Shen-Kuefen

Shen-Kuefen

Shen Guifen (1818-january 29, 1881) was born in Wanping, Shuntian County, Jiangsu Province (now Suzhou). He was a political figure in the late Qing Dynasty and one of the main leaders of the Westernization Movement in the late Qing Dynasty.

Shen Guifen was a Jinshi of Ding Weike in the 27th year of Daoguang reign of Xuanzong in the Qing Dynasty (1847). He selected a good scholar and gave him editing. Xianfeng seven years (1857), served as cabinet bachelor and Minister of rites. In the second year of tongzhi (1863), he was the governor of Shanxi Province, and opium poppy cultivation was strictly prohibited during his term of office. In the sixth year of tongzhi (1867), he served as Minister of military aircraft and Minister of state affairs Yamen. He was the first Han pivot minister in the Qing Dynasty who held the real power of the central government. Tongzhi nine years (1870), moved to the Ministry of war. Tongzhi 11 years (1872), plus Prince Shaobao. He died in 1881 at the age of 62. He was given the title of "wending" as a gift to the crown prince Taifu and was worshipped in Xianliang temple. He is the author of Yueyao essays.

(< I > photo in the overview: Shen Guifen in the premier's national affairs yamen < / I > < I >, < / I > < I > Photo by John Thomson < / I > < I >)

Life of the characters

Early experience

Shen Guifen was born in Wanping, Shuntian, Jiangsu Province. He was born in the Shen family of Tongli.

Shen Guifen was the eighth Jinshi of dingweike in the 27th year of Daoguang (1847). In the same year, Zhang Zhiwan was the number one scholar. In the same year, Li Hongzhang, Shen Baozhen, Guo Songtao, Ma Xinyi and so on were also included. After that, he was selected as an official of the Imperial Academy.

In the second year of Xianfeng (1852), Han Zhan and Shen Guifen were promoted to common sons. He is a Bachelor of cabinet. He was appointed to manage the provincial examinations in Zhejiang and Guangdong, supervise the administration of Shaanxi and Gansu, and served as the vice president of the examination.

In the eighth year of Xianfeng (1858), Shen Guifen's father was worried and left to mourn. At the end of the period, he was granted the original official title, and then the left servant of the ritual Department of the Jin official.

Governor Shanxi

In 1862, Shen Guifen was appointed governor of Shanxi. In 1863, Shen Guifen was appointed governor. During his term of office, he continued to play a series of memorials about moving banners and training soldiers, which were praised by the imperial court.

Shen Guifen believed that the famine in Shanxi was due to the large-scale cultivation of poppy, the raw material of opium, which led to the soaring food prices. So the treaty was published to prohibit poppy cultivation, and the relevant suggestions were sent to the Chen court, which was praised by the emperor Mu Zong of the Qing Dynasty. Mu Zong issued Shen Guifen's ban on poppy cultivation to all provinces as a decree. Soon after, Shen Guifen left for mourning because of her mother's death.

Enter the center

In the sixth year of tongzhi (1866), Shen Guifen was reappointed as the right servant of the Ministry of rites, served as the preacher of Jingyan, and was granted the title of minister of military aircraft.

After that, he moved from the right Minister of the Ministry of rites to the Minister of the Ministry of household and the Ministry of official affairs, and was promoted to the censor of zuodou in the duchayuan, and concurrently served as the Minister of the national affairs yamen of the prime minister. He was once again transferred to the Ministry of war as Minister of the Ministry of war.

In the first year of Guangxu (1875), he was awarded the assistant bachelor degree by the Minister of the Ministry of war. In the drought near Beijing, he Jinshou, the editor of Hanlin, quoted the custom of exempting Sangong from disaster in Han Dynasty. Please reprimand Shen Guifen and other officials. As a result, Shen Guifen was dismissed by the imperial court, and the Imperial Court changed it into dismissal and retention. Soon after the restoration of the original official, as the head of the Academy of Hanlin bachelor, into the crown prince Taibao.

Since the death of Prince Gong and military aircraft Minister Wen Xiang in 1876, Shen Guifen assumed the main affairs of the premier's national affairs Yamen and had a great say in the Qing government's decision-making.

At the beginning of the fifth year of Guangxu (1879), Japan sent troops to occupy Ryukyu, a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, and set up Okinawa. At that time, most of the public opinions were focused on fighting. Shen Guifen thought that "working hard on the sea, weakening the national prestige" and opposed the use of troops.

The military leader of Central Asia Haohan khanate, akuba, took advantage of the chaotic situation in Xinjiang and established "Hongfu Khanate" in 1867 to invade Xinjiang. The tsarist Russia also seized the opportunity to invade Ili in 1871 and infiltrate into the surrounding areas. After defeating akuba, Shen Guifen suggested sending Mukden general Wan Yan Chonghou as Minister of Russia to negotiate with Russia to recover Ili. Wanyan Chonghou, under the pressure of Russia, agreed to sign the "Treaty of rivajia" (i.e. conditions for settlement of ILI) without authorization, which caused a public outcry. Shen Guifen "reluctantly mediated" in this case, arrested Wan Yan Chonghou and put him in prison, and sent Zeng Jize, a British and French envoy, to Russia to revise the treaty. Meanwhile, Zuo Zongtang, the imperial minister in charge of Xinjiang military affairs, went to Ili in three ways to support him. After Zeng Jize's efforts, China and Russia finally re signed the "Sino Russian Yili treaty" and "land trade regulations" in 1881, and recovered part of their rights and interests. Despite the "unsatisfactory" results, the public opinion is still "heated" and criticizes Shen Guifen's weakness.

He died of serious illness

Shen Guifen lay sick for a long time and died on the new year's eve of the seventh year of Guangxu (January 29, 1881) at the age of 64. He was awarded the title of "wending" as the crown prince and Taifu, and was given a memorial to Xianliang Temple according to the regulations of the University; his son Shen Wentao was awarded the title of "Ju Ren, allowing him to have a joint examination" and his grandson Shen Xili was awarded the title of "doctor".

Main impact

Shen Guifen was the first Han official who held the real power of the central government in the Qing Dynasty. In the biography of Li Hongzhang, Liang Qichao "tried to be a powerful military minister since the resurgence of Tongzhi". He believed that the early years of Tongzhi belonged to the era of Wen Xiang and Shen Guifen.

In the westernization movement represented by Prince Gong, Shen Guifen was an important figure in the center. Xu Jiyu's Yinghuan Zhi Lue was published with his support. Shen Guifen was a serious man. People called him and his followers "Nanpai" (Shen Guifen was born in Wujiang). According to the draft of the history of Qing Dynasty, Shen Guifen is known as "being familiar with foreign affairs". Generally speaking, his diplomatic policy is to stand for forbearance, keep a low profile, and strive to maintain peace. However, the Qing school criticized Shen Guifen for his weak foreign policy and improper mistakes of some useful people, which resulted in the failure of the imperial envoy Wan Yan Chonghou in the negotiation of taking back Yili.

Historical evaluation

Li Hongzhang once told people in private that Shen (Guifen) and Wang (Wenshao) were in charge of the government.

After Shen Guifen's death, Wang Wenshao drafted an imperial edict, saying that he was "prudent, loyal and diligent in the Qing Dynasty, mature and honest. He was promoted from Hanlin to minister Er, and served as a foreign minister. During the reign of Tongzhi, Wang Wenshao joined the civil aviation department and promoted Ren Zhengqing. I am the empress of the imperial court. I have been more reliant on my duties. I have been working hard to deal with all matters. In private, Wang Wenshao wrote an elegy in memory of Shen Guifen: his younger brother, Mo Ruoshi, had been with him for several years, and he was in collusion with each other to help each other; he forgot his body to serve his country, and had been exhausted in ten years, but he could not afford it, and he was sad at home and abroad.

Weng Tonghe praised Shen Guifen, saying: the word "Qing", "Shen" and "Qin" can make the public feel no shame.

After Shen Guifen's death, Zhang Peilun once said: I hope we can work together to break Shen Xiang's ten-year habit of looking forward to and favoritism, so as to strengthen China.

Wu Qingdi's record of jiaolangdi: Shen wending was the longest in Shuting and also in charge of the translation department, which was in the difficult autumn of diplomacy. Japan's invasion of Ryukyu, Russia's return of Ili, Taiwan's ministers and officials, and the prime minister's failure. Wending inherited Wenzhong and baowenjing, and was determined to be serious. The eastern Dynasty was afraid of trouble, and the emperor was rushing to the age. He had no choice but to blame Wen Ding. Its holding bow and Qing Jie were not found in the same Dynasty. Foreign officials gave many gifts, but they didn't accept them. I live in Dongchang hutongdi, and I can't spin horses outside. He never took a sedan chair when he entered the dynasty, which was quite different from the later custom.

Chen Yan's Shi Yi Shi Hua: during the Tongzhi period of the former Qing Dynasty, Gong Zhong was close to Wang changjunji, and Shen wending (Zhaolin) was appointed as an important minister from governor Shanyou.

Zhenjun's "near by chance": at the beginning of Tongzhi period, the Han army was dominated by the Duke only. When the young people were more than happy, they were all restrained, so they were not particularly pleased by the new entrants. And thinking about it after the event is of great benefit. And the Qing Dynasty held the bow carefully, and there was no bud.

Xu Ke's notes of Echinochloa: Shen wending and Gong Guifen are in charge of the country. He is reserved, cautious and deep-rooted. He binds the literati, and he has no spirit of hard work. However, the spirit of the talented people is depressed.

Luo Dun Jue's essays on bin Tui: at the beginning of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Li Wenzheng, Hong Zao, Shen wending and GUI Fen were together in the Privy Council. Wending was known as Shangzhi by his familiar anecdotes, and had a great deal of power.

Anonymous < / I > "huiyinshizazhui": Yu Zeng wrote a book to regulate it, saying that wending was famous for his thrifty life.

In his biography of Li Hongzhang, Liang Qichao thought: "before the Han Dynasty, there was no real ruler. Wen Wenzhong drew Shen wending, which was the target for the Han people to take power."

Zhao Erxun's draft of the history of the Qing Dynasty, which was edited by Zhao Erxun, commented that in the early years of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, when he met again to train the government, he made great efforts to govern the country, and killed many sages. After Wen Xiang's death, Shen Guifen and others inherited his legacy and established their own knowledge with loyalty and sincerity. They were able to hold on to justice in case of trouble. Although they were not mature, they were still typical (LI) Hongzao has been a privy officer for a long time, and he has met Dulong. GUI Fen and Weng were suspicious of each other. (sun) Yu Wen was industrious and hardworking. He was able to bridge the gap in general and did nothing. However, the differences and similarities in political opinions and the disputes between different families have led to the court situation for decades. The duty of a sage cannot be avoided.

Jiang Ming, a contemporary scholar: in fact, before 1880, Wen Xiang and Shen Guifen were in charge of the military aircraft department, and Prince Gong was just the gatekeeper. In daily operation, Shen Guifen's Department has a great voice.

Anecdotes and allusions

Hold the bow carefully

Shen Guifen is a clean, cautious and respectful man. Although he lives in the government, he is frugal at home and "humble". His residence in Dongchang Hutong, Beijing, was borrowed from his colleague Ruilin, and it was quite narrow. It was not even possible for cars and horses to turn around outside. He used to hire a donkey cart

Chinese PinYin : Shen Gui Fen