Wenxiang (, ; born October 16, 1818, in

Liaoyang Liaoyang () is a prefecture-level city of east-central Liaoning province, China, situated on the Taizi River. It is approximately one hour south of Shenyang, the provincial capital, by car. Liaoyang is home to Liaoning University's College of Fo ...

, died May 26, 1876) was an ethnic

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

statesman of the

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 ...

of China. Wenxiang hailed from the Gūwalgiya clan and belonged to the Plain Red Banner in the

Eight Banners The Eight Banners (in Manchu language, Manchu: ''jakūn gūsa'', ) were administrative and military divisions under the Later Jin (1616–1636), Later Jin and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasties of China into which all Manchu people, Manchu households ...

Mukden Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu name Mukden, is a major Chinese sub-provincial city and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. Located in central-north Liaoning, it is the provi ...

. In 1845, he obtained the highest degree (''jinshi'') in the imperial examination and four years later he was appointed to the Board of Works. He advanced through the ranks and in 1858, he was appointed vice president to the Ministry of Rites, Board of Rites and also became a member of the Grand Council (Qing dynasty), Grand Council, the highest policy-making organ in the Empire. He subsequently held a number of prominent posts in the central government and became a key player in court politics. As foreign troops invaded Beijing during the Second Opium War and the Xianfeng Emperor fled to Chengde, Wenxiang remained in the capital and took part in negotiating with the British and French. Following the peace settlement, he became one of the founders of the new Qing foreign office, the Zongli Yamen. He was one of the architects behind the Self-strengthening movement and was instrumental in devising the Qing government's cooperative policy towards the Western powers in the period between 1861 and 1876.

References

* * Crossley, Pamela Kyle, ''Orphan Warriors' (1990), 141–146.. 1818 births 1876 deaths Manchu Plain Red Bannermen Manchu politicians Grand Councillors of the Qing dynasty Politicians from Liaoyang Qing dynasty politicians from Liaoning Grand Secretaries of the Qing dynasty Assistant Grand Secretaries Ministers of Zongli Yamen {{China-politician-stub