Wang Debang, courtesy name Langqing was a Chinese general of the Hunan Army during the late

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 ...

who was most notable for his service in the

Sino-French War The Sino-French War (, french: Guerre franco-chinoise, vi, Chiến tranh Pháp-Thanh), also known as the Tonkin War and Tonquin War, was a limited conflict fought from August 1884 to April 1885. There was no declaration of war. The Chinese arm ...

Biography

Wang was born on

Jianghua County Jianghua ( "''Jianghua Yao Autonomous County''", ; usually referred to as "''Jianghua County''", ) is an autonomous county of Yao people in the Province of Hunan, China, it is under the administration of Yongzhou Prefecture-level City. Located ...

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

as his father was a businessman around the area. He joined the Hunan Army in his early years to suppress 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 ...

. He later followed

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, ...

to reclaim

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

. In 1884, during the

, he was transferred to

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

and recruited eight new battalions, known as the Dingbian Army. Together with

Feng Zicai Feng Zicai () (1818–1903) was a general in the Imperial Army during the Qing dynasty. He was originally a bandit from Qinzhou, Guangxi, China. The Taiping Rebellion In 1856, Feng, a lieutenant colonel, commanded a regiment stationed in northern ...

, he won at the

Battle of Zhennan Pass The Battle of Bang Bo, known in China as the Battle of Zhennan Pass ( zh, 鎮南關之役), was a major Chinese victory during the Sino-French War (August 1884 – April 1885). The battle, fought on 23 and 24 March 1885 on the Tonkin-Guangxi bo ...

in February 1885 and became a national hero; however, he was implicated in

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 ...

's political struggle with the Left, and his official career was suppressed by Li Hongzhang for nearly two years. He was promoted to a high-ranking official in

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and died during his tenure.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Debang 1837 births 1893 deaths People of the Taiping Rebellion People of the Sino-French War Xiang Army personnel