Family

Xu was born in a prestigious gentry family from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, historically Panyu county of Guangzhou prefecture. His grandfather Xu Baiting was a salt trader who acquired the status of gentry with the grace of the Jiaqing Emperor. His uncle Xu Xiangguang supported and financed Hong Kong's military resistance against the British empire as well as the construction of Kowloon Walled City.

Viceroy of Min-Zhe

During the Boxer Rebellion, Xu was the viceroy of Minzhe. Xu, along with Li Hongzhang, viceroy of Liangguang, Liu Kunyi, viceroy of Liangjiang, Zhang Zhidong, viceroy of Huguang, Sheng Xuanhuai, director of the Court of Judicature and Revision, and Yuan Shikai, governor of Shandong, signed the Mutual Protection of Southeast China agreement, openly defying the proclamation of war declared by the imperial court in Beijing against Britain, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia, with the aim of preserving peace in their provinces.

As a viceroy, Xu Yingkui was aware of the weaknesses of China when it faces the outer world. He accepted the suggestion of an American diplomat and established the Gulangyu International Settlement. Under the circumstances of a potential Japanese occupation of the island of Gulangyu, Xu started negotiations with the British who were interested in the military value of Gulangyu. To counterbalance the Japanese, Xu was willing to yield the island as an international public settlement. The British government wanted complete separation of the island from Chinese administration, whereas China hoped to maintain nominal sovereignty of the island. The disagreement was eventually taken to the viceroy. Xu waived the sovereignty conditionally, obliging every country which partook in the settlement to provide military protection for the city of Xiamen. The Qing imperial court reviewed his proposal and deleted the article concerning Xiamen, fearing it would open the gates of Xiamen to the foreign powers. On 10 January 1902, the constitution of Gulangyu International Settlement was signed by China, Japan, Britain, the U.S., Germany, France, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.

After his retirement, Xu intended to construct a large and luxurious private garden in Guangzhou but died before the plan was carried out.

生平

道光二十九年（1849年）中己酉科广东乡试举人，次年联捷庚戌科进士。选庶吉士，散馆授检讨。历任翰林院侍讲、侍读、左右庶子、甘肃学政、詹事府少詹事、内阁学士、兵部左侍郎、吏部右侍郎、吏部左侍郎、顺天府学政、仓场侍郎等职，升左都御史。光绪二十二年（1896年）调工部尚书。次年，任总理各国事务衙门大臣、礼部尚书。光绪二十四年（1898年）四月，李鸿章、许应騤与英国驻华公使窦纳乐签订《展拓香港界址专条》。七月十九日，以抑格言路，首违诏旨，夺礼部尚书怀塔布、许应騤，侍郎堃岫、徐会沣、溥頲、曾广汉等职。最后戊戌变法失败，九月，擢为闽浙总督。光绪二十六年（1900年）庚子拳乱引发八国联军时，参与两广总督李鸿章、两江总督刘坤一、湖广总督张之洞、山东巡抚袁世凯、四川总督奎俊等人的东南互保。光绪二十九年（1903年）解职。

注释