History live broadcast: the beginning is Qin Shihuang's live broadcast of the subjugation of th

"Although there was seclusion during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, everyone also opened up trade. The real seclusion was during the Qianlong period, which will be discussed later."

"Yongzheng's foreign policy basically inherited that of Kangxi, but it was also somewhat different from Kangxi's."

"Kangxi adopted a very rational attitude towards Western missionaries. On the one hand, he used their advanced science and technology, but on the other hand, he was disgusted with their spread of Catholicism. He was especially disgusted with Pope Gremen's attempt to interfere in his country's internal affairs."

"There were two maritime bans in the early Qing Dynasty. The first occurred in the Shunzhi Dynasty and ended in the 23rd year of Kangxi."

“After the maritime ban was lifted, Songjiang in Jiangsu, Ningbo in Zhejiang, Quanzhou in Fujian and Guangzhou in Guangdong became ports for foreign trade.”

"Soon, overseas trade prospered, and businessmen from our own country had increasingly frequent contacts with Southeast Asian countries."

"The situation was great, but then problems arose."

"The problem is that some people go to study in a foreign race and don't want to go back to their hometown. Just like me, the later generations of international students, some people just think that the air in a foreign race is fresher than that in their own country."

"Kangxi soon discovered that more than a thousand ships went to sea every year, but only 50 to 60 percent came back. For the Qing government, this was equivalent to a large amount of wealth and population being lost overseas."

"In the fifty-sixth year of Kangxi's reign, that is, in 1717, a sea ban was promulgated again, explicitly prohibiting travel to Nanyang."

"This was the second sea ban in the early Qing Dynasty."

"What makes the second maritime ban different is that he does not ban his own ships from sailing to Japan, nor does he ban foreign ships from coming to our country, but he strictly prohibits his own businessmen from doing business in Nanyang."

"Only entering but not exiting fully reflects the way of thinking of the feudal rulers."

"In the third year of Yongzheng's reign, the harvest in FJ Province failed in the autumn, and famine broke out in the spring of the following year. Rice grabbing incidents occurred in many places."

"Some officials along the coast took this opportunity to once again propose opening the sea ban to alleviate the famine."

"After repeated reports from coastal officials, Yongzheng finally relented, agreed to Gao Qizhuo's request, and allowed Fujian's foreign trade. This was the fifth year of Yongzheng's reign, that is, 1727."

"Actually, what Gao Qizhuo mentioned is not groundless or idealistic."

"His analysis was exactly the same problems faced by coastal areas at that time. Coastal people were deeply harmed by the maritime ban, so he represented a broad range of public opinion."

"The reason why Yongzheng finally made up his mind to lift the sea ban even if he was accused of being "unfilial" was that it was correct and for his own country."

"The fiscal deficit is severe."

"As early as when Yongzheng was still Prince Yong in the feudal residence, we knew that the Treasury of the Ministry of Revenue suffered serious losses every year and could not make ends meet."

"If he wants to make great achievements after taking the throne, financial support is naturally indispensable. So where does this money come from?"

"We can't just let the imperial court and bandits snatch it away, right?"

"So facing a serious deficit in the national treasury, how to make money is Yongzheng's first priority."

"Food is severely scarce."     "In fact, as early as the middle and late Kangxi period, Gao Qizhuo had submitted a note to the court."

"The report said that Fujian, which was once extremely wealthy, is now suffering from famine, and there have also been tragedies in which people were killed and injured due to competition for food."

"The root cause of all this tragic situation lies in the national policy of sea ban established at that time. Coastal residents cannot eat from the sea. They are starving while guarding such a cornucopia."

"This situation aroused unanimous dissatisfaction among coastal people and merchants after the second maritime ban was implemented in 1717."

"In the end, Guangdong, Fujian and other places experienced a situation where "the land was densely populated and the land was not suitable for farming." The once most prosperous places became such a tragic situation. This was naturally what Yongzheng did not want to see."

"So what Gao Qizhuo wants coincides with him. However, although he agrees to lift the sea ban, there must be certain restrictions."

"Otherwise, when people in coastal areas see that opening up maritime trade can make a lot of money, they will go overseas to develop and never want to come back. No one will be in charge of farming the country's land. After all, "food is the first priority for the people."

"After the maritime ban was lifted, Yongzheng made some special regulations. Export ships must come and go according to the prescribed time."

"If you encounter special circumstances and cannot come back on time, Yongzheng has also formulated some special policies. If it is because the account has not been collected, you can return to Hong Kong in June or July of next year."

"Yongzheng also made similar angry rules for those who stayed overseas and did not return to the country, and were not allowed to return to the country."

"Originally, the Qing government's policy allowed returnees, but over the past few years, Yongzheng found that there were very few returnees on merchant ships."

"Yongzheng may have felt that these people did not give him face, and thought that these people were uneasy about their duties. If they were given freedom and allowed to come and go freely, these people would have no scruples. Anyway, they can go back at any time, and simply stay abroad. Stay a little longer!"

"So, Yongzheng set a time limit, and those who failed to return within the time limit were not allowed to return to the country."

"From the fifth to sixth year of Yongzheng's reign, twenty-one Fujian merchant ships exported from Xiamen. Twelve returned before July, bringing back more than 11,000 kilograms of rice, as well as bird's nests, sea cucumbers, sappan wood, and cowhide. Waiting for the goods, we brought back more than thirty residents living in Nanyang, some of whom have lived overseas for seventeen or eighteen years."

"After these people came back, Yongzheng arranged for them to return to their places of origin. On the other hand, he asked local officials to conduct strict inspections to see if these people were traitors."

"So on the one hand, Yongzheng stipulated that ships going to sea could only enter and exit ports specified by the imperial court. On the other hand, in order to deal with the hidden danger of people "going out and not coming back," he specifically stipulated that "you must return to your country within three years, otherwise your place of origin will be cancelled."

"And based on the current situation of the national treasury deficit, Yongzheng specially ordered the customs to pay a 10% "delivery" tax."

"With the continuous increase in trade, the amount of taxes "paid" also increased by tens of thousands, and eventually the national treasury during the Yongzheng period was not only replenished but also rich."

"Not only has the country's income skyrocketed, but the merchant ships that ply the sea have also brought back precious bird's nests, sea cucumbers and other items when they return. People in coastal areas no longer have to live a life of hunger and cold."

"Although Yongzheng was accused of being "unfilial" and "greedy for profit" when he lifted the sea ban policy, his reforms brought about a rapid reversal of coastal poverty and his opening of the sea ban was well received by the majority of coastal people. unanimously praised.”

"In the thirteen years since Emperor Yongzheng reigned, he spent more than six hours a day dealing with government affairs and only slept an average of two hours a night."

"Moreover, he lives a frugal life and does not want to be luxurious. He is very serious about people and things. Even when he reviews memorials, he carefully writes them stroke by stroke. It is said that he writes tens of thousands of words every day while reviewing memorials."