Wang Ding (1768-1842) was a politician in the middle and late Qing Dynasty.
Wang Ding's family was poor when he was a teenager, but he was diligent and studious and ambitious.
In the first year of Jiaqing (1796), he passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi, beginning his political career. He served as a scholar, editor, lecturer, and scholar of the Hanlin Academy, all of which gave him the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of national politics and governance.
In the nineteenth year of Jiaqing (1814), Wang Ding was appointed as a squire of the Ministry of Works, and then transferred to the Ministry of Officials, managing both the Ministry of Household and the Ministry of Punishment. At this stage, he begins to play an important role in ***.
In the second year of Daoguang (1822), Wang Ding was appointed governor of Henan, responsible for managing the administrative affairs of Henan Province. In this position, he showed outstanding administrative and judicial skills, and was ordered to send envoys to various provinces many times to redress wrongful prisoners, and was highly regarded by Emperor Daoguang.
In the fifth year of Daoguang (1825), Wang Ding was promoted to Minister of Military Aircraft, and the following year he was promoted to the secretary of the household department. At this stage, he began to participate in decision-making at the highest levels of the state.
Wang Ding was in office as the head of the household department, and twice rectified the salt administration. He proposed a series of governance measures, such as deferring old taxes, levying new taxes, suspending taxes for three years, and receiving salt subsidies to make up for losses. These measures effectively increased the tax revenue of the imperial court, the production and sales of salt were booming, and the people's living needs for salt were also guaranteed. Therefore, Wang Ding is known as a financial expert in the Jiaqing and Daoguang periods.
In the eighth year of Daoguang (1828), Wang Ding participated in the work of quelling the rebellion of Zhanger in Huijiang, and was crowned the crown prince and Taibao for his meritorious work, and awarded the honor of painting in Ziguang Pavilion.
In the seventeenth year of Daoguang (1837), Wang Ding was seventy years old, and Emperor Daoguang personally wrote the plaque "Jing Gong Duhu". The following year, he was promoted from a co-organizer to a fellow of Tokaku University.
In the twenty-first year of Daoguang (1841), the Yellow River burst its embankment in Xiangfu, Henan, and Wang Ding temporarily appointed the governor of the East River, responsible for supervising the mouth of the river. He worked with the people to finally close the embankment before the spring flood of the following year, and the river returned to its original path. Therefore, he was crowned crown prince and prince.
In the twentieth year of Daoguang (1840), the Opium War broke out, and Wang Ding vigorously fought and opposed peace. Lin Zexu's letter to ban smoking alarmed the government and the opposition, and Wang Ding, who was then the co-organizer of the university and the minister of military aircraft, not only strongly supported Lin Zexu's proposal, but also recommended him to Emperor Daoguang that he was "resourceful and decisive, promising and guarded, and worthy of heavy responsibilities." In the end, the imperial court appointed Lin Zexu as the minister to go to Guangzhou to investigate opium, which led to the anti-smoking movement that later shocked China and the rest of the world. "Boya is good at drumming and piano, and Zhongzi is good at listening", and later generations will take "high mountains and flowing water" as a metaphor for bosom friends.
Because the ban on smoking offended the British, as the frontline war was defeated and retreated, the British continued to go north to fight to Beiping, Emperor Daoguang was afraid of the British, and decided to send Lin Zexu to Xinjiang to fill the army, Wang Ding interceded for him, and strongly recommended Lin Zexu, but at this time Emperor Daoguang could not listen, Wang Ding was extremely disappointed.
In the court, Wang Ding dragged Emperor Daoguang and said: If the emperor does not kill Qi Shan (the culprit of the surrender faction), he will not be able to explain to the people of the world; And as an old minister, he knew the truth but didn't tell it, so he couldn't explain it to the emperor. Emperor Daoguang was so angry at this that he threw off his robe and went down to the palace, from which we can see that Wang Ding advocated a severe crackdown on opium trafficking and smoking, while Emperor Daoguang may have preferred a moderate policy. Emperor Daoguang did not take Wang Ding's opinion. As a result, Wang Ding felt very angry and disappointed. He decided to admonish him with death and use his life to awaken the consciousness of Emperor Daoguang.
One night in mid-February of the 22nd year of Daoguang (1842), Wang Ding returned to his apartment in the Old Summer Palace and wrote a letter to Emperor Daoguang. In this letter, he elaborated on his political views and views on national affairs, and once again emphasized that Lin Zexu's talents should be reused.
After writing about the widowhood, Wang Ding chose to end his life by hanging himself. He used this way to express his loyalty and firmness, hoping to shock Emperor Daoguang and make him re-examine his decision-making.
After Wang Ding hanged himself, his family discovered his widowhood. This letter was presented to Emperor Daoguang, causing the emperor to be shocked and pondered. Although Emperor Daoguang did not immediately change his decision, Wang Ding's corpse admonition and his omission had a profound impact on later generations. Wang Ding is widely regarded as a loyal man, and his deeds of remonstrance demonstrated his noble character and deep love for his country.
After Wang Ding's death, the Qing Dynasty was forced to sign the first treaty "Nanjing Treaty", which was the first unequal treaty in modern Chinese history, which was really heartbreaking.
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