Li Hongzhang

Li Hongzhang

Li Hongzhang was a famous general who put down many important rebellions and was a statesman during the Qing Dynasty. He served in significant positions of the Imperial Court and held the office of the Viceroy of Zhili. He was best known in the west for his diplomatic negotiation skills. After the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, Li had become a literary scapegoat for China's embarrassments in the late Qing Dynasty. His image in China remains largely negative (Li Hongzhang).

Li Hongzhang was born in the village of Qunzhi, located in Modian township nine miles northeast of downtown Hefei in the Anhui province. When he was very young he showed distinct ability, and at an early age he obtained his bachelor's degree. In 1847 he became a Jinshi, which is a graduate of the highest order, and two years later was admitted into the imperial Hanlin College (Chu).

Shortly after he was accepted to the Hanlin College the central provinces of the empire were invaded by the Taiping rebels. In defense of his native district he raised a militia. Li was extremely successful in the conflict that he was recognized by the general in command, Zeng Guofan (Chu).

In 1859 he was transferred to the province of Fujian, where he was given the rank of taotai, or intendant of circuit. But Zeng Guofan had not forgotten Li, and at his request Li was recalled to take part against the rebels. His campaign was supported by the "Ever Victorious Army," which was under the command of Charles George Gordon, a British officer. With this support Li gained numerous victories leading to the surrender of Suzhou and the capture of Nanjing. For these exploits he was made governor of Jiangsu, was decorated with a yellow jacket, and was given the title of earl.An incident connected with the surrender of Suzhou, however, left a lasting stain upon his character. At the yielding of Nanjing Commander Gordon arranged to spare the lives of the rebel princes. In spite of the assurance given them by Gordon, Li ordered their instant execution. When Gordon learned of the executions he seized a rifle and intended to shoot Li Hongzhang. He would have done so if Li had not turned to flight. Another impression that was left on Li was the idea of modernization. His contact with western-style firepower convinced him that China needed western weaponry to protect the empire's sovereignty (Spence).

On the suppression of the rebellion in 1864 Li took up his duties as governor, but was not long allowed to remain in civil life. On the outbreak of the Nian Rebellion, he was ordered again to take the field, and after some misadventures he succeeded in suppressing the movement. A year later he was appointed viceroy of Hukwang, where he remained until 1870, when the Tianjin massacre called for his transfer to the scene of the outrage. He was then appointed to the viceroyalty of the metropolitan province of Zhili, and justified his appointment by suppressing all attempts to keep the anti-foreign sentiment alive among the people. For his services he was made imperial tutor and member of the grand council of the empire, and was decorated with many-eyed peacocks' feathers (China History Forum).

Adding to his duties of viceroy he was named the superintendent of trade, and from that time until his death he virtually conducted all of the foreign policy for China. He concluded the Chifu convention with Sir Thomas Wade in 1876 which ended difficulties in Yunnan; he arranged treaties with Peru and Japan, and he actively directed the Chinese policy in Korea. On the death of the Tongzhi Emperor in 1875 he formulated a coup d'etat in which the Guangxu Emperor was put on the throne under the guardianship of the two dowager empresses; and in 1886, on the conclusion of the Franco-Chinese War, he arranged a treaty with France (Chu).

Li was always concerned with the strength of the empire and as viceroy of Zhili he was able to build arsenals, found a military academy, establish two modern naval bases, purchase warships, and undertake other "self-strengthening" measures. The efforts at Self-strengthening included building up an industrial infrastructure of arsenals, transportation networks, and modern communications.Li saw the successful reforms made in Japan as a threat and continually feared conflict with the growing Japanese empire; through modernization