Qin Hui 秦檜

Qin Hui 秦檜 (1091-1155), courtesy name Huizhi 會之, was Counsellor-in-chief of the Southern Song dynasty 南宋 (1127-1279) and is usually told to be one of the chief traitors of the dynasty.

He hailed from Jiangning 江寧 (today's Nanjing) and obtained the jinshi degree in 1115. His career started with the positions of instructor second-class of the National University (taixue xuezheng 太學學正), Director of the Bureau of Operations (zhifang yuanwailang 職方員外郎) and then Vice Censor-in-chief (yushi zhongcheng 御史中丞). Qin advocated military resistance to the incursions of the Jurchens, warning against ceding territory for the gain of peace. When the Jin army occupied Kaifeng 開封, the main capital, Qin vehemently opposed the Jurchen's enthronement of Zhang Bangchang 張邦昌 (1081-1127) as ruler of the Chu dynasty 楚, which would bring about a dynastic change, and argued for the coronation of another prince of the house of Zhao (the Song dynasty).

The Jurchens arrested Qin and brought him to the north, where he advocated peace negotiations, which the Jin declined. Qin was thereupon, in 1130, brought back to Song China.

Back at the Song court, which had fled to Lin'an 臨安 (Hangzhou) and founded the Southern Song empire, he became a trusted advisor of Zhao Gou 趙構, Emperor Gaozong 宋高宗 (r. 1127-1162), who made him Counsellor-in-chief (zaixiang 宰相). In contrast to politicians who encouraged the Emperor to conquer northern China back, Qin's political strategy was that "Northerners to the north, and Southerners to the south" (nanren gui nan, beiren gui bei 南人歸南、北人歸北), which meant that he urged to accept the division of China. Not prevailing in the court debates, he decided to retire.

In 1137, he was appointed Military Affairs Commissioner (shumishi 樞密使), and together with Counsellor-in-chief Zhang Jun 張浚 (1097-1164), he exhorted the Emperor to call off the northern campaign of Yue Fei 岳飛 (1103-1142), who had reconquered the Huai River region. As a result, the Huaixi Army 淮西軍 mutinied and defected to the Jin. A year later, Qin Hui was again made Counsellor-in-chief. His strategy of peace with the Jin empire prevailed. Qin decided to travel to the north as a representative of Emperor Gaozong and receive their imperial instructions as a vassal of the Jin.

In 1140, the Jin general Wanyan Zongbi 完顏宗弼 (1090-1148) launched a massive campaign to the south, but Yue Fei resumed his fight and defeated the Jin army several times. He even advanced to the proximity of Kaifeng, but after the victorious battle of Yancheng 郾城, Qin Hui urged the Emperor to call off the campaign and force Yue Fei to withdraw. On the accusation of having incited a rebellion, Yue Fei and Han Shizhong 韓世忠 (1089-1151) were arrested, and Yue was executed. Qin Hui was at the height of his power, which the Treaty of Shaoxing (Shaoxing heyi 紹興和議) epitomised. The appeasement policy of Qin Hui was found in the Song dynasty's acceptance of the suzerainty of the Jin, the cessions of territory, and considerable tributes to the Jurchens.

The treaty also included the extraordinary prerogative that Qin Hui could not be dismissed without serious legal charges. As a result, he served 18 years as the highest minister of the Southern Song empire and thus exerted supreme control over all political decisions. Qin Hui eliminated all critics. He even launched a "literary inquisition" (wenziyu 文字獄), which aimed mainly at politicians proposing the resumption of anti-Jin fights but also influenced public opinion concerning the peace treaty. Qin's regime was selfish. He arbitrarily dismissed disliked officials and rewarded those who sang his praises.

In the field of policy, Qin adopted drafts of Li Chunnian 李椿年 (1096-1164) of reform of land demarcations (jingjiefa 經界法), a new survey of land and a revision of the twice-taxation system (liangshui fa 兩稅法). All these measures were to generate higher tax revenues. Historiography also blames Qin Hui for increasing the land tay by 70-80 per cent, causing widespread poverty, hunger, and starvation.

He died from an illness.