Zeng Guofan | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1868–1872 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Assistant Grand Secretary | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1862–1868 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Viceroy of Liangjiang | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1870–1872 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ma Xinyi | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | He Jing | ||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1860–1864 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | He Guiqing | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ma Xinyi | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Viceroy of Zhili | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1868–1870 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Guanwen | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Li Hongzhang | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1811-11-26)26 November 1811 Xiangxiang, Hunan, Qing dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 12 March 1872(1872-03-12) (aged 60) Nanjing, Qing dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Zeng Jize | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Zeng Guoquan (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Jinshi degree in theimperial examination | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Statesman, general | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | Qing dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | Xiang Army | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1853–1872 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 曾國藩 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 曾国藩 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Zēng Guófān[a] | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 曾子城 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | Zēng Zǐchéng | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Zeng Guofan, Marquis Yiyong (traditional Chinese:曾國藩;simplified Chinese:曾国藩;pinyin:Zēng Guófān;Wade–Giles:Tseng1 Kuo2-fan1;[2] 26 November 1811 – 12 March 1872), birth nameZeng Zicheng,courtesy nameBohan (伯涵), was a Chinese statesman and military general of the lateQing dynasty. He is best known for raising and organizing theXiang Army to aid the Qing military in suppressing theTaiping Rebellion and restoring the stability of the Qing Empire. Along with other prominent figures such asZuo Zongtang andLi Hongzhang of his time, Zeng set the scene for theTongzhi Restoration, an attempt to arrest the decline of the Qing dynasty.[3] Zeng was known for his strategic perception, administrative skill and noble personality on Confucian practice, but also for his ruthlessness in repressing rebellions.
Born Zeng Zicheng inXiangxiang,Hunan Province in 1811, Zeng was the grandson ofZeng Yuping, a farmer with social and political ambitions. He was also a descendant of the philosopherZengzi, a student ofConfucius. He studied inYuelu Academy inChangsha Prefecture, where he passed theprefectural examination in 1833, only a year after his father, Zeng Linshu. He passed theprovincial examination (juren) a year later, and by 1838, at age 27, he had passed theimperial examination, a prestigious achievement in China. He had earned thejinshi degree, the highest level in the civil service examinations, which led to his appointment to theHanlin Academy, a body of outstanding Chinese literary scholars who performed literary tasks for the imperial court.[4] It was at the Hanlin Academy where Zeng changed hisgiven name to "Guofan", which sounded more prestigious. Zeng served inBeijing for more than 13 years, and remained devoted to the interpretation of theConfucian classics. He moved relatively quickly up the ranks with the aid of his teacher,Mujangga; within five years, he had become a second-grade official.
In 1843, Zeng was appointed as the chief literary examiner inSichuan Province. Six years later, he was made Senior Deputy Secretary of theBoard of Rites. When holding the office of Military Examiner (1851), he was compelled by the death of his mother to return to Hunan Province to carry outfilial mourning, which is supposed to last three years. Around the time, theTaiping rebels had overrun Hunan Province and captured the cities and strongholds on both shores of theYangtze River. By a special decree, Zeng was ordered to assist theprovincial governor in raising a volunteer force, and, on his own initiative, he built a fleet of war junks and multiple arsenals, with which he attacked the rebels.[5] This force eventually became known as theXiang Army (a.k.a. Hunan Army or Chu Army). In training and commanding the Xiang Army, Zeng emphasized "family ties, individual responsibility, flexible yet responsible discipline, enhanced military pay, respect for intellectuals serving in the army, and a strong bond between officers and soldiers."[6] In his first engagement with the rebels, Zeng was defeated, but his lieutenants were more successful.[7] They recovered the provincial capital,Changsha, and destroyed the rebel fleet. Following up these victories of his subordinates, Zeng recapturedWuchang andHanyang, nearHankou, and was rewarded for his success by being appointed vice-president of theBoard of War. The Xiang Army under Zeng contained some integratedHangzhou drill groups.[8]
In 1853, other triumphs led to Zeng being made abaturu, and to his being decorated with ayellow riding-jacket. Meanwhile, in his absence, the rebels retookWuchang and burnt the protecting fleet. The tide quickly turned, however, on May 1, 1854, Zeng defeated the Taiping atXiangtan and in July atYuezhou.[9] Zeng succeeded in clearing the country roundPoyang Lake, and subsequently in riddingJiangsu Province of the rebels. In January–February 1855 the Xiang Army sufferers a disastrous defeat atJiujiang,Jiangxi, leading to Zeng attempting suicide. His father died in 1857, and after a brief mourning he was ordered to take supreme command inZhejiang Province, and to cooperate with the governor ofFujian Province in defence.
Subsequently, the rebels were driven westwards, and Zeng would have started in pursuit had he not been called on to clearAnhui Province of rebel forces. In June 1860, he was appointedViceroy of Liangjiang (coveringJiangxi,Anhui andJiangsu provinces) andImperial Commissioner, overseeing military affairs. At this time, and for some time previously, he had been fortunate in having the active support ofZuo Zongtang, who at a later period recoveredKashgar for the Qing Empire, and ofLi Hongzhang. Like all true leaders of men, Zeng knew how to reward good service,[citation needed] and when occasion offered he appointed the former to the governorship of Zhejiang and the latter to that of Jiangsu. In 1862, he was appointedAssistant Grand Secretary of State. At this time, the Qing imperial forces, assisted by theEver Victorious Army, had checked the progress of the Taiping Rebellion, and Zeng was able to carry out a scheme which he had long formulated ofbesiegingTianjing, the rebel capital. WhileCharles George Gordon of the Ever Victorious Army was clearing the cities on the lower waters of the Yangtze River with support from Li Hongzhang, Zeng drew closer his besieging lines around the city.
In July 1864, Tianjing fell into Zeng's hands, and he was rewarded with thenoble peerage "First Class Marquis Yiyong" (一等毅勇侯) and the right to wear thedouble-eyed peacock's feather. He,Zuo Zongtang andLi Hongzhang were collectively called "Zeng, Zuo, Li" – the military leaders who suppressed the Taiping Rebellion. After the suppression of the rebellion, theNian Rebellion, closely related[dubious –discuss] to the former Taiping movement, broke out inShandong Province, and Zeng was sent to quell it.
Success did not, however, always attend him on this campaign, and by imperial order he was relieved of his command by Li Hongzhang, who in the same way succeeded him as theViceroy of Zhili, where, after theTianjin Massacre (1870), Zeng failed to carry out the wishes of the imperial court. Instead of the desired policy towards foreigners, Zeng took on a more diplomatic stance. After this rebuff, he retired to his viceroyalty at Nanjing, where he died in 1872 mysteriously inHong Xiuquan's former mansion.
Zeng was a voluminous writer. His papers addressed to the throne and his literary disquisitions are held in high esteem by Chinese scholars, who treasure the edition of his collected works in 156 books, which was edited byLi Hongzhang in 1876, as a memorial of a great and incorruptible statesman. Zeng enjoyed reading and held a special interest in theTwenty-Four Histories and otherChinese classics.
Zeng calledHakka females "big foot hillbilly witches" during theTaiping Rebellion after encountering them for the first time.[10]
Unlike his contemporaries, who had multiple wives or keptconcubines, Zeng was officially married only once, to a woman of theOuyang family when he was in his late teens. He had three sons and five daughters with her, and two of his eldest children died young. His eldest son,Zeng Jize, who inherited hisnoble peerage "First Class Marquis Yiyong", went on to become a famous diplomat in the late Qing dynasty.
Zeng's ninth brother,Zeng Guoquan, was an ambitious general in theXiang Army. He was later appointedViceroy of Liangjiang in 1884. Zeng's great-granddaughter,Zeng Baosun, was a feminist, historian, and Christian educator.
Zeng is said to be a descendant ofZengzi, who in turn was said to be a descendant of KingShao Kang of theXia dynasty.
Zeng Guofan's Family Letters (Chinese: 曾國藩家書; pinyin: Zēng Guófān Jiā Shū), also known as the Family Letters of Zeng Guofan, is a collection of personal correspondence written by Zeng to his family members, including his parents, sons, brothers, and other relatives.[11]
Comprising nearly 1,500 letters spanning from 1840 during theDaoguang era to 1867 in theTongzhi era, with notable examples such as twelve letters to his eldest sonZeng Jize between 1852 and 1865, the letters were primarily composed during Zeng's lifetime amid his military campaigns against theTaiping Rebellion and his official duties.[11] The content focused on practical advice rooted inConfucian principles, covering topics such as self-cultivation, education, family governance, moral conduct, study habits, interpersonal relations, governance, business, and friendship, often portraying Zeng as a devoted and instructive parent emphasizing diligence, humility, and ethical self-improvement.[12]
Zeng's legacy in history is twofold. On one hand he is criticised as a staunchly conservative traitor, but on another he is seen as a hero in preserving order and stability. Many in China and abroad admire his ability to successfully survive in the ruthless bureaucracy of the late Qing dynasty. Many have blamed Zeng for all the civilian losses and damages done during theTaiping Rebellion, while others criticise him for being too friendly with certain foreign ideas. Much Chinese language historiography, including numerous biographies, has questioned what made him fight for an essentially foreign dynasty.
Since theCultural Revolution, criticism of Zeng gradually began to disappear.Tang Haoming published in 1992 his three-book trilogyZeng Guofan, a novelisation of Zeng's life during and after the Taiping Rebellion. This trilogy characterised Zeng as a common person, but had adopted a much more positive view of Zeng.Mao Zedong andChiang Kai-shek also praised Zeng's ability in military and political affairs.
In recent years, Zeng's life and his works have been widely celebrated, especially as an example of local pride inHunan Province. Zeng's leadership and military skills had been used by many as a new field of thought aiding in business or bureaucratic dealings, as in the "self-help"99 Strategems from Zeng Guofan.[13]
| Order | Name | Title | Lifespan | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zeng Guofan 曾國藩 | First Class Marquis YiyongWenzheng 一等毅勇文正侯 | 1811–1872 | 1864–1872 | |
| 2 | Zeng Jize 曾紀澤 | First Class Marquis YiyongHuimin 一等毅勇惠敏侯 | 1839–1890 | 1877–1890 | Zeng Guofan's eldest son |
| 3 | Zeng Guangluan 曾廣鑾 | First Class Marquis Yiyong 一等毅勇侯 | 1873–1920 | 1890–1912 | Zeng Jize's third son |
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Viceroy of Liangjiang (1st time) 1860–1864 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Guanwen (acting) | Viceroy of Zhili 1868–1870 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Viceroy of Liangjiang (2nd time) 1870–1872 | Succeeded by He Jing |
| International | |
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| National | |
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| Other | |
| Battles and campaigns | |
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| Taiping Heavenly Kingdom leaders | |
| Other rebel leaders |
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| Qing dynasty leaders and personnel | |
| Other notable figures | |
| Miscellaneous topics | |
See also: | |
