Emperor Kangxi, ruler in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912 AD), was born in the Forbidden Palace on lunar calendar March 18 of the 11th year of the Shunzhi Era (May 4, 1654). His birth name was Aisin-Jueluo Xuanye, and he was the son of Lady Dong. He died at age 69 on November 13 in the 61st year of the Kangxi Era (December 20, 1722) at Clear Creek Library of Chang Chuen Garden (Garden of Everlasting Spring). His 61 years of rule made him the emperor with the longest reign in Chinese history.
 
Administrating State Affairs with Diligence and Caution
 
Kangxi embodied three different races in his bloodline, three cultures, and three types of characteristics. His father was Manchurian, his grandmother Mongolian, and his mother Han. He grew up under the influences of the three cultures. His Manchurian master taught him the Manchu language as well as riding and shooting. His Han master taught him the Four Books (Da Xue, Zhong Yong, Lun Yu, and Meng Zi) and the Five Classics (Shi, Shu, Li, Yi, and Chun Qiu), which instilled Confucianism in him. Kangxi emphasized diligence and caution when administrating state affairs. At age 14, he assumed power and started to participate in state affairs. The emperor personally held meetings with his top officials at the Palace of Heavenly Purity and discussed and made decisions on affairs of national defense and administration. Among the participating officials were nine ministers: one minister each from the Ministry of Rites, the Board of Civil Service, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works; the head of the Ministry of Supervision; the head of the Supreme Court; and the Prime Minister. There were also officials to record the emperor's daily activities.
 
Rain or shine, Kangxi held court every day at 7:00 a.m. with his ministers to discuss national affairs and the reports received by the imperial court. This tradition was carried on in the Qing Dynasty from Emperor Kangxi to Emperor Guangxu. When administrating state affairs, Kangxi used extra caution. In his early days, he wrote three major national topics on the columns of the imperial court: the revolt of the three feudatories in Yunnan, Guangdong and Fujian; River Work; and Water Transportation. He sent his imperial guards on a round trip of 10,000 kilometers to the source of the Yellow River in order to create the first Yellow River Map in Chinese history. He then appointed capable official Jinfu to be the River Governor to stay on top of the River Work. Jinfu submitted eight memoranda daily to communicate his ideas about administrating the rivers.
 
Compilation of Books and Garden Construction
 
Kangxi focused on culture and education. Under him, learning from the Hans of the south, the South Study System was established. He personally went to Qufu to pay formal visits to the Temple of Confucius. Emperor Kangxi participated in organizing, compiling, and publishing approximately 60 books, calendars, and maps, including such works as The Kangxi Dictionary, The Imperial Encyclopedia, Understanding Astronomy, Abstruse and Profound Mathematical Content, Peiwen Yunfu (Chinese Dictionary of Rhymes), Manchu Polyglot Dictionary, Kangxi Yongnian Ephemeris, Emperor Kangxi and All Maps. More than twenty thousand volumes of these books, calenders, and maps have become important treasures of Chinese civilization.
 
It was also under Kangxi that Chang Chuen Garden, Chengde Summer Resort, and Rehe Mulan Paddock were constructed. His grandson, Emperor Qianlong, continued with the effort to build "Three Mountains and Five Gardens." (The Three Mountains included Longevity Hill, Fragrant Hill, and Jade Spring Hill; the Five Gardens included the Garden of Everlasting Spring, the Old Summer Palace, the Garden of Tranquility and Brightness, the Garden of Tranquility and Pleasure, and the Summer Palace.) These efforts pushed Chinese classical garden art to its apex and form a treasured heritage for Chinese civilization. Chengde Summer Resort, an imperial garden that was twice as big as the Summer Palace, was by no means an ordinary resting place for the emperor and his guests. Influenced by Mongolian and Tibetan architecture, these resorts and gardens intended to create a homecoming feeling for the royal families and nobility.
 
Making a Good Relationship with the Mongolians, Emphasizing Agriculture, and Taming Rivers
 
Mongolia used to be divided into three parts: Southern Mongolia, Western Mongolia, and Northern Mongolia. Through the efforts of Kangxi’s great-grand father, Nurhachi, and grandfather, Hong Taiji, Southern Mongolia (also known as Inner Mongolia) was completely conquered. However, the Western Mongolia, or Junggar Mongolia, was under the control of Galdan Khan. He and his army posed a threat to the Qing Dynasty and attacked at different times. Kangxi decided to fight Galdan, leading the Qing troops personally, and defeated him. In addition, through a series of measures, Kangxi also solved issues with Khalkha in Northern Mongolia or Outer Mongolia. As Kangxi said, "In the past, the Qin Dynasty built the Great Wall. My dynasty bestows mercy on Khalkha, directing it to guard against the North, thus forming a stronger defense than the Great Wall." The Mongolia problem that existed for over two thousand years, from the Qin/Han Dynasties up to the Ming Dynasty, was thus solved by Emperor Kangxi. This is an important contribution to Chinese history.
 
Due to long periods of war from the late Ming to early Qing Dynasties, agricultural production was severely hampered. Kangxi led a series of measures to restore and develop agricultural production. He ended the practice of Manchu nobles plundering farmland. He personally went to the Jiangnan area (south of the Yangzi River) six times to inspect water resources. He repaired the Yellow River, Huai River, and Yongding River. Kangxi emphasized agricultural production, taming rivers, and conserving water. These were great accomplishments.
 
Conclusion
 
Emperor Kangxi was a master of both the pen and the sword. He was well versed in traditional culture but also studied Western science. He was a master of both shooting and riding, he had the capability to repulse Galdan through military campaigns, and to stabilize and manage the nation. He was able to develop strategies to ensure victory from thousands of miles away. His victories in the campaigns against the "Three Rebellions," Russia and the recovery of Taiwan were all achieved while commanding from Beijing, thousands of miles away from the battlefield. These demonstrated his remarkable military talent. In addition, Kangxi had extraordinary political vision and insight. He chose to create the "Duolun Alliance" to ally with Mongolian tribes instead of constant war, and used treaties to ensure that the territory of Heilongjiang was not violated. Kangxi also emphasized education, which laid the foundation for the century-long, peak ruling period of the Qing Dynasty, which is often called the "Kangxi and Qianlong Prosperous Era."
 
文武双全、运筹帷幄的康熙大帝
 
清圣祖康熙，名爱新觉罗﹒玄烨，顺治十一年三月十八日（1654年5月4日）生于北京紫禁城景仁宫，佟妃之子。康熙六十一年十一月十三日（公元1722年12月20日）卒于北京畅春园清溪书屋。终年69岁。在位61年（1661年-1722年），是中国历史上在位时间最长的皇帝。
 
勤慎朝政
 
康熙身上有三种血统，有三种文化，有三种品格。康熙的三种血统，他父亲是满州人，他祖母是蒙古人，他母亲是汉人，他又受了三种文化的影响，他的满族师父教他讲满语，写满文，教给他骑射，他的汉族师父给他讲四书五经，所以他又受到儒家文化的教育。康熙对朝政讲勤慎，康熙的亲政是从他14岁的时候开始的，当时亲政叫“御门听政”，就是皇帝亲自主持朝廷会议，议商和决定军国大事。御门听政在干清门前，参加御门听政的主要是：九卿（礼、吏、户、兵、刑、工）六部的尚书，和左都御使，通政使，大理寺卿，还有大学士，参加御门听政的还有起居注官。
 
每天早上辰时与大臣们讨论奏报，议商军国大事，无论寒暑无一例外。清朝的皇帝御门听政从康熙一直到光绪，康熙处理军国大事时非常谨慎，早年在他宫廷的柱子上写了三藩及河务、漕运三件大事。康熙亲自派侍卫逆黄河而上一直到黄河源头星宿海往返行程两万里，绘制了黄河全图这是中国历史上第一次，经过实际踏勘绘制成的黄河图，任用贤能的官员来治河！他任用靳辅做河道总督，靳辅每天给康熙上八个奏章，陈述自己对治河的意见。
 
编纂典籍 兴修园林
 
康熙重视文化教育，创建了南书房制度，并亲临曲阜拜谒孔庙。康熙帝还组织编辑与出版了《康熙字典》、《古今图书集成》、《历像考成》、《数理精蕴》、《珮文韵府》、《清文鉴》、《康熙永年历法》、《康熙皇舆全览图》等图书、历法和地图。康熙主持编纂的典籍有六十多种，大约有二万卷是中华民族文化中的重要精神财富。
 
康熙修建了畅春园、承德避暑山庄、热河木兰围场，他的孙子乾隆又继续兴修三山五园（三山：香山、玉泉山、万寿山；五园：畅春园、圆明园、静明园、静宜园、清漪园也就是颐和园）这样就把中国古典园林的艺术，推到了一个最高峰，清朝园林的兴修是中华民族的一份宝贵的遗产。承德避暑山庄这座比北京的颐和园大一倍的皇家园林，决不只是一般意义上的休息场所，这些按照蒙古西藏等民族风格修建的宫殿庙宇，它更重要的意义在于让蒙藏等各种上层人物进入山庄能有一种宾至如归的感受。
 
和善蒙古 重农治河
 
蒙古曾经分为三个大部份就是（漠南蒙古，漠西蒙古，漠北蒙古）。漠南蒙古努尔哈赤和皇太极经过两代人的努力完全征服了漠南蒙古也就是内蒙古。漠西蒙古就是准噶尔蒙古。准噶尔的噶尔丹率领军队南进威胁了王朝。康熙决定亲征，打败了噶尔丹。漠北蒙古，康熙通过一系列的措施完全解决了喀尔喀蒙古也就是外蒙古。所以康熙说：“昔秦兴土石之工，修筑长城，我朝施恩于喀尔喀，使之防备朔方，较长城更为坚固。”中国从秦汉时的匈奴到明朝，蒙古这个历史难题两千年来没有解决，康熙把这个问题解决了，这是一个很大的历史贡献。
 
明末清初经过长期的战乱，农业生产遭到严重的破坏，康熙采取了一系列措施恢复和发展农业生产。他下令停止圈地，他六次下江南巡察黄河和水利，修黄河、淮河、永定河。康熙的重农治河，兴修水利，取得了伟大的成就。
 
结语
 
康熙文武双全，既精通传统文化，又涉猎西方科学；既能上马左右开弓，御驾亲征击退噶尔丹，又能治国安邦善于管理。他运筹帷幄，决胜千里，坐镇北京取得了对三藩、沙俄的战争胜利，收复台湾，说明了康熙卓越的军事指挥才能。康熙有著过人的智慧，创立“多伦会盟”取代战争，联络蒙古各部，以条约确保了国家在黑龙江的领土不被侵犯。康熙特别重视教育，奠定了持续100多年的“康乾盛世”。