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A Self Portrait

History Essay Questions
In the book “Emperor of China: Self Portrait of Kang-Hsi” Emperor Kang-Hsi is reported to be a great huntsmen as it states on page 9 second paragraph and page ten first paragraph “ Most people don’t kill in a lifetime what I kill in one day.” He is said to have killed according to page 9 second paragraph 135 tigers, 20 bear, 25 leopards, 20 lynx, 14 tailed mi deer, 96 wolves, 132 wild boar, as well as hundreds of ordinary stags and deer. One captain said “It seemed as if I were a god, to kill so many stags.” Emperor Kang-Hsi may have been a great hunter and he may have thought of himself as a great hunter but he was a modest one as it also show on page 9 second paragraph when he answers “I often call for the stags and trap them in the ring; what is so god-like about killing a lot of them?” He kills for sport but mostly to feed himself and his men. Kang-Hsi was a great hunter as well as a modest and fair one whose kills which may have been many were needed to support his campaigns.
Kang-Hsi was a great ruler but was he a superstitious ruler? In some cases he was superstitious but in other ways he was far from it. An example of him being superstitious was the fact that on page 59 Kang-Hsi talks about believing in fortune tellers and that “if he says you’ll be rich, can you sit still and let the wealth come?” “If he offers you a life without misfortune, can you be reckless without fear?” “Or be debauched without harm because he says you’ll live long without illness?” On page 129 when referring to his son Yin-jeng, Kang-Hsi said “he saw restless spirits, and was scared he didn’t know where to turn.” He also performed ceremonies to the gods in which he was concerned he didn’t perform the proper rituals. He said his sons actions in some way were directed by demons. On November 26, Kang-Hsi received news from his third son Yin-chih that Yin-jeng had indeed been bewitched. He believed in demons, and witchcraft in his later years, but was highly...