Tan Zhonglin (, 1822–1905) was a

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

scholar-official The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class. Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...

. He was born in Gaolong,

Chaling County Chaling County () is a county in Hunan Province, China; it is under the administration of Zhuzhou City. Located on the south eastern margin of the province, the county is bordered to the north by You County, to the east by Anren County, to the so ...

, Hunan Province. His courtesy name was Wenqing (). He was the father of

Tan Yankai Tan Yankai (; ; January 25, 1880 – September 22, 1930) was a Chinese politician. Biography Tan Yankai was born on 25 January 1880 in Hangzhou during the waning decades of the Qing dynasty. He was the son of the Qing minister Tan Zhonglin. ...

, a politician of the Republic of China.

Biography

In 1856 (the 5th year of the Xianfeng reign) he passed the metropolitan-level

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

and was awarded the

jinshi degree ''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referre ...

, and was admitted to the

Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed sec ...

first with the scholastic title of ''

Shujishi Shujishi (; Manchu: ''geren giltusi'') which means "All good men of virtue" is a scholastic title during the Ming and Qing dynasty of China. It can be used to denote a group of people who hold this title as well as individuals who possess the titl ...

'', years later as ''bianxiu,'' a compiler and secretary. In 1863, he was ''yushi'', investigating censor; in this capacity he was the leader of more than 40 officials who successfully petitioned

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu people, Manchu Nara (clan)#Yehe Nara, Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese nob ...

to exonerate

Prince Gong Yixin (11January 1833– 29May 1898), better known in English as PrinceKung or Gong, was an imperial prince of the Aisin Gioro clan and an important statesman of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty in China. He was a regent of the empire from 1861 to 18 ...

. Tan won his fame and drew positive attention from the leading politicians as well as the Empress. In 1866, he was appointed the Prefect of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. In 1868, recommended by

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; 15 February 1823 – 7 November 1901) was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important ...

, he was appointed the Judicial Commissioner of Henan Province. In 1871, recommended by

Zuo Zongtang Zuo Zongtang, Marquis Kejing ( also spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang; ; November 10, 1812 – September 5, 1885), sometimes referred to as General Tso, was a Chinese statesman and military leader of the late Qing dynasty. Born in Xiangyin County ...

, Tan became the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shaanxi; next year he was advanced to Officiating Lieutenant Governor, and later the Acting Governor of Shaanxi. In 1875 (the first year of reign of

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, wi ...

), Tan was appointed Governor of Shaanxi mainly because of his contribution to the victory by supplying Zuo's army when it battled Muslim rebels in Xinjiang. Zuo and Tan became close friends and partners in implementing Manchu policy of suppressing Muslim rebellion in Northwest China. In 1879, Tan was appointed the Governor of Zhejiang, with extra rank of the Minister of Military Affairs. During his tenure in Zhejiang, he rebuilt the imperial Wenlan Library damaged by the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted fr ...

, and restored the housing of the recovered volumes of the collection of '' Siku quanshu'' (the Complete Library of Four Treasure). In 1881, Tan was appointed the Viceroy of Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces, worked hard to promote local agriculture and increased fiscal revenues. In 1883, he and

Liu Jintang / ( or ) is an East Asia, East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'kill', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the c ...

submitted a memorial proposing the creation of the Province of Xinjiang in order to have better control of the region; the proposal was approved and the Province of Xinjiang was put under the administration of the Viceroy of Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces. In 1892, he was appointed the Viceroy of Zhejiang and Fujian Provinces, he reformed the

Foochow Arsenal The Foochow Arsenal, also known as the Fuzhou or Mawei Arsenal, was one of several shipyards created by the Qing Empire and a flagship project of French assistance to China during the Self-Strengthening Movement. The shipyard was constructed unde ...

and improved its efficiency and production. In 1895, he was appointed the Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces. He suppressed the Canton uprising led by

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

and executed

Lu Haodong Lu Zhonggui (30 September 1868 – 7 November 1895), courtesy name Xianxiang, better known as Lu Haodong, was a Chinese revolutionary who lived in the late Qing dynasty. He is best known for designing the Blue Sky with a White Sun flag that beca ...

of the Revolutionary Party. Tan reported to the throne against the

Hundred Days' Reform The Hundred Days' Reform or Wuxu Reform () was a failed 103-day national, cultural, political, and educational reform movement that occurred from 11 June to 22 September 1898 during the late Qing dynasty. It was undertaken by the young Guangxu E ...

, and it was highly appreciated by conservative

. In 1899, Tan resigned to live in Changsha of his home province as he opposed to Hong Kong's

New Territories The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...

' Lease to the UK and the

Guangzhouwan The Leased Territory of Guangzhouwan, officially the , was a territory on the coast of Zhanjiang in China leased to France and administered by French Indochina. The capital of the territory was Fort-Bayard, present-day Zhanjiang. The Japan ...

to France. He died of illness in 1905, but was awarded an honorary posthumous name ''Wen qin'' () due to his loyalty and achievements.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tan, Zhonglin 1822 births 1905 deaths Politicians from Zhuzhou Qing dynasty politicians from Hunan