View source for Zeng Guofan

{{Short description|Chinese politician and military commander (1811–1872)}}
{{pp-sock|small=yes}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Zeng (surname)|Zeng]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Notable titles|First Class Marquis of Yiyong]]
| image = Zeng Guofan Photograph.jpg
| caption = Zeng in 1871
| office           = [[Grand Secretariat|Grand Secretary]] of the Wuying Hall
| term_start       = 1868
| term_end         = 1872
| office1          = Assistant Grand Secretary
| term_start1      = 1862
| term_end1        = 1868
| office2 = [[Viceroy of Liangjiang]]
| term_start2 = 1870
| term_end2 = 1872
| predecessor2 = [[Ma Xinyi]]
| successor2 = He Jing
| term_start3 = 1860
| term_end3 = 1864
| predecessor3 = [[He Guiqing]]
| successor3 = [[Ma Xinyi]]
| office4 = [[Viceroy of Zhili]]  
| term_start4 = 1868
| term_end4 = 1870
| predecessor4 = [[Guanwen]]
| successor4 = [[Li Hongzhang]]
| education = ''[[Jinshi]]'' degree in the [[imperial examination]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1811|11|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Xiangxiang]], Hunan, Qing dynasty
| death_date = {{death date and age|1872|3|12|1811|11|21|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Nanjing]], Qing dynasty
| occupation = Statesman, general
| allegiance = [[Qing dynasty]]
| branch = [[Xiang Army]]
| serviceyears = 1853–1872
| battles = 
* [[Taiping Rebellion]]
* [[Nian Rebellion]]
* [[Tianjin Massacre]]
| relatives = [[Zeng Guoquan]] (brother)
| children = [[Zeng Jize]]
| module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes|showflag=p
 | t = 曾國藩
 | s = 曾国藩
 | p = Zēng Guófān{{efn|Or Zēng Guófán<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&searchid=Z00000139071|script-title=zh:教育部重編國語辭典修訂本|language=zh|access-date=20 July 2019|script-quote=zh:字詞 【曾國藩】 注音 ㄗㄥ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄈㄢˊ 漢語拼音 zēng guó fán}}</ref>}}
 | w = {{tonesup|Tseng1 Kuo2-fan1}}
 | mi = {{IPAc-cmn|z|eng|1|-|g|uo|2|.|f|an|1}}
 | j = Zang1 Gwok3-faan4
 | y = Jāng Gwok-fàahn
 | tl = Tsan Kok-phuan
 | altname = Birth name
 | c2 = 曾子城
 | p2 = Zēng Zǐchéng
}}
}}
'''Zeng Guofan, Marquis Yiyong''' ({{zh|s=曾国藩|t=曾國藩|first=t|p=Zēng Guófān|w={{tonesup|Tseng1 Kuo2-fan1}}}};<ref name="earlychiang">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/earlychiangkaish0000lohp/|title=The Early Chiang Kai-shek: A Study of his Personality and Politics, 1887-1924|author=Pichon Pei Yung Loh|date=1971|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=0-231-03596-9|url-access=registration|via=Internet Archive|page=[https://archive.org/details/earlychiangkaish0000lohp/page/39 37]}}</ref> 26 November 1811 &ndash; 12 March 1872), birth name '''Zeng Zicheng''', [[courtesy name]] '''Bohan''' ({{lang|zh|伯涵}}), was a Chinese statesman and military general of the late [[Qing dynasty]]. He is best known for raising and organizing the [[Xiang Army]] to aid the Qing military in suppressing the [[Taiping Rebellion]] and restoring the stability of the Qing Empire. Along with other prominent figures such as [[Zuo Zongtang]] and [[Li Hongzhang]] of his time, Zeng set the scene for the [[Tongzhi Restoration]], an attempt to arrest the decline of the Qing dynasty.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Asian American encyclopedia, Volume 5|author=Franklin Ng|year=1995|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|page=1457|isbn=1-85435-684-4}}</ref> Zeng was known for his strategic perception, administrative skill and noble personality on Confucian practice, but also for his ruthlessness in repressing rebellions.

==Early life==
[[File:Tseng Kuo-fan's Former Residence 020.JPG|thumb|Zeng's [[Zeng Guofan's Former Residence|former residence]] in [[Hunan]]]]
Born Zeng Zicheng in [[Xiangxiang]], [[Hunan|Hunan Province]] in 1811, Zeng was the grandson of [[Zeng Yuping]], a farmer with social and political ambitions. He was also a descendant of the philosopher [[Zengzi]], a student of [[Confucius]]. He studied in [[Yuelu Academy]] in [[Changsha|Changsha Prefecture]], where he passed the [[prefectural examination]] in 1833, only a year after his father, Zeng Linshu. He passed the [[provincial examination]] (''juren'') a year later, and by 1838, at age 27, he had passed the [[imperial examination]], a prestigious achievement in China. He had earned the ''[[Jinshi (imperial examination)|jinshi]]'' degree, the highest level in the civil service examinations, which led to his appointment to the [[Hanlin Academy]], a body of outstanding Chinese literary scholars who performed literary tasks for the imperial court.<ref>{{cite book|title=China voyager: Gist Gee's life in Science|author=William Joseph Haas|year=1996|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|page=59|isbn=1-56324-675-9}}</ref> It was at the Hanlin Academy where Zeng changed his [[Chinese given name|given name]] to "Guofan", which sounded more prestigious. Zeng served in [[Beijing]] for more than 13 years, and remained devoted to the interpretation of the [[Confucian classics]]. He moved relatively quickly up the ranks with the aid of his teacher, [[Mujangga]]; within five years, he had become a second-grade official.

==Entry into imperial politics==
In 1843, Zeng was appointed as the chief literary examiner in [[Sichuan|Sichuan Province]]. Six years later, he was made Senior Deputy Secretary of the [[Three Departments and Six Ministries|Board of Rites]]. When holding the office of Military Examiner (1851), he was compelled by the death of his mother to return to Hunan Province to carry out [[filial mourning]], which is supposed to last three years. Around the time, the [[Taiping Rebellion|Taiping rebels]] had overrun Hunan Province and captured the cities and strongholds on both shores of the [[Yangtze River]]. By a special decree, Zeng was ordered to assist the [[Xunfu|provincial governor]] in raising a volunteer force, and, on his own initiative, he built a fleet of war junks and multiple arsenals, with which he attacked the rebels.<ref>{{cite book|title=China: a new history|url=https://archive.org/details/chinanewhistorys00fair|url-access=limited|author=John King Fairbank, Merle Goldman|year=2006|publisher=Harvard University Press|edition=2nd|page=[https://archive.org/details/chinanewhistorys00fair/page/n232 212]|isbn=0-674-01828-1}}</ref> This force eventually became known as the [[Xiang Army]] (a.k.a. Hunan Army or Chu Army). In training and commanding the Xiang Army, Zeng emphasized "family ties, individual responsibility, flexible yet responsible discipline, enhanced military pay, respect for intellectuals serving in the army, and a strong bond between officers and soldiers."<ref>Maochun Yu, The Taiping Rebellion: A Military Assessment of Revolution and Counterrevolution, in A Military History of China 149 (David A. Graff & Robin Higham eds., 2002)</ref> In his first engagement with the rebels, Zeng was defeated, but his lieutenants were more successful.<ref>{{cite book|title=Cast Chinese Coins|url=https://archive.org/details/castchinesecoins00hart|url-access=limited|author=David Hartill|year=2005|publisher=Trafford Publishing|page=[https://archive.org/details/castchinesecoins00hart/page/n446 425]|isbn=1-4120-5466-4}}</ref> They recovered the provincial capital, [[Changsha]], and destroyed the rebel fleet. Following up these victories of his subordinates, Zeng recaptured [[Wuchang, Hubei|Wuchang]] and [[Hanyang District|Hanyang]], near [[Hankou District|Hankou]], and was rewarded for his success by being appointed vice-president of the [[Three Departments and Six Ministries|Board of War]]. The Xiang Army under Zeng contained some integrated [[Hangzhou]] drill groups.<ref>{{cite book|title=Orphan warriors: three Manchu generations and the end of the Qing world|author=Pamela Kyle Crossley|year=1991|publisher=Princeton University Press|edition=reprint, illustrated|page=125|isbn=0-691-00877-9}}</ref>

==Fame and military campaigns==
[[File:Tomb of Zeng Guofan 2022011304.jpg|thumb|right|[[Tomb of Zeng Guofan|Zeng's tomb]] in [[Yuelu District]] of [[Changsha]], Hunan.]]

In 1853, other triumphs led to Zeng being made a ''[[baturu]]'', and to his being decorated with a [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Other honours and privileges|yellow riding-jacket]]. Meanwhile, in his absence, the rebels retook [[Wuchang District|Wuchang]] and burnt the protecting fleet. The tide quickly turned, however, on May 1, 1854, Zeng defeated the Taiping at [[Xiangtan]] and in July at [[Yue Prefecture (Hunan)|Yuezhou]].<ref>Dillon, Michael. ''China: A Modern History''</ref> Zeng succeeded in clearing the country round [[Poyang Lake]], and subsequently in ridding [[Jiangsu Province]] of the rebels. In January–February 1855 the Xiang Army sufferers a disastrous defeat at [[Jiujiang]], [[Jiangxi]], leading to Zeng attempting suicide. His father died in 1857, and after a brief mourning he was ordered to take supreme command in [[Zhejiang|Zhejiang Province]], and to cooperate with the governor of [[Fujian|Fujian Province]] in defence.

Subsequently, the rebels were driven westwards, and Zeng would have started in pursuit had he not been called on to clear [[Anhui|Anhui Province]] of rebel forces. In June 1860, he was appointed [[Viceroy of Liangjiang]] (covering [[Jiangxi]], [[Anhui]] and [[Jiangsu]] provinces) and [[Imperial Commissioner (China)|Imperial Commissioner]], overseeing military affairs. At this time, and for some time previously, he had been fortunate in having the active support of [[Zuo Zongtang]], who at a later period recovered [[Kashgar]] for the Qing Empire, and of [[Li Hongzhang]]. Like all true leaders of men, Zeng knew how to reward good service,{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} and when occasion offered he appointed the former to the governorship of Zhejiang and the latter to that of Jiangsu. In 1862, he was appointed [[Assistant Grand Secretary of State]]. At this time, the Qing imperial forces, assisted by the [[Ever Victorious Army]], had checked the progress of the Taiping Rebellion, and Zeng was able to carry out a scheme which he had long formulated of [[Third Battle of Nanking|besieging]] [[Nanjing|Tianjing]], the rebel capital. While [[Charles George Gordon]] of the Ever Victorious Army was clearing the cities on the lower waters of the Yangtze River with support from Li Hongzhang, Zeng drew closer his besieging lines around the city.

In July 1864, Tianjing fell into Zeng's hands, and he was rewarded with the [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Non-imperial nobility|noble peerage]] "First Class Marquis Yiyong" ({{lang|zh|一等毅勇侯}}) and the right to wear the [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Other honours and privileges|double-eyed peacock's feather]]. He, [[Zuo Zongtang]] and [[Li Hongzhang]] were collectively called "Zeng, Zuo, Li" – the military leaders who suppressed the Taiping Rebellion. After the suppression of the rebellion, the [[Nian Rebellion]], closely related{{dubious|date=July 2018}} to the former Taiping movement, broke out in [[Shandong|Shandong Province]], and Zeng was sent to quell it.

Success did not, however, always attend him on this campaign, and by imperial order he was relieved of his command by Li Hongzhang, who in the same way succeeded him as the [[Viceroy of Zhili]], where, after the [[Tianjin Massacre]] (1870), Zeng failed to carry out the wishes of the imperial court. Instead of the desired policy towards foreigners, Zeng took on a more diplomatic stance. After this rebuff, he retired to his viceroyalty at Nanjing, where he died in 1872 mysteriously in [[Hong Xiuquan]]'s former mansion.

==Personal life==
Zeng was a voluminous writer. His papers addressed to the throne and his literary disquisitions are held in high esteem by Chinese scholars, who treasure the edition of his collected works in 156 books, which was edited by [[Li Hongzhang]] in 1876, as a memorial of a great and incorruptible statesman. Zeng enjoyed reading and held a special interest in the ''[[Twenty-Four Histories]]'' and other [[Chinese classics]].

Zeng called [[Hakka people|Hakka]] females "big foot hillbilly witches" during the [[Taiping Rebellion]] after encountering them for the first time.<ref>{{cite book|title=New China's long march from servility to freedom|author=Wei-Bin Zhang|year=2007|publisher=Nova Science Publishers|page=44|isbn=978-1-60021-791-3}}</ref>

Unlike his contemporaries, who had multiple wives or kept [[concubine]]s, Zeng was officially married only once, to a woman of the [[Ouyang]] family when he was in his late teens. He had three sons and five daughters with her, and two of his eldest children died young. His eldest son, [[Zeng Jize]], who inherited his [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Non-imperial nobility|noble peerage]] "First Class Marquis Yiyong", went on to become a famous diplomat in the late Qing dynasty.

Zeng's ninth brother, [[Zeng Guoquan]], was an ambitious general in the [[Xiang Army]]. He was later appointed [[Viceroy of Liangjiang]] in 1884. Zeng's great-granddaughter, [[Zeng Baosun]], was a feminist, historian, and Christian educator.

Zeng is said to be a descendant of [[Zengzi]], who in turn was said to be a descendant of King [[Shao Kang]] of the [[Xia dynasty]].

== Family letters ==
''Zeng Guofan's Family Letters'' (Chinese: 曾國藩家書; pinyin: Zēng Guófān Jiā Shū), also known as the Family Letters of Zeng Guofan, is a collection of personal correspondence written by Zeng to his family members, including his parents, sons, brothers, and other relatives.<ref name=":0" />  

Comprising nearly 1,500 letters spanning from 1840 during the [[Daoguang Emperor|Daoguang era]] to 1867 in the [[Tongzhi Emperor|Tongzhi era]], with notable examples such as twelve letters to his eldest son [[Zeng Jize]] between 1852 and 1865, the letters were primarily composed during Zeng's lifetime amid his military campaigns against the [[Taiping Rebellion]] and his official duties.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/109909 |title=Chinese Autobiographical Writing: An Anthology of Personal Accounts. |publisher=University of Washington Press |year=2023 |editor-last=Yao |editor-first=Ping |pages=9,13,228 |editor-last2=Zhang |editor-first2=Cong Ellen |editor-last3=Ebrey |editor-first3=Patricia Buckley}}</ref> The content focused on practical advice rooted in [[Confucianism|Confucian]] principles, covering topics such as self-cultivation, education, family governance, moral conduct, study habits, interpersonal relations, governance, business, and friendship, often portraying Zeng as a devoted and instructive parent emphasizing diligence, humility, and ethical self-improvement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home Letters from Zeng Guofan 曾国藩家书 |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29875475-home-letters-from-zeng-guofan |access-date=2025-09-17 |website=Goodreads |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yongli |first=Liu |last2=Yiping |first2=Liu |date=2021-03-01 |title=Self-Cultivation as the Basis of Person Making: A Confucian Perspective Illustrated by a Case Study of Zeng Guofan |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/0971333621990448 |journal=Psychology and Developing Societies |language=EN |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=27–53 |doi=10.1177/0971333621990448 |issn=0971-3336}}</ref>
==Legacy==
Zeng's legacy in history is twofold. On one hand he is criticised as a staunchly conservative traitor, but on another he is seen as a hero in preserving order and stability. Many in China and abroad admire his ability to successfully survive in the ruthless bureaucracy of the late Qing dynasty. Many have blamed Zeng for all the civilian losses and damages done during the [[Taiping Rebellion]], while others criticise him for being too friendly with certain foreign ideas. Much Chinese language historiography, including numerous biographies, has questioned what made him fight for an essentially foreign dynasty. 

Since the [[Cultural Revolution]], criticism of Zeng gradually began to disappear. [[Tang Haoming]] published in 1992 his three-book trilogy ''Zeng Guofan'', a novelisation of Zeng's life during and after the Taiping Rebellion. This trilogy characterised Zeng as a common person, but had adopted a much more positive view of Zeng. [[Mao Zedong]] and [[Chiang Kai-shek]] also praised Zeng's ability in military and political affairs.

In recent years, Zeng's life and his works have been widely celebrated, especially as an example of local pride in [[Hunan|Hunan Province]]. Zeng's leadership and military skills had been used by many as a new field of thought aiding in business or bureaucratic dealings, as in the "self-help" ''99 Strategems from Zeng Guofan''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Platt|first=Stephen R.|year=2007|title=Provincial Patriots: The Hunanese and Modern China|publisher=Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=9780674026650}}</ref>

==Succession of the First Class Marquis Yiyong peerage==
{| class="wikitable" width=75%
! Order !! Name !! Title !! Lifespan !! Tenure !! Notes
|-
| 1 || '''Zeng Guofan'''<br>曾國藩 || First Class Marquis Yiyong '''Wenzheng'''<br>一等毅勇文正侯 || 1811–1872 || 1864–1872 ||
|-
| 2 || '''[[Zeng Jize]]'''<br>曾紀澤 || First Class Marquis Yiyong '''Huimin'''<br>一等毅勇惠敏侯 || 1839–1890 || 1877–1890 || Zeng Guofan's eldest son
|-
| 3 || '''[[Zeng Guangluan]]'''<br>曾廣鑾 || First Class Marquis Yiyong<br>一等毅勇侯 || 1873–1920 || 1890–1912 || Zeng Jize's third son
|}

==See also==
* [[Former Residence of Zeng Guofan]]
* [[Tomb of Zeng Guofan]]
* [[Taqibu]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite ECCP|title=Tsêng Kuo-fan}}
*Porter, Jonathan. ''Tseng Kuo-Fan's Private Bureaucracy.'' Berkeley: University of California, 1972.
*[[Mary C. Wright|Wright, Mary Clabaugh]]. ''The Last Stand of Chinese Conservatism: The T'ung-Chih Restoration, 1862 -1874.'' Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1957.

==External links==
*{{in lang|zh}} [http://www.shuku.net/dblx/html/52/1057-2-0.html Tang Haoming's Three-Book Trilogy of Zeng Guofan's life 《曾国藩》]
*{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Tsēng Kuo-fan |volume=27 |page=350 |first=Robert Kennaway |last=Douglas |short=1}}


{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box|title=[[Viceroy of Liangjiang]] (1st time)|before=[[He Guiqing]]|after=[[Ma Xinyi]]|years=1860&ndash;1864}}
{{succession box|title=[[Viceroy of Zhili]]|before=[[Guanwen]]<br>'''(acting)'''|after=[[Li Hongzhang]]|years=1868&ndash;1870}}
{{succession box|title=[[Viceroy of Liangjiang]] (2nd time)|before=[[Ma Xinyi]]|after=He Jing|years=1870&ndash;1872}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Taiping Rebellion}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeng, Guofan}}
[[Category:Zeng Guofan| ]]
[[Category:1811 births]]
[[Category:1872 deaths]]
[[Category:Chinese nobility]]
[[Category:Generals from Hunan]]
[[Category:People from Xiangtan]]
[[Category:Qing dynasty generals]]
[[Category:Grand secretaries of the Qing dynasty]]
[[Category:Assistant grand secretaries]]
[[Category:Viceroys of Liangjiang]]
[[Category:Viceroys of Zhili]]
[[Category:Xiang Army personnel]]
[[Category:Unsolved deaths in China]]
[[Category:19th-century Chinese philosophers]]