Facts about Fulin, Emperor Shunzhi

The third emperor of the Qing Dynasty was a five-year-old boy named Fulin. He subsequently became known as Emperor Shunzhi. Power came to him after the death of his father in 1643.

Since a small child could not rule the country, his uncle, Dorgon, ruled the empire on his behalf for several years. By coincidence, he also died soon. After his death, Fulin himself began to rule the state, who at that time was only twelve.

Despite such a young age, the emperor proved himself from the very beginning to be a very wise and thoughtful ruler. There was a danger of a conspiracy to overthrow him, and Fulin formed an alliance with influential court eunuchs.

It was a flimsy agreement, but it saved both the monarch and the empire. Fulin wasted no time. He made every effort to fight corruption and consolidate the empire under Qing rule.

Emperor Shunzhi is remembered as a wise leader and educated person. He devoted a lot of time to the study and development of science. He was very tolerant of various religions.

In about 1652, he gave an exquisite reception for the Fifth Dalai Lama in Beijing. At the same time, he also regularly talked and consulted on various issues with an Austrian Jesuit missionary named Johann Adam Schall von Bell.

Despite the fact that the emperor did not convert to Catholicism, he considered his advisor Shala the closest. Fulin even called him “grandfather”. Shunzhi died of smallpox in 1661. He was only 22 years old. His son, Emperor Kangxi, ruled for over half a century.