the Qing Dynasty, such as Huang Luzhuang, Huang Lv and Sun Xuanqiu, studied and highly imitated the West in treating western artifacts.
In addition, during the Kangxi period, many missionaries who were proficient in medical skills, such as Zhang Cheng and Bai Jin, came to China to teach western medicine, and were allowed to teach anatomy knowledge and set up laboratories in the imperial court. Dominique Parrenin, a French missionary, translated the works on human anatomy into Manchu and named them The Complete Works of Qin Dingge. Dominique Parrenin and Platinum also translated works on human blood circulation with the support of Kangxi, and spread relevant knowledge in Beijing. The medical knowledge and theories imported from the West have also attracted the attention of medical professionals in China. For example, in the early Qing Dynasty, Liu Xianting studied the description of characters and other Western medical works, and Wang Qingren, a medical scientist who wrote "The Incorrect Medical Forest" during the Qianlong period, also attached great importance to anatomy: "It is an idiotic dream to write a book without knowing the zang-fu organs, which is different from the blind walking at night!"
However, during the Kanggan period, the level of science and technology was not high, and the level of productivity was still low. In mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy and biology, China was almost two centuries behind the West, and it was not until the second half of the 9th century that these advanced scientific knowledge from the West was slowly introduced into China.
1792 (57th year of Qianlong), British special envoy magal wanted to win the favor by showing the most advanced technology, and then successfully achieved his diplomatic goals. Among the gifts for Gan Long's 80th birthday, there are 29 kinds of celestial globe, globe, watermelon cannon, bronze cannon, all kinds of uninvited cannons, western ship models, binoculars, and the latest British steam engine, cotton spinning machine and loom. Guards were also brought to perform modern artillery equipment. The Qing court only regarded it as a "tribute" and "drama" collection, appreciated or despised it, and never thought of the scientific and technological significance and military value here. However, the Qing court dismissed this. Refusing to watch the drills of the British Guard and the display of modern weapons, the emperors and ministers reacted coldly to these modern technologies. Macartney invited Fu Kang 'an, the general of the Qing army, to review the new weapons drill of the British Mission Guard. Fu Kang 'an refused to say, "You can watch it or not. There is nothing unusual about the operation of this firearm. "