He Shen: The Richest and Most Corrupt Official of the Feudal Times

By HUO JIANYING

The Xijin Study was built from nammu wood. Its architecture followed the imperial style, which made it one of He Shen's 20 crimes as listed by Emperor Jiaqing. Wei Ran

THERE are few people in Chinese history whose fame, be it for reasons of heroism or infamy, has lasted over centuries. He Shen is a name enshrined in ill fame.

It is recorded that in 1799, when He Shen was brought to justice and his house searched, his household possessions acquired through graft amounted to a value of 800 million taels of silver -- an amount equal to 10 years' revenue of the Qing government. At the time of his downfall, He Shen was the highest and most powerful official in the overall operation of the Qing imperial government, and his massive wealth was obtained during his two decades of officialdom. In 1799, at the age of 49, he received an imperial decree ordering that he hang himself.

He Shen was born of a humble family and started his official career as an ordinary imperial bodyguard. Later he won the favor of Emperor Qianlong and underwent a rapid process of promotion. In his prime, he held a dozen or more official titles, including minister of revenue, minister of military strategy, minister of internal affairs, and minister of foreign and ethnic minority affairs. He was also granted the title of Duke of the highest loyalty. His daughter-in-law was Princess Gulunhexiao, the youngest and most favorite daughter of Emperor Qianlong, so He Shen was also related by marriage to the emperor.

All this prominence gave He Shen great influence within officialdom and tremendous wealth. His residence was larger and more magnificent than those of the imperial princes. After issuing He Shen with the order to end his life, Emperor Jiaqing, son of Emperor Qianlong, confiscated his residence and granted half of it to his younger brother, Prince Qing Xi. The residence then became known as Prince Qing's Mansion, and was later ceded to Prince Gong, with whose name it has since been associated, and which is open to the public today.

Fu Hall in the courtyard of He Shen's residence. The rocks in front of it were procured from Lake Tai. Sun Shunlin

For hundreds of years, and right through to the present, He Shen has been the stock villain role in theatrical, film and TV productions. It is still not generally understood, however, why he risked the lives of his whole family by exploiting his power, second only to the emperor, in order to engage in such extreme graft. On this point, perhaps only He Shen himself could give a clear explanation.

Corruption within government has been a problem since ancient times, and almost every dynasty had its own legislation and supervisory institution specifically for dealing with corrupt practices. Scholars have come up with three main reasons for this phenomenon: one, obsession with wealth; two, obsessive pastimes; and three, a relentless, insatiable compulsion to acquire. The second of these motivations may seem unlikely, but can be seen to have foundation when surveying recorded facts. He Shen, for example, was well provided for and had everything he needed, but had many expensive hobbies, apart from a love for wealth itself, which included owning opulent residences, valuable antiques and jewelry, and indulging in gourmet food and beautiful women. If he had been able to keep some kind of rein on these hobbies, rather than being completely possessed by them, his level of crime may not have reached such an excessive level. Emperor Jiaqing charged He Shen with 20 crimes, seven of which were directly attributable to his hobbies. One was his collection of over 200 pearl bracelets -- several times more than those owned by the imperial family, and rubies, whose size exceeded the one encrusted in the emperor's own crown.

According to an ancient Chinese saying, "A man of honor obtains his wealth in a rational way." A greedy person, like He Shen, may be differentiated from such a man by his unbounded greed and unscrupulousness. Historic records show that on one occasion He Shen met another minister named Sun Shiyi at the gate of the imperial palace, and noticed he was carrying a box. On asking to see what was inside he beheld a snuff bottle made out of a huge pearl. He instantly desired possession of this bottle, and requested it, but to his disappointment, Sun told him that the bottle was for the emperor, who had already been informed of the gift. A few days later, when the two met again, He Shen told Sun proudly that he had acquired a piece of treasure very similar to Sun's recent tribute to the emperor, and to Sun's amazement showed him the very snuff bottle he had presented to the emperor. Sun assumed that the emperor had passed it on to He Shen, but later found out that He Shen had greased the palm of a eunuch and had him steal it for him.

Miaoxiang Pavilion in the garden of this residence. Li Minggang

He Shen was a handsome and versatile person. He was proficient in four languages -- Manchurian, Chinese, Tibetan and Uygur -- and was gifted in writing prose and poetry. It was on his recommendation to Emperor Qianlong that A Dream of Red Mansions was published. In the early years of his officialdom, he was diligent and upright and won the love of the people.

Many factors caused He's corruption, one in particular being the flaws within the feudal system. He Shen had too much power, and there was no effective supervisory system to check his insatiable greed. He knew how to please the emperor and consequently won his favor and protection. All other officials, both at the central and local governments, were in awe of his power.

Upon Emperor Qianlong's death, Emperor Jiaqing wasted no time in getting rid of He Shen. This was not only because of the extent of He Shen's corruption and the consequently empty treasury, but also the corrupt practices it had engendered within Qing politicians, which affected the whole social ethos. Perhaps most of all, it was because his excessive power threatened the supremacy of the emperor. Of He Shen's 20 crimes, "defiance of imperial supremacy" and "power transcendence" accounted for half.

He Shen's downfall is also attributable to a few upright and fearless officials, of whom Wang Jie, imperial commissioner of supervision, was one. He persevered with his suit against He Shen and finally brought him to justice in 1799.