Li Hongzhang was an advocate of the Westernization movement, and his life was full of complexities and controversies. He was known as a "famous minister" for his outstanding military and diplomatic performances, but he was also a controversial figure.
He signed a treaty of loss of power and humiliation of the country, and was called a thief, however, combined with the situation at the time, his decisions were also out of helplessness and pain, all for the sake of national interests. Although his life was controversial, his loyalty to his country was unquestionable.
Li Hongzhang was born in 1823 and is a native of Hefei, Anhui Province. He was bright and studious from an early age and received a good education. At the age of 25, he came into contact with Western studies, reading Western books and learning English.
In the process of studying, he saw the gap between the East and the West, and felt that only by learning Western technology could he get out of China's predicament. As a result, he actively participated in the Westernization Movement.
As an advocate of the Westernization Movement, he introduced Western technology, purchased advanced **, created the Beiyang Naval Division, and so on. These are turning points in China's modern history and an important step in China's reform.
In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, when the Western powers invaded and China was facing a critical moment of life and death, some people of insight also stood up at this time to explore the development path for New China. In order to save the country's survival, Li Hongzhang also stood up.
He was one of the first to advocate the Westernization Movement. Li Hongzhang pointed out: "If China wants to strengthen itself, it is better to learn from foreign weapons. If you want to learn foreign sharp weapons, it is better to find the tools of the craft, and if you want to find the tools and the people who make the utensils, then I will set up a special course to take the scholars. "It's a forward-thinking idea.
Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, Zhang Zhidong, Zeng Guopan and others advocated the Westernization Movement. The Westernization Movement is also known as the Self-Improvement Movement. In Wei Yuan's "Atlas of the Sea Kingdom", it is said that "mastering the skills of the master to control the country" means that by learning the advanced military technology of the West, he seeks a way to resist the invasion of the West.
This is also the main thrust of the Westernization Movement. Its slogan was "Seek Prosperity, Self-Improvement", and it wanted to learn Western technology and use advanced Western equipment to save the crumbling Qing Dynasty.
Li Hongzhang introduced Western technology and devoted himself to implementing reform measures to save the late Qing Dynasty from fire and water. In order to reduce the cost of purchasing arms and to learn Western technology, Li Hongzhang founded military enterprises, including the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, the Jinling Machinery Bureau, and the Fuzhou Shipbuilding Bureau.
Li Hongzhang also said to Zeng Guopan, "If China drives cannons and ships, it can make those foreigners restrain themselves", so Li Hongzhang attaches great importance to the army, and he has also taken a series of measures.
In 1965, when Li Hongzhang was the governor of Liangjiang, he found that the equipment of the original three bureaus was not perfect, and he was supported by Zeng Guofan. So, he bought the American merchant Qiji Iron Works in Hongkou, Shanghai, and merged it with the other two bureaus to expand into the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau.
Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau is one of the largest military enterprises in China's modernization. It covers a wide range of areas, including the manufacture of guns, ships, ammunition, etc., and also has a translation hall.
It could manufacture 2,000 guns and 90,000 rounds of ammunition a year, making it the largest arsenal at that time. It has provided a military force that cannot be ignored for China's modern national defense.
In 1865, Li Hongzhang expanded the Machinery Bureau in Nanjing into the Jinling Machinery Bureau. Compared with the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, the Jinling Machinery Bureau is smaller in scale and has relatively simple equipment, so it can only produce some simple military supplies such as artillery shells and fire mines.
Despite this, the Jinling Machinery Bureau played an important role as a fire supply base in the Huai army and played an important role in munitions.
In 1867, Li Hongzhang founded the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, which was second only to the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau in scale. In 1870, Li Hongzhang took over the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, but due to corruption, the cost of production was higher than that of procurement.
Therefore, Li Hongzhang dismissed the "Han people of the northern banner" and hired workers transferred from the south. This also made the Tianjin Machinery Bureau controlled by Li Hongzhang, which played a key role in Li Hongzhang's consolidation of Beiyang power.
He also introduced Western machines and technologies to the factory. In 1862, Li Hongzhang received funding from the gentry and purchased a large number of foreign guns and cannons to suppress the Taiping army.
Among them, a batch of ** was bought back by foreigners, and later this batch of ** became a weapon of the Anti-Japanese War by mistake. Li Hongzhang's establishment of military enterprises and the purchase of equipment have undoubtedly strengthened the country's military strength and laid the foundation of China's modern military division industry.
Among the four major military enterprises in modern China, Li Hongzhang founded three, namely the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, the Jinling Machinery Bureau and the Tianjin Machinery Bureau. The remaining one is the Fuzhou Shipbuilding Bureau, founded by Zuo Zongtang. It can be seen that Li Hongzhang has a long-term vision.
In the later period of the Westernization Movement, Li Hongzhang began to turn his focus to seeking wealth, and discussed with ** to establish civilian enterprises to promote China's economic development. Due to the blockage of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, some goods were diverted to the sea, and in 1872 Li Hongzhang founded China's first steamship shipping company, China Merchants Steamship.
The company, which carried half of the imperial court's cargo traffic, then expanded into passenger services, successfully beating out the Anglo-American rival Qichang Company to become the largest civilian enterprise in modern Chinese history.
In 1876, Peng Rucong applied to Li Hongzhang to set up a machine weaving layout in Shanghai, which was the predecessor of Shenxin Jiuchang, the first machine cotton textile factory in China. Li Hongzhang approved the application and granted a number of preferential policies, including reduced customs duties and exemption from paying rent.
However, due to the lack of awareness of the modern textile industry and the lack of management capabilities, textile mills face serious production risks. Subsequently, the factory site was moved to Shenxin Jiuchang and measures were taken to improve production efficiency.
In the end, after hard work, the textile factory successfully regained its vitality and lived up to Li Hongzhang's original intention of founding the Shanghai machine weaving layout. These marked the beginning of China's modernization process.
In the late Qing Dynasty, the great powers eyed China and made the Qing Dynasty face the threat of war at sea. In order to strengthen the national strength, Li Hongzhang was appointed to be responsible for establishing the Beiyang Naval Division and cultivating naval forces for the country. He was very supportive of this, but due to the vast territory of China and its many coastal areas, it was not possible to create only one naval division.
Therefore, Li Hongzhang was responsible for the construction of the Beiyang Naval Division, while Shen Baozhen was responsible for the Nanyang Naval Division. However, due to the financial difficulties of the imperial court, the construction of the water division faced a shortage of funds. In order to solve this problem, Emperor Guangxu decided to let the Nanyang Naval Division and the Beiyang Naval Division share four million taels of funds.
Due to the old relationship between Li Hongzhang and Shen Baozhen, Shen Baozhen decided to hand over all the funds of the Nanyang Naval Division to Li Hongzhang for the construction of the Beiyang Naval Division. Thanks to Li Hongzhang's efforts, the Beiyang Naval Division gradually developed and became one of the most powerful navies.
At the same time, Li Hongzhang also actively promoted the establishment of educational institutions such as schools and translation halls, carried out foreign exchanges, and advocated reform of the law and self-improvement. He cultivated outstanding talents through the selection of talents, laying the foundation for the Westernization Movement and the future development of New China.
In 1894, the Sino-Japanese Naval War broke out. Li Hongzhang led the Beiyang Naval Division to engage the Japanese in the Battle of Weihaiwei and the Battle of the Yellow Sea. This is a war for national interests and dignity.
However, after the outbreak of the Battle of the Yellow Sea, Li Hongzhang tried to settle the dispute peacefully through diplomatic means, and did not allow the Beiyang Naval Division to go to sea to meet the enemy. In the end, the Japanese army captured Liugong Island, and the Beiyang Naval Division in Weihai Harbor was like a "turtle in an urn", resulting in the defeat of the Beiyang Naval Division without a fight and the annihilation of the entire army.
The total annihilation of the Beiyang Naval Division meant the defeat of the Beiyang Movement. Many people have asked whether Li Hongzhang would win if he faced the enemy in the Battle of the Yellow SeaCombined with the strength of the Beiyang Naval Division at that time, they still had the strength to fight. Even if the naval battle is lost, they can still rely on the army to meet it.
However, the Empress Dowager Cixi, as a conservative, only wanted to maintain a stable life, for fear that the Japanese army would hit the capital. Therefore, even if the Beiyang Naval Division wins, it will be forced to sign a humiliating treaty with Japan.
After the defeat of the war, the Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan, a treaty that humiliated the country. However, the Sino-Japanese War awakened the national awakening of the Chinese people. As Liang Qichao said: "Evoking the great dream of our country for 4,000 years has really started from the First Sino-Japanese War." ”
On November 7, 1901, Li Hongzhang said goodbye to his death. It is recorded that after returning home from the Russian Pavilion on September 19, he vomited blood. On his deathbed, the Minister visited and forcibly signed a treaty with him. Li Hongzhang continued to ** until he passed away when he was weak.
On the occasion of his death, Li Hongzhang left a bleak poem to express his sad life and worries about the fate of the country, as well as his concern for the people. This poem is not only the ultimate reflection on life, but also a catharsis of life's ambitions, showing the demeanor of a historical celebrity.
Li Hongzhang's desperate poems have profound educational significance for us. It reminds us to remember history, cherish the prosperity of the country at present, have the courage to take responsibility, contribute to the construction of the country, and make the homeland better, so that the country will always be prosperous and strong, and the people will be happy and healthy.
Desperate Poems" Qing. Li.
The laborious carriage and horse did not leave the saddle, and the imminent party knew that he would die.
In the past 300 years, the country has been injured, and the people have been disabled 8,000 miles away.
The autumn wind sword lonely minister tears, the sunset flag general altar.
The dust atmosphere overseas is still not over, and you don't want to wait and watch.
Li Hongzhang is in a high position, but he is always worried about the country and the people. He lamented in the poem: "The labor chariot and horse have not left the saddle, and they will know that they will die." This sentence is to the effect that the horse has not yet left the saddle, and when he is dying, he realizes that death is inevitable in life.
This sentence depicts the situation of tired carriages and horses, and the situation of knowing that he is dying, and alludes to Li Hongzhang's life of running and working hard for state affairs, and even has no time to rest.
The sentence "everything knows that it is difficult to die" reflects his helplessness, unable to change the backward fate of the country, saddened by the people's lack of life, and helpless for his own powerlessness.
He is well aware that the honor and disgrace of the country are related to himself, and he has a heavy responsibility, and he puts the burden of the country on himself. However, achieving the goal of national prosperity and strength is not easy, and it requires a lot of costs, even lives. He was a man of responsibility.
Over the past 300 years, the country has gradually declined and the people have suffered. He gave everything for the country, did not even have time to rest, went through a lot of changes and efforts, faced a lot of challenges, and in the end it was nothing.
He was extremely worried about it, but there was nothing he could do about it. Expressing the grief for the fate of the country, it is the people who suffer the most in the war, many people have lost their homes and relatives because of the war, and "hanging the people and the disabled people 8,000 miles away" is to express sympathy for the suffering and sympathy for the people.
The autumn wind is lonely and the sword is alone in tears, and the sunset is on the altar of the general", Li Hongzhang stood on the altar of the general, holding a sword, full of emotion. He knew that he had the talent and courage as sharp as a sword, and the power and status of a general, but he could not realize his ambitions, change the status quo of the country, and save the people from dire straits.
This is his regret and his helplessness. The word "sunset" implies the end of everything and the decline of the country.
Li Hongzhang's life has had merits and mistakes. He is undoubtedly a loyal minister who is loyal to the country, and has worked hard and given everything for the country and the people all his life. However, in the end, his old age was very bleak and alone, which expressed his inner loneliness and helplessness. This is the tragedy of his personal fate and the tragedy of the fate of the country.
The overseas dust atmosphere is still not over, don't wait and see", the overseas dust atmosphere has not subsided, and you must not regard it as an ordinary thing. The security and stability of the country are constantly threatened by foreign aggression, the plight of the population remains, and the future of the country is fraught with challenges and crises.
Li Hongzhang was still worried about the fate of the country when he was dying, which showed his deep concern for the country and his loyalty to the country. Therefore, "gentlemen should not wait and watch" is a warning to future generations, reminding everyone not to ignore the external environment of the country, not to take it lightly, to take active action, to devote themselves to it, and to contribute to the development of the country.
This poem not only reflects Li Hongzhang's personal emotions and state of mind, but also reflects his worries about the country and the people. Before his death, he was still worried about the fate of the country and the people, grieving for the fate of the country, and feeling deeply helpless that he could not save the country from fire and water. This is the regret of his life and the tragedy of the country.
The foreign affairs movement promoted China's progress and reflected the Chinese people's desire for national prosperity and prosperity, and their determination to get rid of backwardness and be beaten, which was the beginning of the Chinese people's awakening. Li Hongzhang played an active and leading role in the Westernization Movement, challenging the "old school" that was self-contained.
Although Li Hongzhang was also at fault, his position on the Westernization Movement was correct. Therefore, we cannot evaluate Li Hongzhang alone, he has meritorious deeds in his life. It is undeniable that he is a generation of capable ministers, a historical giant, and has also contributed to the development of New China. He should be respected by the people.
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