Qi Zhouhua's "Mingshan Cang Fuben" Case

Qi Zhouhua, a licentiate from Tiantai, Zhejiang, had previously been exiled for protesting the verdict against Lü Liuliang. In 1767, he traveled to Hangzhou and presented his book "Mingshan Cang Fuben" to Governor Xiong Xuepeng, hoping for recognition. Xiong found the text contained seditious statements and disloyal allusions, and immediately reported to the Qianlong Emperor. Qi was arrested, tortured, and charged with the highest crime of treason. The emperor personally ordered the death penalty, resulting in Qi being executed by Lingchi. His sons were beheaded after being imprisoned, and his wife, concubines, and granddaughters were enslaved. His writings were ordered to be completely destroyed.

Qi Zhouhua was sentenced to death by Lingchi. His eldest son and second son were sentenced to beheading after incarceration, and his other male relatives were not prosecuted. His wife, concubines, underage sons, and granddaughters were enslaved and given to meritorious officials.

Whether the writings and poems genuinely constituted a conspiracy or rebellion, and whether the voluntary presentation of the book demonstrated a lack of malicious intent versus the absolute standard of literary inquisition that punished any perceived irreverence.

The case reinforced the climate of terror surrounding intellectual expression, intensifying self-censorship among scholars and solidifying the Qianlong era's legacy of harsh literary purges that stifled critical thought and silenced dissent.