Xue Fucheng
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Xue Fucheng or Hsieh Fucheng (12 April 1838 – 21 July 1894) was a Chinese
diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...
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 ...
in the late 19th century. Born in
Wuxi Wuxi (, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu province, eastern China, by car to the northwest of downtown Shanghai, between Changzhou and Suzhou. In 2017 it had a population of 3,542,319, with 6,553,000 living in the entire prefecture-level city ar ...
,
Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
to a literati family. Late Qing dynasty writer/essayist, diplomat to
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,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
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,
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, and one of the leaders and advocate for modernization and adoption of Western technology as well as proponent for the development of capitalist industries in China during the late 19th century. Eschewing the traditional literati pursuits of writing
poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
and
calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
, Xue proposed that the government should promote
pragmatism Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action, and rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. ...
application of new technology and knowledge in strengthening China. Xue was a prolific
writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...
– his works included: ''Essays from a Commonplace Hut'' (), ''More Essays from a Commonplace Hut'' (), ''Essays from Across the Ocean'' (), ''Diplomatic Journal from 4 Countries'' (), ''Notes from a Commonplace Hut'' (), ''Preliminary proposals concerning Western Affairs'' (), ''Diplomatic Memorials to the Throne'' (). His seminal works are included in the ''Complete Works from the Commonplace Hut'' (). During his tenure as the Qing government's
ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Italy, he wrote a diary describing his diplomatic activities and his impressions of European countries. Apart from documenting records of historical events such as 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 also wrote essays on local legends, the macabre and the supernatural. As a proponent of introducing Western technology into China, Xue wrote about witnessing new technology such as the telephone while he was abroad.


Lineage and Life

The Xue family had been in
Wuxi Wuxi (, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu province, eastern China, by car to the northwest of downtown Shanghai, between Changzhou and Suzhou. In 2017 it had a population of 3,542,319, with 6,553,000 living in the entire prefecture-level city ar ...
since the
Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
(1368–1644), the first ancestor moving to Wuxi being a veteran of the Chinese-Annam War ( Ming–Hồ War of 1406–1407), and General of the Nanjing Imperial Capital Guards known as “Running Tigers”. Xue's great-grandfather was a scholar that died young. His grandfather passed the local civil service exam but did not achieve higher success. His father Xue Xiang was a notable writer and essayist and after passing the provincial civil service exam, became a teacher in the government academy at Zhenjiang. Xue Xiang's unique prose style was admired and imitated by many. In 1845, Xue Xiang passed the national civil service exam with the title of “Jinshi” or “Advanced Scholar”, and became a professor. Later he was promoted to the post of Anfu County Commissioner in
Hunan Province 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 t ...
. In Anfu, Xue Xiang organized the local militia that fought and defeated bands of invading Taiping rebels, and also led the militia in defense of two other local counties against the rebels. As a result, he was promoted to be governor of
Xunzhou Guiping () is a county-level city in eastern Guangxi, China. It is under the administration of Guigang City, located at the confluence of the Qian and Yu rivers, which are the Xi River's primary north and south tributaries, respectively. Na ...
in Guangxi province (home province of the Taiping rebels), but died in 1858 before he was able to take up the new assignment. Xue Fucheng was the third of six surviving sons and had one older sister. His mother and grandmother were both from the prominent literati Gu () family of Wuxi, of which other notable members include scientist and polymath Y. H. Ku. Xue Fucheng started school at age 6, his first teacher being his 80 year old plus maternal great uncle Mr. Gu. Later in life, he would write about how he and his siblings studied late into the night under the tutelage and supervision of his mother. In 1858, aged 20, Xue and a younger brother both passed the local civil service exam. During that same year, he and his older brother went to visit their ailing father in Hunan. After Xue Xiang died, the two brothers spent over a year settling their father's affairs and remaining bureaucratic duties. In the spring of 1860, the two brothers hurriedly traveled back to Wuxi when they heard of the Taiping rebels’ invasion of their hometown but was unable to locate their mother and siblings who had fled Wuxi. To their dismay, the brothers found that an uncle, aunt and numerous cousins were killed or committed suicide to avoid capture by the Taiping rebels. The family home was burnt and destroyed. The Taiping rebels took Xue's older brother into custody, but unaware of his true identity as a Qing official's son, released him in due course. Travelling incognito and with great trepidations through Taiping held territory, the brothers crossed the
Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...
and eventually located their mother and siblings to the north in the town of Baoying near the city of
Yangzhou Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province (Suzhong), East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yan ...
. In this same year of 1860, the British and French Army invaded Beijing and burned down the
Summer Palace The Summer Palace () is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill () Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of , three-quarte ...
. The Emperor escaped from the capital but the Qing government was forced to sign another unequal treaty to appease the Western powers. Xue Fucheng remained in Baoying and continued his studies but the crisis in government motivated him to study pragmatic and concrete ways to reform the weak and corrupt Qing government. In the summer of 1865, the governor-general of Liangjiang,
Zeng Guofan Zeng Guofan, Marquis Yiyong (; 26 November 1811 – 12 March 1872), birth name Zeng Zicheng, courtesy name Bohan, was a Chinese statesman and military general of the late Qing dynasty. He is best known for raising and organizing the Xiang A ...
, travelled north to put down the
Nian A ''nian'' () is a beast in Chinese mythology. Nian live under the sea or in the mountains. The Chinese character ''nian'' more usually means "year" or "new year". The earliest written sources that refer to the ''nian'' as a creature date to the e ...
Rebel Army. On his way north, he published recruitment notices for talented men to join him. While Zeng's boat was moored at a point near Baoying, Xue Fucheng, aged 27, braved a downpour in a rainstorm to submit his proposals to Zeng on June 28, 1865. The ten thousand words’ “Memorial to Marquis Zeng” detailed eight proposals to reform the government. Zeng was impressed and asked Xue to join his cabinet. For the next 7 years working under Zeng, Xue was exposed to the practical workings of government in both military and civil affairs. Both Zeng and Xue were aficionados of the strategic game of Go, and often started the day with an early morning game. In 1872, Zeng Guofan died suddenly at age 61. Having lost his mentor, Xue Fucheng took up a new post at Suzhou Publishing House as an editor of the histories of the Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties (all foreign dynasties that had invaded and occupied China in the past). He also wrote and published stories about ghosts and the supernatural as well as anecdotes of curious local events and folklores that he had heard or read about in his childhood. These are collected in “Jottings from a Commonplace Hut” and showed a different side of his personality. In 1875, the new
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 ...
passed down an edict requesting learned men to submit their proposals for improvement to the government. Xue, aged 37, submitted his proposal (with help from Governor Ding Baozhen, employer of his younger brother) – advocating focus on diplomacy and knowledge of international laws in negotiation, establishing civil service exams to test candidates on knowledge of the Western world, sending scholars for further studies abroad, building and developing a modern navy. The court took notice of his recommendations and soon adopted measures to execute his proposals. The court also circulated his proposals as must-read materials for officialdom. He became an overnight sensation in government circles and many high officials proposed that he should be appointed to a diplomatic assignment overseas. The powerful governor of Zhili Province (Beijing is located in Zhili Province),
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 ...
, recruited Xue into his cabinet. In the latter half of 1875, during the domestic crisis caused by the Margary Affair, when British authorities put pressure on the Qing government for the murder of a junior British diplomat,
Augustus Margary Augustus Raymond Margary (26 May 1846 – 21 February 1875) was a British diplomat and explorer. The murder of Margary and his entire staff, while surveying overland Asian trade routes, sparked the Margary Affair which led to the Chefoo Conve ...
, during a trip to explore trade routes between British India and China's provinces, Xue Fucheng acted as advisor for Li Hongzhang in his negotiations with Britain. The crisis was resolved in 1876 with the signing of the
Chefoo Convention The Chefoo Convention, known in Chinese as the Yantai Treaty, was a treaty between Qing China and Great Britain, signed by Sir Thomas Wade and Li Hongzhang in Zhifu (now a district of Yantai) on 21 August 1876. The official reason for the treaty ...
. In 1879, Manchu
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 ...
, head of the
Zongli Yamen The ''Zongli Yamen'' (), short for Office for the General Management of Affairs Concerning the Various Countries (), also known as Prime Minister's Office, Office of General Management, was the government body in charge of foreign policy in imp ...
, China's equivalent of the Foreign Office, agreed to give over control and defense of China's coast to Robert Hart, then Inspector-General of China's Imperial Maritime Custom Service (IMCS). Xue advised Li Hongzhang on the serious consequences that could ensue if defense of China's coast rested in foreign hands. Following Xue's advice, Li Hongzhang asked Hart to resign his current post as Inspector-General in order to take up the new post, and as anticipated by Xue, Hart chose to retain his more lucrative assignment in the Custom Service. In 1881, Xue put forward his proposal for a modernized Chinese navy, and Li Hongzhang adopted many of his ideas in the implementation of the
Beiyang Navy The Beiyang Fleet (Pei-yang Fleet; , alternatively Northern Seas Fleet) was one of the four modernized Chinese navies in the late Qing dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hongzhang, one of the most trust ...
. In July 1882, in what was known as the
Imo Incident The Imo Incident, also sometimes known as the Imo Mutiny, Soldier's riot or Jingo-gunran in Japanese, was a violent uprising and riot in Seoul beginning on July 23, 1882, by soldiers of the Joseon Army who were later joined by disaffected member ...
in
Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
Korea, then still a traditional Chinese protectorate, units of the Korean military revolted in Seoul. In part, the flare-up of violence may have been caused by provocative policies and conduct by Japanese military advisors training the new Special Skills Force. Xue advised Li to take quick action to put down the rebellion. The Chinese dispatched Beiyang Naval Units under the command of Ding Ruchang to Joeson to assess the evolving situation. Chinese troops effectively quelled the rebellion. The pro-Japanese Regent
Daewongun Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 興宣大院君, 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898; ), also known as the Daewongun (대원군, 大院君), Guktaegong (국태공, 國太公, "The Great Archduke") or formally Internal King Heungseon Heon ...
, accused of fomenting the disturbance and its violence, was arrested by Chinese troops and taken to China where he spent three years in custody and only returned to Korea in 1885. The incident was regarded by the Chinese as a Japanese plot to assert control over Korea. Xue received a promotion because of his advice to take quick action in putting down the rebellion. In early summer of 1884, Xue was appointed governor of
Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
and
Shaoxing Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. It was formerly known as Kuaiji and Shanyin and abbreviated in Chinese as (''Yuè'') from the area's former inhabitants. ...
in Zhejiang Province, a strategic coastal area that came under attack by French warships during the Sino French War (1884–1885). His predecessor in the post had died suddenly under mysterious circumstances. Xue had to resolve internal dissensions in strategy between local civil and military authority. Xue ordered the Battle of Zhenhai to be mined, moved cannons to better-camouflaged locations, and ensured that the French could not recruit locals who knew how to navigate the coastal terrain. With his intimate knowledge of treaty terms, he reminded the British on their required neutrality. Consequently, in February 1885, under diplomatic pressure from China, Britain invoked provisions of the
Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 The Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict c 90) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that seeks to regulate mercenary activities of British citizens. It received royal assent on 9 August 1870. Background There was no common la ...
and closed Hong Kong and other Far Eastern ports to French warships. In the ensuing conflict, several French warships were sunk in Zhenhai Bay and
Admiral Courbet Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
of the French fleet was wounded and died of his injuries soon afterwards. During his tenure in
Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
, Xue Fucheng donated his annual salary for the restoration of
Tianyi Ge The Tianyi Ge (), translated as Tianyi Pavilion or Tianyi Chamber, is a library and garden located in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China. Founded in 1561 by Fan Qin during the Ming dynasty, it is the oldest existing private library in China. At i ...
, the oldest existing library in China originally built in the Ming dynasty but which had fallen into disrepair. He undertook the supervisory work of cataloging the antique books in the library. In fall of 1888, Xue was promoted to Ancha Shi (a position equivalent to an Attorney General) in
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 ...
Province. However, during a visit to the capital in the spring of 1889, he was reassigned as Imperial Envoy to the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Belgium. During his tenure in Europe (1890–1894), Xue visited many European countries in order to understand the impact of industrial development and how different European political systems impacted military power, education, law and finance. He came to the conclusion that Europe was significantly in advance of China and China can only modernize by adopting Western technology and systems. The account of his thoughts and experiences in Europe is in his "Diplomatic Journal of Four Countries". While in Europe, he wrote a letter home to his son and stipulated: "all my descendants, whether male or female, should begin their education no later than the age of seven and study Western technology and the English language". Equal education for women was an uncommon stance in China at that time. While in Europe, Xue engaged in substantive trade negotiations with Britain on the question of the China-Burmese border as well as the establishment of consulates in Southeast Asia to protect the rights of Chinese citizens. In 1894, Xue completed his diplomatic term and returned to China, arriving in
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
on May 28 after a long and exhausting trip. A virulent local epidemic struck him down and he died in Shanghai, aged 56.


Xue Garden in Wuxi

A family mansion built in the late 19th century is now a national historical site open to the public. The mansion has a traditional Chinese courtyard and
garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...
, a library building, an open-air opera stage and a billiards room. The mansion was called "half Wuxi city" because of its size reaches 21,000 square metres. It was constructed between 1890 and 1894. As of today, the remains of the mansion cover 6,000 square metres and has 160 rooms. This mansion was designed by Xue himself before he was sent to Europe, and was built by his eldest son Xue Nanming. The Qing government sent him a plaque with the words "Residence of the Imperial Envoy" () to recognise him for his diplomatic achievements. The plaque was hung at the entrance of his mansion. When Xue built this mansion, his official rank was Positive Third Grade (). According to Qing government rules, a Third Grade official's residence cannot exceed five room doors in width, but Xue's mansion was too wide and violated the rules. Xue then thought of separating the nine rooms wide house by three columns of walls so the building looked like nine houses placed together. This design is unique in China. The Xue mansion also incorporates a lot of western-style features such as western-style sliding doors, coloured glass, and a snooker house imported from Europe. There is a turntable floor building inside which is as wide as 11 rooms in width. The building is called "1st turntable floor in China" for its size. Xue was the second Qing envoy to Europe. His predecessor also served a few years overseas.


Gallery

File:Xuefucheng Old Mansion front.jpg, Xuefucheng Old Mansion front gate File:Xuefucheng Old Mansion Xishao hall.jpg, Xuefucheng Old Mansion Xishao hall File:Xuefucheng Old Mansion Xishao hall 1.jpg, Xuefucheng Old Mansion Xishao hall File:Xuefucheng Old Mansion Xishao hall 3.jpg, Xuefucheng Old Mansion Xishao hall File:Xuefucheng Old Mansion Xuefucheng's clothes as diplomat.jpg, Xuefucheng Old Mansion Xuefucheng's clothes as diplomat File:Xuefucheng Old Mansion Yishi Hall (Procedure Hall).jpg, Xuefucheng Old Mansion Yishi Hall (Procedure Hall) File:Xuefucheng Old Mansion Model of Xuefucheng's ship to Europe.jpg, Xuefucheng Old Mansion Model of Xuefucheng's brigantine to Europe File:Xuefucheng Old Mansion Zhuanpan storied building.jpg, Xuefucheng Old Mansion turntable floor building () File:Xuefucheng Old Mansion Snooker table bought from Europe.jpg, Xuefucheng Old Mansion Snooker table bought from Europe File:Garden of Xuefucheng Old Mansion.jpg, Garden of Xuefucheng Old Mansion


Further reading

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References

{{Authority control Politicians from Wuxi Qing dynasty diplomats Qing dynasty politicians from Jiangsu Ambassadors of China to Belgium Ambassadors of China to France Ambassadors of China to Italy Ambassadors of China to the United Kingdom 1838 births 1894 deaths Chinese travel writers Qing dynasty essayists Writers from Wuxi Chinese diarists 19th-century diarists