乾隆(1711——1799)是清代第四个皇帝弘历的年号。
Qian Long (1711——1799) was the reign title of the fourth emperor (1735——1796) of the Qing Dynasty, whose given name was Hong-li.
在乾隆强劲的军事政策下，中国领土面积达到最大。他征服了西部的新疆，南方的缅甸和安南也被迫承认中国的领主地位。
Under his vigorous military policy, China attained its maximum territorial expanse; Xinjiang in the west was conquered, and Myanmar and Annam in the south were forced to recognize Chinese suzerainty.
1759年乾隆将西方商人限制在广州境内，1793年拒绝了英国扩大贸易和加强外交关系的建议。
He restricted Western merchants to Guangzhou (Canton) in 1759, and he rejected British overtures for expanded trade and diplomatic ties in 1793.
乾隆热爱学问和艺术，中国一些最好的瓷器和景泰蓝是专门为乾隆生产的。大量的文选被编辑成书，部分是为了审查里而是不是有反满言论。
Ch'ien-lung was a patron of scholarship and the arts; some of China's finest porcelain and cloisonné were produced for his collections, and vast anthologies were edited, partly to censor seditious references to the Manchus.
尽管文化成就和帝国的扩张表面上看起来富丽堂皇，但是乾隆统治的后期官僚腐败日趋严重，军队不振，财政失衡。
Despite the surface splendor of cultural achievement and imperial expansion，his reign in later years was characterized by growing official corruption, loss of military efficiency，and fiscal imbalance.