Wutai Mountain is an important place for Buddhism. Every day, a large number of faithful men and women go there to kneel down and pray. During the Kangxi, Yongzong and Qianlong dynasties, the incense here reached its peak. According to records, Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong visited Mount Wutai many times during their reigns. As we all know, these three emperors are not Buddhists. So, what is the purpose of the three of them coming to Mount Wutai many times? Is it to pray for the people, or to visit here? Both of these statements are somewhat forced. In fact, the purpose of their coming to Mount Wutai was to trace their roots and inquire about their ancestors, which involves the mystery of the death of Shunzhi, the first emperor after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs.
In the "Manuscript of Qing History", the cause of Shunzhi's death is very vague. There are only 11 characters: Ding Ji, Ye, Zi Ke, Shang collapsed in Yangxin Hall. There is no mention of Shunzhi's illness or the reason for his death. However, in Korean historical records, it is clearly stated that Shunzhi died of smallpox at the age of 24. The Chinese people don't know why the emperor of China died, but a foreign country like Korea knows everything about it. This is obviously incredible. Therefore, in the process of compilation of Qing history manuscripts, this view of Korea was not adopted.
According to the Manchu archives of the Qing Dynasty, when Shunzhi was 14 years old, he was hunting in Zunhua and met a senior monk who was practicing in a cave. From then on, he formed an indissoluble bond with Buddhism. When he was 20 years old, Shunzhi listened to the master's explanation of Buddhism at Haihui Temple in Beijing under the careful arrangement of the eunuch, and he became very interested in Buddhism. When Shunzhi was 24 years old, her most favored Concubine Dong E died due to dystocia. Shunzhi was once discouraged and had no intention of handling government affairs. Only 100 days after the death of Concubine Dong E, the young and strong Shunzhi died in the Yangxin Hall. Later generations speculated that Shunzhi had worshiped Buddhism for a long time, and the so-called collapse in the Yangxin Hall was just an excuse. Shunzhi, who had already seen through the mortal world, should have escaped into Buddhism and became a monk.
Of course, this is by no means a bare-bones guess by future generations. According to the records in "Residence of Kangxi", shortly after Kangxi succeeded to the throne, Xiaozhuang took him to Mount Wutai to worship Buddha. This makes people puzzled. There are many important places for Buddhism in Beijing. Why does Xiaozhuang choose to go to Mount Wutai instead of being close? In addition, during the subsequent reigns of Yongzheng and Qianlong, he visited Mount Wutai many times. Therefore, some historians inferred that Shunzhi did not die of smallpox, but went to Mount Wutai to become a monk.
There is another evidence that can also prove that Shunzhi became a monk in Mount Wutai. When the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China, Empress Dowager Cixi fled westward in a hurry. Local officials wanted to receive her, so they borrowed some equipment from Mount Wutai. According to the recollections of the accompanying officials, these utensils were very similar to those in the palace. Just imagine, how can such luxurious and high-end appliances come from a Buddhist pure land? They are probably left behind when Shunzhi became a monk in Mount Wutai.
To sum up, during Kang, Yong and Qian dynasties, they often went to Mount Wutai, not to burn incense and worship Buddha, but to seek their roots, inquire about their ancestors, and pay homage to Emperor Shunzhi.