China: The young Qianlong Emperor (25 September 1711 - 7 February 1799) during the first year of his reign. Hanging scroll painting by Giuseppe Castiglione (19 July 1688 - 17 July 1766), 1736. The Qianlong Emperor, birth name Hongli, was the fifth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. The fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he reigned officially from 1736 to 1795. On 8 February (the first day of that lunar year), he abdicated in favor of his son, the Jiaqing Emperor.