History

In 1887 Hong Jun, then a major Chinese official, met Sai Jinhua ("Prettier Than Golden Flower") while he visited Suzhou. At the time Hong Jun was in mourning due to his mother's death. Hong Jun made Sai Jinhua his concubine one year after meeting her. In April of that year, Sai Jinhua went to Beijing with Hong Jun.

Empress Dowager Cixi appointed Hong Jun as the Chinese envoy to Europe, and so Hong Jun traveled to Russia, Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany as part of his diplomatic duties. Sai Jinhua accompanied him because Hong Jun's wife was not willing to travel with him. Sai Jinhua, with Hong Jun, lived in Europe for three years. In Berlin Hong Jun mostly stayed in his residence when not attending his duties. When he did go outside, he went on walks on the Tiergarten. In Berlin Hong Jun did not allow Sai Jinhua to attend most of his parties, including those that he held at his residence. Hong Jun was opposed to European customs, especially those involving females and males associating with one another. He did begin wearing European socks after initial vehemence against doing so when he discovered their comfort.

David Der-wei Wang wrote that Hong Jun was dismissed from his position "for allegedly settling boundary disputes on the basis of twelve Russian maps of the Chinese border area that turned out to be faulty and thus made China lose land to Czarist Russia." Hong Jun's term finished. After the end of the diplomatic tour, the couple moved to Beijing. There, Hong Jun was held a post in the Foreign Office (zongli yamen) and concurrently received an appointment to being the senior vice-minister of the Ministry of War.

Sai Jinhua gave birth to her daughter Deguan (德官 Déguān|w=Te-kuan) in 1890. Hong Jun became sick and died in 1893, shortly after his return to their home at 29 Xuanqiao Lane, Pingjiang Road, Suzhou. In 1894 Sai Jinhua became a prostitute again because Hong Jun's relatives did not support her financially. Sai Jinhua and Deguan traveled to Suzhou with the coffin of Hong Jun as his body was moved there.

Views on race

After receiving insults from White Europeans at a church, Hong Jun said that Jesus was a Jew. He argued that like himself, Jesus had black hair and black eyes. Therefore, he accused them of insulting a fellow man of Jesus.

Legacy

The character Jin Jun (Jin Wenqing) in Niehai Hua is based on Hong Jun.

生平

同治七年（1868年）戊辰科狀元，曾任翰林院修撰，兵部侍郎，內閣學士，1887年至1892年受命為德、奧、俄、荷四國特命公使，駐地柏林。1892年回國授總理各國事務衙門大臣。

光緒十八年（1892年），帕米爾中俄爭界案，洪鈞由于不懂俄文，使用了俄制地圖，遭到官員們的聯名彈劾。洪鈞精神遭受沉重打擊。在悔恨交加中抑鬱成疾，于光緒十九年八月二十三日（1893年10月2日）病逝于北京，年僅五十四歲，令光緒皇帝深為痛惜。

洪鈞通經史，嘗撰《元史譯文証補》三十卷，並通過在國外找到的資料對元史進行補充，在中國史學有重要地位。洪鈞改革中國電報字碼，使之與國外大致統一，節省了大量費用。

洪鈞結識了紅遍蘇州的名妓賽金花，不久便結連理。洪精通德、英文，才華出眾，再加上賽金花魅力，令外交界驚嘆，洪鈞與拙政園和虎丘都有著淵源。

注釋

外部鏈接

• Jun Hong』s calligraphic hanging scroll - 洪鈞墨寶 , 周策縱書畫卷軸與扇面收藏集 (Tse-Tsung Chow Collection of Chinese Scrolls and Fan Paintings), 威斯康星大學密爾沃基分校