View source for Zuo Zongtang

{{Short description|Chinese statesman and army officer (1812–1885)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2020}}
{{Lead too long|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Zuo Zongtang
| native_name        =  左宗棠
 | native_name_lang   = zh
| honorific_prefix = [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Notable titles|Second Class Marquis Kejing]]
| image = Zuo Zongtang 1875.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Photograph of Zuo Zongtang, late 19th century

| office = [[Grand Council (Qing dynasty)|Grand Councilor]]
| term_start = 1881
| term_end = 1881
| predecessor = 
| successor =
| term_start2 = 1884
| term_end2 = 1884
| predecessor2 = 
| successor2 =

| office3           = [[Grand Secretariat|Grand Secretary of the Eastern Library]]
| term_start3       = 1874
| term_end3         = 1885
| predecessor3      = 
| successor3        = 
| office4           = [[Grand Secretariat|Assistant Grand Secretary]]
| term_start4       = 1873
| term_end4         = 1874
| predecessor4      = 
| successor4        =

| office5 = [[Viceroy of Liangjiang]]
| term_start5 = 1881
| term_end5 = 1884
| predecessor5 = Peng Yulin
| successor5 = Yulu {{small|(acting)}}
| office6 = [[Viceroy of Shaan-Gan]]
| term_start6 = 1866
| term_end6 = 1880
| predecessor6 = {{plainlist|
*Enlin (1864)
*Mutushan (1866–1869)}}
| successor6 = [[Yang Changjun]]
| office7 = [[Viceroy of Min-Zhe]]
| term_start7 = 1863
| term_end7 = 1866
| predecessor7 = Qiling
| successor7 = Wu Tang
| office8 = [[Grand coordinator and provincial governor|Provincial Governor]] of [[Zhejiang]]
| term_start8 = 1861
| term_end8 = 1862
| predecessor8 = Wang Youling
| successor8 = [[Zeng Guoquan]]
| spouse = Zhou Yiduan (m. 1832)
| children = {{plainlist|'''Sons''':
*Zuo Xiaowei (1846–1873)
*Zuo Xiaokuan (b. 1847)
*Zuo Xiaoxun (b. 1853)
*Zuo Xiaotong (1857–1924)
'''Daughters''':
*Zuo Xiaoyu (b. 1833)
*Zuo Xiaoqi (1834–1873)
*Zuo Xiaolin (b. 1837)
*Zuo Xiaobin (b. 1837)}}
| allegiance = [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]]
| serviceyears = 1851–1885
| rank = General
| commands = Commander of the [[Xiang Army]]
| unit = [[Xiang Army]]
| battles = [[Taiping Rebellion]], [[Nian Rebellion]], [[Dungan Revolt (1862–1877)|Dungan Revolt]], [[Qing reconquest of Xinjiang]]
| awards =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1812|11|10}}
| birth_place = [[Xiangyin County]], [[Yueyang|Yueyang City]], [[Hunan|Hunan Province]], [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1885|9|5|1812|11|10}}
| death_place = [[Fuzhou|Fuzhou City]], [[Fujian|Fujian Province]], [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]]
| resting_place= [[Tomb of Zuo Zongtang]]
| occupation = Statesman, military leader
| education = ''[[Jinshi]]'' degree in the [[Imperial Examination]]

}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Zuo (surname)|Zuo]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox Chinese|c={{linktext|左|宗|棠}}|p=Zuǒ Zōngtáng|w=Tso<sup>3</sup> Tsung<sup>1</sup>-t'ang<sup>2</sup>|mi={{IPAc-cmn|z|uo|3|-|z|ong|1|.|t|ang|2}}|hsn={{IPA|hsn|tso˧˩ tsoŋ˧ tan˩˧ tɕi˧|}};<ref name="Xiang dictionary"/>}}

'''Zuo Zongtang''' (左宗棠, [[Xiang Chinese]]: {{IPA|hsn|tso˧˩ tsoŋ˧ tan˩˧|}};<ref name="Xiang dictionary">{{cite book|title=长沙方言研究|last1=鲍厚星|last2=崔振华|last3=沈若云|last4=伍云姬|publisher= 湖南教育出版社|date=1999|pages=69, 82, 89, 62}}</ref> [[Wade-Giles]] spelling: '''Tso Tsung-t'ang'''; November 10, 1812 – September 5, 1885), sometimes referred to as '''General Tso''', was a Chinese statesman and army officer of the late [[Qing dynasty]].<ref>{{cite ECCP|title=Tso Tsung-t'ang}}</ref>

Born in [[Xiangyin County]], [[Hunan|Hunan Province]], Zuo started his career in the Qing military by participating in the campaign against the [[Taiping Rebellion]] in 1851. After capturing [[Hangzhou]] from the Taiping rebels in 1864, he was enfeoffed as a [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Non-imperial nobility|first class count]]. In 1866, Zuo oversaw the construction of the [[Foochow Arsenal]] and naval academy. That same year, he was reassigned to serve as the [[Viceroy of Shaan-Gan]], where he oversaw industrialization in [[Gansu|Gansu Province]]. In 1867, he was appointed as an [[Imperial Commissioner (China)|Imperial Commissioner]] in charge of military affairs in Gansu.

During his term as [[Imperial Commissioner (China)|Imperial Commissioner]] in Gansu, he participated in the suppression of the [[Nian Rebellion]]. By the late 1870s, he had crushed the Dungan Revolt and [[Qing reconquest of Xinjiang|recaptured Xinjiang Province]] from rebel forces. In 1878, because of his achievements, Zuo was promoted from a first class count to a [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Non-imperial nobility|second class marquis]]. He was appointed to the [[Grand Council (Qing dynasty)|Grand Council]] in 1884, before being made an Imperial Commissioner again to oversee naval affairs. He died in 1885 in [[Fuzhou]], [[Fujian|Fujian Province]], and was given the [[posthumous name]] '''Wenxiang'''.

Zuo is mostly acknowledged outside China for his military exploits, however, he also contributed to Chinese [[agricultural science]] and education. In particular, he promoted [[cotton]] cultivation to northwestern China as a replacement for [[cash crop]] [[opium]] and established a large modern press in [[Shaanxi]] and Gansu provinces, which published [[Confucian classics]] and newer works on agricultural science.<ref name="Bai">{{cite book|last=白|first=玉岱|title=甘肃出版史略|publisher=读者出版集团|year=2011|edition=Illustrated|page=221|isbn=978-7-5423-2445-0}}</ref>

==Names==
Zuo Zongtang's [[Chinese surname|family name]] was '''[[Zuo (surname)|Zuo]]''' and his [[Chinese given name|given name]] was '''Zongtang'''. His [[courtesy name]] was '''Jigao''' ({{zh|c=季高|p=Jìgāo|labels=no}}) or '''Cun''' ({{zh|c=存|p=Cún|labels=no}}). His [[art name]] (or pseudonym) was '''Xiangshang Nongren''' ({{zh|first=t|t=湘上農人|s=湘上农人|p=Xiāngshàng Nóngrén|labels=no}}), which means "peasant from [[Hunan|Xiang]]". He often signed off by the name '''Jinliang''' ({{zh|t=今亮|p=Jīnliàng|labels=no}}), which means "[[Zhuge Liang|(Zhuge) Liang]] of today", since he liked to compare himself with Zhuge Liang.

The [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Non-imperial nobility|titles of nobility]] he held were '''First Class Count Kejing''' ({{zh|t=一等恪靖伯|p=Yīděng Kèjìng Bó|labels=no}}) from 1864 to 1878, and '''Second Class Marquis Kejing''' ({{zh|c=二等恪靖侯|p=Èrděng Kèjìng Hóu|labels=no}}) from 1878 to his death in 1885. Zuo's [[posthumous name]], granted by the Qing imperial court, was '''Wenxiang''' ({{zh|c=文襄|p=Wénxiāng|labels=no}}).

Zuo was nicknamed "'''Zuo Luozi'''" ({{zh|t=左騾子|p=Zuǒ Luózǐ|labels=no}}) ("Zuo the [[mule]]") for his stubbornness.

==Biography==
[[File:A front view of the Former Residence of Zuo Zongtang, Picture07.jpg|thumb|[[Former Residence of Zuo Zongtang]] in Xiangyin County, Hunan.]]

=== Early life ===
Zuo was born in 1812 in a land-holding family in [[Xiangyin County]], [[Hunan|Hunan Province]].<ref name="Leung">{{cite book|last=Leung|first=Pak-Wah|title=Political Leaders of Modern China: A Biographical Dictionary|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2002|edition=Illustrated|page=221|isbn=0-313-30216-2}}</ref> His family paid for him to attend a local private school starting from the age of five, where he mastered the [[Four Books and Five Classics|Confucian classics]]. At the age of 20, he qualified to attend the [[Guozijian|Imperial Academy]].

Zuo's career got an inauspicious start when, in his youth, he failed the [[imperial examination]] seven times (ca.&nbsp;1822–1835). He decided to abandon his plans to become an official and returned to his home by the [[Xiang River]] to farm [[silkworms]], read, and drink tea. It was during this period that he first directed his attention to the study of Western sciences, in the early days of the [[eastward spread of Western learning]].

===Taiping Rebellion===
When the [[Taiping Rebellion]] broke out in 1850, Zuo, then 38 years old, was hired as an advisor to [[Zeng Guofan]], the governor of Hunan. In 1856, he was formally offered a position in the provincial government of Hunan. In 1860, Zuo was given command of a force of 5,000 volunteers, the [[Xiang Army]] (later known as "Chu Army"), and by September of that year, he drove the Taiping rebels out of Hunan and [[Guangxi]] provinces, into coastal [[Zhejiang|Zhejiang Province]]. Zuo captured the city of [[Shaoxing]] and, from there, pushed south into [[Fujian]] and [[Guangdong]] provinces, where the revolt had first begun. In 1863, Zuo was appointed [[Xunfu|Provincial Governor]] of Zhejiang and an Undersecretary of War.

In August 1864, Zuo, together with Zeng Guofan, dethroned the [[Taiping Heavenly Kingdom]]'s teenage ruler, [[Hong Tianguifu]], and brought an end to the rebellion. He was created "First Class Count Kejing" for his part in suppressing the rebellion. He, Zeng Guofan and [[Li Hongzhang]] were called ''Zeng, Zuo, Li'', the leaders in suppressing the rebellion.

In 1865, Zuo was appointed [[Zongdu|Viceroy and Governor-General]] of Fujian and Zhejiang. As Commissioner of Naval Industries, Zuo founded China's [[Foochow Arsenal|first modern shipyard and naval academy]] in [[Fuzhou]] the following year.

=== Success and appointments ===
{{multiple image|align=right|direction=horizontal|header=Zuo Zongtang in 1875|header_align=left/right/center|header_background=|footer=As [[Viceroy of Shaan-Gan|Viceroy]] of [[Shaanxi]] and [[Gansu]] provinces, Zuo posed for a Russian photographer. On the left, wearing civilian dress with a peacock feather in his hat. On the right, wearing court dress with long court beads.|footer_align=left/right/center| footer_background=|width=|image1=Governor-General of Shan’gan, Zuo Zongtang, in Civilian Dress with a Peacock Feather in His Hat. Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China, 1875 WDL1903.png|width1=200|caption1=|image2=Zuo Zongtang 1875.jpg|width2=200|caption2=}}

Zuo's successes continued. In 1867, he became [[Viceroy of Shaan-Gan|Viceroy]] of [[Shaanxi]] and [[Gansu]] provinces and [[Imperial Commissioner (China)|Imperial Commissioner]] of the armed forces in Shaanxi. In 1884, his fellow Xiang Army officer, [[Liu Jintang]], was appointed as the first governor of [[Xinjiang|Xinjiang Province]]. The Governor of Xinjiang was the subordinate to the Viceroy of Shaanxi and Gansu.

In these capacities, Zuo succeeded in putting down another uprising, the [[Nian Rebellion]], in 1868.

After this military success, Zuo marched west with his army of 120,000, winning many victories with advanced Western weapons in the [[Dungan Revolt (1862–77)|Dungan Revolt]] in northwestern China (Shaanxi, [[Ningxia]], Gansu, [[Qinghai]] and Xinjiang provinces) in the 1870s.
[[File:Dungan Revolt Map.png|thumb|350px|The map showing Zuo's campaign against Dungan rebels and Yaqub Beg in Xinjiang]]
Several [[Hui people|Hui Muslim]] generals, such as [[Ma Zhan'ao]], [[Ma Anliang]], [[Ma Qianling]], [[Dong Fuxiang]], and [[Ma Haiyan]] from [[Hezhou]], who had defected to Zuo's army, helped him crush the "Muslim rebels".<ref>{{cite book|title=Tso Tsungt'ang, soldier and statesman of old China|author=William Leslie Bales|year=1937|publisher=Kelly and Walsh, Limited|page=436}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=China's Muslim Hui community: migration, settlement and sects|author=Michael Dillon|year=1999|publisher=Curzon Press|location=Richmond|pages=68, 136|isbn=0-7007-1026-4}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Familiar strangers: a history of Muslims in Northwest China|author=Jonathan Neaman Lipman|year=2004|publisher=University of Washington Press|location=Seattle|pages=127, 140|isbn=0-295-97644-6}}</ref> Zuo rewarded them by relocating the [[Han Chinese]] from the suburbs of Hezhou to another place and allowing their troops to stay in the Hezhou suburbs as long as they did not live in the city itself.

In 1878, Zuo successfully suppressed [[Yakub Beg of Yettishar|Yakub Beg]]'s uprising and helped to negotiate an end to Russian occupation of the border city of [[Yining City|Ili]]. He was vocal in the debate at the Qing imperial court over what to do with the Xinjiang situation, advocating for Xinjiang to become a province, in opposition to [[Li Hongzhang]], who wanted to abandon what he called "useless Xinjiang" and concentrate on defending China's coastal areas. However, Zuo won the debate, Xinjiang was made a province, and many administrative functions were staffed by his Hunan officers.

Zuo was outspoken in calling for war against the Russian Empire, hoping to settle the matter by attacking Russian forces in Xinjiang with his Xiang Army. In 1878, when tension increased in Xinjiang, Zuo massed Qing forces toward the Russian-occupied Kuldja. The ''Canadian Spectator'' stated in 1878, "News from [[Turkestan]] says the Chinese are concentrating against Kuldja, a post in Kashgar occupied by the Russians... It is reported that a Russian expedition from Yart Vernaic has been fired upon by Chinese troops and forced to return."<ref>{{cite book|title=The Canadian spectator, Volume 1|year=1878|page=462}}</ref> The Russians were afraid of the Qing forces, thousands of whom were armed with modern weapons and trained by European officers. Because the Russian forces near the Qing Empire's border were under-manned and under-equipped, they agreed to negotiate.

Zuo's troops were armed with modern German [[Dreyse needle rifle]]s and [[Krupp]] artillery as well as experimental weapons.

For his contributions to his nation and monarch, Zuo was appointed a Grand Secretary to the [[Grand Secretariat]] in 1874 and elevated to "Second Class Marquis Kejing" in 1878.

===Later life and death===
Zuo was appointed to the [[Grand Council (Qing dynasty)|Grand Council]], the cabinet of the Qing Empire, in 1880. Uneasy with bureaucratic politics, Zuo asked to be relieved of his duties and was appointed [[Viceroy of Liangjiang]] in 1881. In 1884, upon the outbreak of the [[Sino-French War]], Zuo received his fourth and last commission as commander-in-chief and [[Imperial Commissioner (China)|Imperial Commissioner]] of the military and Inspector-General overseeing coastal defences in Fujian Province.

==Legacy==
[[File:Zuo Zongtang Memorial Temple, Former Residence of Zuo Zongtang, Picture09.jpg|thumb|Zuo Zongtang Memorial Temple in [[Xiangyin County]]]]
Zuo was admired by many generals who came after him. During the [[Republic of China (1912–49)|Republican era]], the [[Kuomintang]] general [[Bai Chongxi]] wanted to reconquer [[Xinjiang]] for the [[Nationalist government]], in Zuo's style, and expelled Russian influence from the area.<ref>{{cite book|title=Region and nation: the Kwangsi clique in Chinese politics, 1925-1937|author=Diana Lary|year=1974|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=124|isbn=0-521-20204-3}}</ref> Zuo was also referred to by Kuomintang general [[Ma Zhongying]] (a descendant of a [[Salar people|Salar]] noble) as one of his models, as Ma led the [[National Revolutionary Army]]'s [[36th Division (National Revolutionary Army)|36th Division]] to reconquer Xinjiang for the Nationalist government from the pro-Soviet governor [[Jin Shuren]] during the [[Kumul Rebellion]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Wild West China: the taming of Xinjiang|author=Christian Tyler|year=2004|publisher=Rutgers University Press|location=New Brunswick, New Jersey|isbn=0-8135-3533-6|page=109}}</ref>

While Zuo is best known for his military acumen, he believed that the key to peace and stability lay in an educated, prosperous citizenry. He sometimes referred to himself by his [[art name]], "peasant from [[Hunan|Xiang]]", and was keenly interested in agriculture. He advocated the scientific reform of commercial agriculture both as a way to strengthen China's economic self-sufficiency and also as a way to manage civilian populations by improving their standard of living and controlling the kinds of crops they grew. During the 12 years he spent in northwestern China, he undertook extensive agricultural research on different crops and methods. Comparing the benefits and indications of two ancient agricultural methods, the more established long field, crop rotation method ({{lang|zh-Hant|代田法}}) and the less common intensive, small-field method ({{lang|zh-Hant|區田法}}), Zuo believed that the latter method, cultivating small fields of densely-planted monocultures, was more suitable to the dry, extreme climate of the northwest region. To promote this method, he authored two pamphlets explaining the method which were then distributed freely to local farming communities. Zuo also recognised the threat of opium to the nation's stability and economic health and advocated replacing opium poppies with cotton as the major cash crop in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. He authorised the large scale distribution of cotton seeds and published pamphlets on its cultivation and processing. In 1878, he also oversaw the establishment of a large weaving factory in present-day [[Mulan County]], Gansu Province, with the aim of creating a new textile industry in the region and providing socially-acceptable employment to women.<ref name="Bai"/>

In addition to managing the peasantry by improving their economic circumstances, Zuo also believed that increasing access to [[Chinese philosophy|traditional Chinese philosophy]] would help to pacify areas experiencing unrest and ultimately create a more contented and unified populace. To this end, Zuo set up a printing press in northwestern China which printed [[Chinese classics]], as well as agricultural pamphlets. When Zuo first arrived in the region, a decade of constant warfare had virtually stopped all publishing in the region. Zuo prioritised reestablishing the printing industry a priority and thousands of copies of the publications he authorised were distributed in Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi and Xinjiang. Printing appears to have stopped when Zuo returned to Beijing, but the endeavour is credited with inspiring later printing presses.<ref name="Bai"/>

==Family==
[[File:Tomb of Zuo Zongtang, picture3.jpg|thumb|[[Tomb of Zuo Zongtang]] in [[Yuhua District, Changsha]], Hunan.]]

Zuo's great-grandparents were Zuo Fengsheng ({{lang|zh-Hant|左逢聖}}) and Madam Jiang ({{lang|zh-Hant|蔣氏}}). His grandparents were Zuo Renjin ({{lang|zh-Hant|左人錦}}) and Madam Yang ({{lang|zh-Hant|楊氏}}). His parents were Zuo Guanlan ({{lang|zh-Hant|左觀瀾}}; 1778–1830) and Madam Yu ({{lang|zh-Hant|余氏}}; 1775–1827).

Zuo had two elder brothers: Zuo Zongyu ({{lang|zh-Hant|左宗棫}}; 1799–1823) and Zuo Zongzhi ({{lang|zh-Hant|左宗植}}; 1804–1872).

In 1832, Zuo married Zhou Yiduan ({{lang|zh-Hant|周詒端}}; 1812–1870), a woman from [[Paitou, Xiangtan|Paitou Township]], [[Xiangtan County]] in Hunan Province. Zhou's [[courtesy name]] was "Junxin" ({{lang|zh-Hant|筠心}}). They had four daughters and four sons as follows:
* Zuo Xiaoyu ({{lang|zh-Hant|左孝瑜}}; 1833–?), courtesy name Shenjuan ({{lang|zh-Hant|慎娟}}), Zuo's first daughter. She married [[Tao Zhu (Qing dynasty)|Tao Zhu]]'s son, Tao Guang ({{lang|zh-Hant|陶桄}}). She wrote ''Shi Shiwu Shicao'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|小石屋詩草}}).
* Zuo Xiaoqi ({{lang|zh-Hant|左孝琪}}; 1834–1873), courtesy name Jingzhai ({{lang|zh-Hant|靜齋}}), Zuo's second daughter. She wrote ''Yilan Shi Shicao'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|猗蘭室詩草}}).
* Zuo Xiaolin ({{lang|zh-Hant|左孝琳}}; 1837–?), courtesy name Xiangju ({{lang|zh-Hant|湘娵}}), Zuo's third daughter. She married Li Fuchang ({{lang|zh-Hant|黎福昌}}) from Xiangtan County. She wrote ''Qionghua Ge Shicao'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|瓊華閣詩草}}).
* Zuo Xiaobin ({{lang|zh-Hant|左孝璸}}; 1837–?), courtesy name Shaohua ({{lang|zh-Hant|少華}}), Zuo's fourth daughter. She married Zhou Yibiao ({{lang|zh-Hant|周翼標}}) from Xiangtan County. She wrote ''Dan Ru Zhai Yishi'' ({{lang|zh-Hant|淡如齋遺詩}}).
* Zuo Xiaowei ({{lang|zh-Hant|左孝威}}; 1846–1873), courtesy name Zizhong ({{lang|zh-Hant|子重}}), Zuo's first son.
* Zuo Xiaokuan ({{lang|zh-Hant|左孝寬}}; 1847–?), Zuo's second son.
* Zuo Xiaoxun ({{lang|zh-Hant|左孝勳}}; 1853–?), Zuo's third son.
* Zuo Xiaotong ({{lang|zh-Hant|左孝同}}; 1857–1924), courtesy name Ziyi ({{lang|zh-Hant|子異}}), Zuo's fourth son.

==General Tso's chicken==
{{Main|General Tso%27s chicken}}
The dish [[General Tso's chicken]] in [[American Chinese cuisine]] was introduced in Taiwan and then in America in the 1970s, inspired by a dish originally prepared by [[Peng Chang-kuei]], a Taiwanese chef specialising in [[Hunan cuisine]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Everington|first1=Keoni|title=Inventor of General Tso's Chicken dies in Taipei at age 98 {{!}} Taiwan News|url=http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3042881|website=Taiwan News|access-date=3 December 2016}}</ref> Peng named the dish in honour of Zuo Zongtang.<ref>Coe, Andrew. ''Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), 241-242</ref><ref>The Search for General Tso. Cheney, Ian. Documentary, 2014</ref>

One apocryphal story, for which no evidence is offered, credits the Chinese and Southeast Asian stuffed pancake ''[[Martabak manis|Apam balik]]'' to the general. He is said to have invented it as a way to use local products and save his men from more expensive ingredients.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dadoun |first1=Sarah-Eden |title=Apam Balik |url=https://www.196flavors.com/malaysia-apam-balik/ |website=196 Flavors |date=August 27, 2020 |access-date=8 June 2022}}</ref>

==Cultural references==
* The Filipino novel ''Revolution: 80 Days'' (2022) featured Zuo as a general campaigning against the Muslims in the empire's ''New Frontier''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical novel Revolution: 80 Days offers global, never-before-seen perspective on Gomburza and the 1872 Cavite Mutiny  |url=https://www.einpresswire.com/article/584439506/historical-novel-revolution-80-days-offers-global-never-before-seen-perspective-on-gomburza-and-the-1872-cavite-mutiny |website=EIN Presswire |access-date=22 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Revolution: 80 Days |url=https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Days-Arius-Lauren-Raposas/dp/9359209821 |website=Amazon |access-date=22 October 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Revolution: 80 Days |url=https://books.google.com.ph/books/about/Revolution.html?id=lXI20AEACAAJ&redir_esc=y |website=Google Books |access-date=22 October 2025}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|China|Biography}}
* [[Tomb of Zuo Zongtang]]
* [[Taiping Rebellion]]
* [[Dungan Revolt (1862–77)]]
* [[Xinjiang under Qing rule]]
* [[Qing reconquest of Xinjiang]]
* [[Self-Strengthening Movement]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last = Chen |first = Ch'i-tian |title = Tso Tsung T'ang, Pioneer Promoter of the Modern Dockyard and the Woolen Mill in China |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-tcgY8hAPv4C |year=1938 |publisher = Paragon Book Gallery }}
* {{cite ECCP |title=Tso Tsung-t'ang}}
* {{cite book |last=Hsü |first=Immanuel C. Y. |title = The Ili Crisis: A Study of Sino-Russian Diplomacy, 1871-1881 |year=1965 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford }}
* {{cite book |last = Lavelle |first =Peter B. |year = 2020 |title = The Profits of Nature: Colonial Development and the Quest for Resources in Nineteenth-Century China |publisher = Columbia University Press| location = NY |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BFaXDwAAQBAJ |isbn = 9780231194709}}

{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{wikiquote-inline|Zuo Zongtang}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Qiling (1804–1863)|Qiling]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Viceroy of Min-Zhe]]|years=1863–1866}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Wu Tang (1813–1876)|Wu Tang]]}}
{{s-bef|before=Enlin (1864)<br />Mutushan (1866–1869)}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Viceroy of Shaan-Gan]]|years=1866–1880}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Yang Changjun]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Peng Yulin]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Viceroy of Liangjiang]]|years=1881–1884}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Yulu (Qing dynasty)|Yulu]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Xinjiang topics}}
{{Taiping Rebellion}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zuo, Zongtang}}
[[Category:Zuo Zongtang| ]]
[[Category:1812 births]]
[[Category:1885 deaths]]
[[Category:Generals from Hunan]]
[[Category:Grand Councillors of the Qing dynasty]]
[[Category:Grand secretaries of the Qing dynasty]]
[[Category:Assistant grand secretaries]]
[[Category:Politicians from Yueyang]]
[[Category:Political office-holders in Fujian]]
[[Category:Political office-holders in Jiangsu]]
[[Category:Political office-holders in Shaanxi]]
[[Category:Political office-holders in Zhejiang]]
[[Category:Qing dynasty generals]]
[[Category:Chinese nobility]]
[[Category:Viceroys of Min-Zhe]]
[[Category:Viceroys of Shaan-Gan]]
[[Category:Viceroys of Liangjiang]]
[[Category:Xiang Army personnel]]
[[Category:Naval history of China]]
[[Category:Ministers of Zongli Yamen]]