Historical short stories related to Li Hongzhang

1. In 1896, Li visited England (actually a visit to the United States) and received warm hospitality. Li caught a chicken with his hands. Everyone was stunned, but out of respect, they also followed suit. From then on, British people did not have to stick to knives and forks when eating chicken.

At the same time, Li has no appetite for Western food every day. So he asked the chef to combine the raw materials and vegetables of Western food and cook them into a pot of hodgepodge. The tangy aroma made the British officials salivate and asked what kind of dish it was. The answer is offal. Li motioned them to enjoy it, and everyone was full of praise. It is said that "Li Hongzhang offal" was later on the restaurant's menu.

This shows that every nation and country has its own cultural traditions, customs and etiquette, and there is no distinction between them. As a Chinese envoy, Li Hongzhang did not grovel in front of the rebellious people of the Empire, but instead skillfully promoted the traditional food culture of the Chinese nation. It must be said that he had a strong national concept.

2. After Li Hongzhang was in politics, he liked to collect books. Living in Lilac Garden in Shanghai, there is a library called "Wangyun Thatched Cottage". In the tenth year of Xianfeng (1860), when he was suppressing the Xiaodaohui uprising in Shanghai, he often visited the library "Yijitang" of the famous bibliophile Yu Songnian. Yu once gave him many rare books.

After his death, his book collection was inherited by Li Jingmai. During the Anti-Japanese War, many of his precious editions were sold by the owner of the "Han Wenyuan" bookstore. The rest of the collection was donated to the Aurora University Library by his grandson Li Guochao in 1940, totaling 18,000 volumes.

3. In the twenty-fifth year of Daoguang's reign (1845), he entered Beijing for examination and became a disciple of Zeng Guofan as a son of the Nian family. Pan Shien, the examiner who was born in Huizhou merchants and was a member of the Suzhou family, and Weng Xiancun (Sun Qiangming's teacher) who was Li Hongzhang's teacher, both had some inspiration for the formation of his practical worldview when young Li Hongzhang was appointed editor of the Hanlin Academy. .

The wealthy gentry in southern Jiangsu, led by Pan and Weng, also gave great support to Li Hongzhang who later formed the Huai Army and quickly rose to prominence in Jiangsu. However, what makes Li Hongzhang most fortunate is that after he failed in the first examination, on the occasion of Yi and B (i.e. 1845-1846), he submitted himself to the sect of the great Confucian Zeng Guofan of Hunan as the "Nian Jiazi" and studied classics. The study of the world laid the foundation for a lifetime of career and thought.

4. In the summer of the eleventh year of Xianfeng (1861), the leader of the Xixiang regiment learned that Zeng Guofan had been appointed as the governor of Liangjiang. When Li Hongzhang from Anhui was presiding over the secrets, he recommended Zhang Shusheng, who had been Li Wen'an's staff. He sent a message to Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan, explaining the situation in Anhui and expressing his determination to surrender.

After reading it, he greatly appreciated it and wrote in his own words, "Independence in Jiangbei is the birthplace of the true ancestor." Due to these foundations of regiment training in Luzhou and Li Hongzhang's various local connections, the formation and recruitment of the Huai Army went relatively smoothly.

5. Starting from the 1870s, Li Hongzhang further expanded the Westernization cause. In order to advertise "self-improvement" and "seeking wealth", he founded a series of civilian enterprises mainly in the form of "official-supervised commercial operations". At the same time, preparations were made for the Beiyang coastal defense, mainly outsourcing and supplemented by self-made, and the Beiyang Navy was built in the 14th year of Guangxu (1888).

In order to cultivate the talents needed for "self-improvement" and "seeking wealth", various new schools have been established and people have been sent to study in Europe and the United States. All these Westernization undertakings had a profound impact on the development of modern Chinese society.

Extended information:

While commenting on Li Hongzhang’s merits and demerits, people gradually noticed his calligraphy art. Through the large number of his ink marks that have survived, we can see his extraordinary skills in calligraphy. . But few people mention that he was a highly educated man and an accomplished calligrapher in the late Qing Dynasty.

Li Hongzhang's fans are arranged in an orderly manner on an uneven surface, and the words are harmonious. They are as beautiful as lively pearls jumping around, with measured lines, sparse but not chaotic. It is refreshing and enjoyable to read. It is a masterpiece of calligraphy, which shows the profound attainments of Li Hongzhang's calligraphy.

Baidu Encyclopedia——Li Hongzhang