Introduction: During the interview, when talking about the most powerful people in the family, many descendants of the Li family mentioned the three brothers of the sixth generation of the Li family, Li Jiachang, Li Jiajing and Li Jiashu. They are the fourth-generation grandchildren of Li Zhaoqing. They are now living overseas. They are all billionaires, and they live in seclusion and are quite mysterious. They are called the "three aircraft carriers" of the Li family.
The predecessors are in power, and the descendants are making their way in the world: Li Hongzhang’s family, one generation after another
"Global People" magazine
Li Hongzhang’s life is accompanied by The Qing Dynasty went through ups and downs for forty years, from its peak to decline and finally its demise. He was a controversial figure both during his lifetime and after his death. Kang Youwei called Li Hongzhang a "comrade of the reform"; Liang Qichao commented on him: "I respect Li Hongzhang's talent, I cherish Li Hongzhang's knowledge, and I feel sorry for Li Hongzhang's encounter..." ; *** In the "Lecture Hall Collection", it is said that "the water is shallow but the boat is big", lamenting that Li Hongzhang's big boat could not sail in the shallow waters of the late Qing Dynasty, and was in a dilemma...
After Li Hongzhang fell from the peak of power Only then did he realize that the Qing Dynasty was just a "broken house" and he was just a "paper". Although the "paperer" can make the "broken house" look shiny and beautiful, the "broken house" will never withstand the storm.
Let’s look at the Li Hongzhang family. Because of Li Hongzhang, it became famous first, then black, and then gradually came out of the trough. In different eras and historical periods, the Li family has different rules of survival.
Diagram of Li Hongzhang’s family.
A reporter from Global People Magazine recently visited Li Hongzhang’s former residence in Hefei, Anhui Province, and also visited several descendants of Li Hongzhang’s family in Shanghai and Beijing. Through their stories, the reporter learned that there are many politicians, diplomats, entrepreneurs, scientists, artists in Li Hongzhang's family... They now live in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, Canada, Nigeria and other places. They have different understandings and complex emotions about the entire family and Li Hongzhang.
In the Li Hongzhang family, the predecessors were powerful and the descendants have made their way into the world.
Li Wen'an brought the Li family into officialdom
In the middle of the bustling pedestrian street in Hefei City, Anhui Province, there is a typical residential building in the Jianghuai area in the late Qing Dynasty, with neat layout and rigorous structure. Carved beams and painted buildings. This is the former residence of Li Hongzhang, an important military and political official in the late Qing Dynasty. Walking into the mansion, from south to north are the main entrance, front hall, middle hall, and Zouma Building (Miss Building). Many people use "half a street of Li's house" to describe the grandeur of the Li family.
Li Hongzhang’s ancestor was originally named Xu, who moved from Jiangxi to Hefei, Anhui during the Ming Dynasty. A hundred years later, Li Hongzhang's eighth generation ancestor adopted his son Xu Zhensuo to his friend Li Xinzhuang, and Xu inherited the surname Li from then on. After Xu Zhen came of age, he established the Li family rules: the two surnames Li and Xu did not intermarry, but marriage with people surnamed Xu outside the clan was not prohibited. Since then, the Li family has prospered with many branches, and Li Zhensuo can be regarded as the number one meritorious official of the Li family.
Initially, the Li family made a living by farming and studying for generations, and had never been able to achieve success in the imperial examination. Their economic situation was not good, and their social status was not high. When Li Hongzhang's grandfather was in charge of the family, at the end of each year, as many people came to the Li family to ask for debts as "like crucian carp crossing the river." Li Hongzhang's father, Li Wen'an, was kind-hearted and a very good poet. In 1834, 35-year-old Li Wen'an studied hard for many years and passed the Jiangnan Provincial Examination. Another four years later, when he was nearly 40 years old, he finally passed the Jinshi examination and later served in the Ministry of Punishment.
Although more than half of Li Wen'an's life had passed at this time, he made the Li family, a middle-peasant family by the Feishui River, "rise up as a prominent family in Lu County" overnight. Li Wen'an was the first person who allowed the family to move out of Anhui, into officialdom, toward the capital, and toward the coast. He was the only Jinshi among the first seven generations of the Li family whose genealogy was recorded.
But more importantly, his "fate" is good. Li Wen'an was admitted neither early nor late, and he passed the exam in the same year as Zeng Guofan, who became famous a few years later. This relationship used to be called "the same year."
In that era, this was an extremely subtle and extremely important interpersonal relationship. In terms of "benefits", it far exceeded fellow villagers and classmates, because passing the Jinshi examination at the same time meant being an official at the same time, and having the same political affiliation. connections and references.
Although Li Wen'an was introverted and "of average temperament," he knew everything well and had good eyesight, and he always kept Zeng Guofan close. At that time, Zeng Guofan was just an ordinary Beijing official. He first served as a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and a bachelor of the cabinet. Li Wen'an had already arranged for his two sons, Li Hanzhang and Li Hongzhang, to become their teachers to Zeng Guofan and learn "the science of managing the world" from him. This was probably Li Wen'an's greatest contribution to the family.
Li Hongzhang: He had great power during his lifetime, but his regrets remained when he died.
The Li family began to prosper from Li Hongzhang’s generation. Li Hongzhang was born on the fifth day of the first lunar month in the third year of Daoguang's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1823). He was talented, diligent and studious since he was a child. According to legend, one time when his father Li Wen'an was taking the joint examination for Li Hongzhang, the first couplet was "The wind blows a thousand lines on the horse's tail." Xiao Hongzhang blurted out: "The sun shines on the dragon's scales and there are thousands of gold points." Not only was it neat, but it was also very impressive. He was enlightened at the age of seven and finished reading the "Four Books" at the age of eight or nine. The teacher liked him very much and often praised him in front of Li Hongzhang's father.
Under the arrangement of his father, Li Hongzhang, who studied under Zeng Guofan, passed the imperial examination at the age of 21 and the Jinshi at the age of 24, and entered the Hanlin Academy at a young age. Zeng Guofan's principle of "knocking out teeth and swallowing blood" had a great influence on Li Hongzhang's character. More importantly, when Li Hongzhang founded the Huai Army, Zeng Guofan gave him great help and directly gave Li Hongzhang the command of the Eighth Battalion of the Hunan Army. This was also the team that Li Hongzhang founded the Huai Army. After that, the Huai Army became the capital for Li Hongzhang to make a fortune and the foundation for Li Hongzhang's rapid rise in officialdom. He is the absolute leader of this army, and the Huai Army is the "Li Family Army".
Li Jiachang (the eldest, second from left in the middle row) took a group photo with his family in the United States.
In 1870, Li Hongzhang became the most powerful Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang with his illustrious military exploits and the support of the Huai clique. He sat in this position for 25 years, which was the longest time he held this official position in the Qing Dynasty. During this period, he showed that he was different from most officials in the Qing Dynasty: he was very interested in foreign science and technology and domestic economic activities. Li Hongzhang created many "firsts": China's first railway, the first steel plant, the first machine manufacturing plant, the first modern military school, the first modern naval fleet... In 1874, he was awarded the Civil Service Award. He was awarded the bachelor degree of Huadian University in 1894 and was honored by Liang Qichao as "the first person in China at that time" in modern history.
In 1874, Li Hongzhang proposed "harmony with the Rong on the outside and reform on the inside". However, due to the limitations of the times and individuals, both "harmony with the Rong" and "reform" failed. On behalf of the Qing Dynasty, Li Hongzhang signed a series of unequal treaties with the great powers: the "Sino-British Yantai Treaty", the "Sino-French New Treaty", the "Treaty of Shimonoseki", the "Xinchou Treaty"... From then on, he became a "traitor" of infamy.
In 1901, Li Hongzhang died of illness in the grief and anger of "losing his old age and kissing a tiger and leopard". When he died, his "eyes were still shining brightly." On his deathbed, he burst into tears and left behind a poem: "The carriage and horse have not left their saddles after hard work, and they only know that they are about to die when something happens. In the past three hundred years, the country has been harmed, and the people have been left hanging eight thousand miles away. The sword in the autumn wind leaves the lonely minister in tears. , the setting sun flags the altar of generals. The atmosphere in the sea is still not calm, please don’t wait and see. "It’s sad and sad! Nearly 10 years after Li Hongzhang's death, the Qing Dynasty for which he had managed his whole life also perished.
When one person becomes "prosperous", the whole family benefits.
However, when Li Hongzhang became powerful, all the Li brothers benefited more or less. Li Hongzhang has eight brothers and sisters, and he ranks second. The eldest brother Li Hanzhang served as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and was a staunch supporter of Li Hongzhang and the Huai Clan Group.