Notes of Li Hongzhang, Prime Minister of Late Qing Dynasty

Some scholars have been to Modian Township, Yaohai, Hefei, Anhui Province, Li Hongzhang's hometown. They thought that the local villagers were familiar with the late Qing Prime Minister, but the reality was not satisfactory, and the local elders did not know the famous minister. Li Zhai, whose scenery was infinite in those days, was already in ruins. This place where Li Hongzhang grew up also declined with the decline of Li Hongzhang.

Li Hongzhang's birth cannot be said to be more noble. Before his ancestors were ordinary farmers, Li Hongzhang's grandfather Li Huadian was also poor at home. Thanks to the efforts of his father Li Wenan, he became richer. When Li Hongzhang was born, the Li family was already a giant in the bay. Although the family is not prominent, it also provides them with a good educational environment.

At the age of twenty-one, I will be a juren, a high school scholar at the age of twenty-five, and an editor at the age of twenty-seven. The first half of my life can only be regarded as smooth sailing, but I have achieved nothing.

When he led the Huai army into Shanghai, he quickly gained the nickname of Yun Zhonghe. Soon after, he ascended the position of governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and entered the peak of his life, becoming stronger every day. When he became governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, he was also worried about the future of the Qing government. He initiated the Westernization Movement, which was praised and criticized by later generations. This process is difficult. The upper-class intellectuals still cling to the idea of de-China, insisting that the Qing Dynasty is the best, and excellent foreign cultures are ignored and ridiculed again and again. Li Hongzhang's personal collection is mostly various letters and memorials, totaling more than 25 million words, which is beyond human resources. Most of them were written by him in the process of Westernization Movement, and there were various ideas about Westernization Movement. From them, we can see all kinds of deep thoughts on the Westernization Movement. Some people were indignant when the movement was blocked, and some people used Anhui dialect to curse and vent their emotions. Their attention to the Westernization Movement can be seen. He also urged us to reform our system from within. If we are conservative and do not seek change, all people will become weaker and more conservative. Admittedly, he was selfish in the process of reform, but actually he laid the foundation for China's machinery manufacturing, coal mine, railway, transportation, textile, mining and transportation information industry.

188 1 year, with the efforts of Li Hongzhang, the first railway in China was built, which should have been a good thing for the country and the people. However, under the rumor that the train shook Dongling, affecting Feng Shui and black smoke hurting crops, address unknown was not allowed, so a donkey cart was used instead. 14 years later, a miniature railroad track was built, and Cixi finally agreed to build a train. Cixi's satisfaction relieved the pressure of railway construction. Five months later, the Qing Dynasty issued the first official document on the establishment of railways.

1874 The news of the Japanese invasion of Taiwan Province Province shocked the Qing court and once again paid attention to the issue of coastal defense. In the case of a weak country, the fiscal revenue is not enough to support the dual pressures of coastal defense and blockade defense at the same time. The coastal defense army represented by Li Hongzhang and the fort defense army represented by Zuo had a heated argument. The Qing court, which had no experience in naval construction, took many detours in naval construction.

Just as Li Hongzhang was actively preparing for the establishment of the Beiyang Navy, the Sino-French war broke out. As a peacemaker, Li Hongzhang tried his best to avoid the war, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the Qing ministers. What's more, he wrote a letter stating that Li Hongzhang had six reasons for being killed. The Qing court accepted Liang Dingfen's memorial to recall Li Hongzhang and investigated Li Hongzhang, thinking that his political career was over. However, history is always unexpected. The end of the Sino-French war made the Qing court urgently need a scapegoat to replace them.

1894 When the Sino-Japanese War broke out, Li Hongzhang's strategy of avoiding the enemy and protecting the ship failed, and the Beiyang Navy was wiped out, and the Westernization Movement, which had been painstakingly managed for decades, went bankrupt. 1894 Sino-Japanese War, China was completely defeated, and Li Hongzhang went to Japan to discuss war reparations. The signing of Sino-Japanese treaty of shimonoseki nailed Li Hongzhang to the historical shame column. Indeed, Li Hongzhang signed various treaties that humiliated his power and country. There may be another Liu Hongzhang, Wang Hongzhang. The Qing Dynasty always needed a scapegoat to take responsibility for them. Although Li Hongzhang is guilty, it is unfair to rashly blame him for the whole Qing Dynasty.