As one of the important ministers in the late Qing Dynasty, Li Hongzhang was criticized and slandered in China. Since we learned about history from middle school textbooks, Li Hongzhang's image as a "traitor" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. In the eyes of everyone, Li Hongzhang is different, and only Mr. Liang Rengong's Biography of Li Hongzhang is the most fair.
This is the image of another hero in the eyes of one hero. In this book, Mr. Liang commented on Li Hongzhang: "I respect Li Hongzhang's talent, I cherish Li Hongzhang's knowledge, and I mourn Li Hongzhang's experience." This book is really written around Li Hongzhang's merits and demerits in the complicated political situation in the late Qing Dynasty.
According to Li Hongzhang's knowledge, although he is in power, his achievements are only seen today. Why? This is because he only knows that there is an army, but he doesn't know that there is a civil administration. He only knows diplomacy, not internal governance. He only knows that there are courts, but he doesn't know that there are nationals.
I have gained a lot from this biography of Li Hongzhang.
First of all, it is Liang Gong's attitude towards history. Liang Qichao and Li Hongzhang are political enemies, but the author once said: "There are many excuses in this book, and many of them are inconsistent with the current arguments. This is entirely because historians must write fairly. " Writing a biography of one's enemies can be judged by justice without secular arguments. This is the mind and attitude of a historian!
Secondly, it is to get to know Li Hongzhang at close range. I used to know that he was a "traitor", but after reading this book today, I really put Li Hongzhang in his time, political situation, world and people and things around him and saw a real Li Hongzhang. Although Li Hongzhang was criticized by Chinese people, he was praised as "Oriental Bismarck" by foreigners. He has made many historical mistakes, and he is ignorant. He signed many "unequal treaties" on behalf of China, but what I read is more regret. Although loyal to the court, I don't know how to sympathize with the people. Although I am politically cautious, I don't understand the current situation. Generally speaking, the reason why "Li Hongzhang's experience" is "sad" lies in the backwardness of the whole nation, not his personal responsibility.
Mr. Liang's introduction completely changed my previous understanding of Li Hongzhang. Compared with modern historical figures in China, Li Hongzhang is indeed a great pioneer!
Thoughts on Reading Biography of Li Hongzhang (Part Two)
Before reading this book, my personal understanding of Li Hongzhang was limited to a few words in the history books: Li Hongzhang, an important official in the late Qing Dynasty, led the Westernization Movement, established the Beiyang Navy, and signed many unequal treaties that humiliated the country, such as treaty of shimonoseki. At that time, China people denounced him as a traitor. After reading this book, I learned more about Li Hongzhang and gradually understood what Mr. Liang Qichao said: "I respect Li Hongzhang's talent, I cherish his knowledge, and I mourn Li Hongzhang's experience."
Li Hongzhang, born in Hefei, Anhui Province, whose real name is Zhang Tong, whose name is Zhefu, Shaoquan, whose name is Wenzhong, posthumous title. Born in 1823, he received a good education since childhood. It can be said that he is not ambitious and talented. However, this was only the beginning of his ups and downs: with the death of Daoguang, Emperor Xianfeng, who had just taken over this burden, seemed to be too young, and social contradictions became more and more fierce, thus the vigorous Tian Ping Uprising began. With his own efforts and persistence, Li Hongzhang established the Huai Army in his hometown, escaped several attacks by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and finally defeated the tenacious Taiping Army.
From then on, Li Hongzhang became famous in World War I and was awarded a bachelor's degree in Wenhua Hall. He was once praised by western newspapers as Oriental Bismarck. However, his diplomatic means in the latter half of his life was a big failure: in the face of Liu Qiang's repeated bullying, he always thought of "robbing Peter to pay Paul", but he didn't realize that the final result was "both walls fell", which led to my huge ancient China being carved up by the great powers and had to pay compensation.
As Mr. Liang said in his book, Li Hongzhang's personal history and colleagues' history are also the history of yat sen villa. After reading Li Hongzhang's biography in one breath, it seems that we can really see Sun Yat-sen's last great power struggle. For Li Hongzhang, a controversial figure, Mr. Liang also commented very well: "As a historian, Huo Guang is ignorant. I don't think Li Hongzhang can be a very heroic person, so I sat on these four words. Li Hongzhang doesn't know the reason of the people, the general trend of the world and the way of politics. In this world of19th century competitive planning, he just made up for it, stole temporary security, did not expand his national strength, and set his country in the city where Wade won, but just picked up the fur of Taixi and forgot the source. So he thinks highly of himself, and even relies on Xiao Zhi's little skills to compete with this world-famous statesman.
Li Hongzhang has experienced too much in his life. He seems to have been a repairman all his life, trying to repair this dangerous building in the Qing Dynasty, but he still failed, but he seems to have tried his best. "Li is a hero created by the times, not a hero created by the times." As a courtier, Li Hongzhang was loyal to the Qing Dynasty and never had a trace of rebellion. He worked hard day and night to save the country, feeling sorry for the people's hungry and cold life, feeling sad and helpless that he could no longer serve the court, and sighing for the future of the motherland.
Someone said, "Why didn't Li choose to abdicate like Zeng Guofan and hand over the world to the next generation?" I think someone has to bear the responsibility. Perhaps Li Hongzhang just chose to bear it, and he accepted it, whether it was swearing, slandering or accusing. It seems that the merits and demerits have already been decided: defeating the Taiping Army, taking over the power from Zeng Guofan, forming the Beiyang Navy and leading the Westernization Movement, but in the end nothing was achieved, and treaty of shimonoseki was signed. Perhaps this is Li Hongzhang's life.
Thoughts on Reading Li Hongzhang's Biography (3)
I read Ren Gong's Biography of Li Hongzhang, and I felt that it was unfortunate and suffered from its decline. But people and things are carefully considered, so the tragedy is caused by history and culture.
Looking around the world, China is the only country with a continuous culture among the four ancient countries. No country has a long feudal history of more than two thousand years and a vast territory. I study physics and know that objects have characteristics called "inertia", but history has no inertia? Besides, China has been pretending to be a kingdom in China for thousands of years. How can it change overnight? As a result, although foreign borders are gradually flourishing, China people's horizons are as closed as ever. Less than yuan's maritime ban, from the Qing dynasty to lock up the country, harm people less than 100, since the loss of hundreds of thousands! When Shao Quanlin was born in Sri Lanka, what he saw and learned was only feudal ethics, and his vision was still relatively narrow. As he grows older, what he sees and hears is different. His nature is fixed and it is difficult to change. Ren Gong denounced it as "no learning and no skills", but how can he have new ideas and new academics about his childhood? Hefei reform, stick to the old system, the feudal tide in the world is still like flood discharge, is there any way to succeed? I'm afraid this situation is beyond the expectation of the world, which is determined by history and culture, not a person's sorrow.
Tokutomi once said that Shao Quanlin's temperament is like that of China people: cold-blooded, arrogant, forbearing, thick-skinned, eloquent, cunning, or excessive, but not illusory. How many people have been able to hold high positions since ancient times? For example, Tang Jia, Du Fu, Wang of Song Dynasty, Yan Shi of Ming Dynasty and Chen of Qing Dynasty, regardless of loyalty and treachery, there must be some characteristics in their personalities that are very similar to a few people. This is determined by China officialdom and even folk culture, and the phrase "natural selection" can be described as comprehensive, which is no accident.
Although Shao Quan-lin is also an outstanding figure, if Song was, if Ming was Xu Jie, he could be called a great star. Why is the later period so unbearable? In the era of his birth, when the old and the new turned, Shao Quanlin followed the old trend and was even more annihilated by history. If you were born decades later, you can't be as self-sufficient as Rengong. If you feel less about the spring, you will sigh, "When the time comes, the world will be close, and the heroes who are far away will not be free." Tasting "untimely birth" is a great pain in life. The ancients really don't bully me!
Shao Quanlin's misfortune is caused by history and culture, and Shao Quanlin is not the only one. Shao Quanlin's peers have also been annihilated by history and culture. Otherwise, China's 40 million people, how can "all countries have heroes, but our country has no heroes"? I am sad to see their two terrible forces today!