was a late Chinese statesman and military figure who was a advocate for Westernization. His official career was described as prosperous and powerful for a while, but smooth and easy to avoid.
Biography
Wenshao was born in , on October 21, 1832. Born in poverty, Wenshao entered official career through imperial examination. His family moved from Shangyu to Hangzhou during the era of the Ming Dynasty, and his grandfather was an anonymous salt merchant.
In 1851, he worked on the Xinhai Enke lifts and in 1852, in The McNair Scholarship. For his service, he was granted to service within the Ministry of Revenue. He was too tired to move after the doctor out to Hubei Ann Xiang Yun Jing Road Road staff. His service was described as excellent and was appreciated by figures like Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang, and recommended each other. During the Dungan Revolt and the Nian Rebellion he served as the assistant to Zuo Zongtang, Liangtai on the road of Shaanxi-Gansu. Wenshao was then sent to Hubei Province as an envoy and moved to Hunan as a chief envoy . In 1871, he acted as governor of Hunan and took office in November of the lunar calendar and served for 6 years in office. During this period, there have been many military suppressions of the people, including 's Miao Rebellion. In May 1872, the Miao Rebellion was mostly put down, and the rest were also wiped out in June. After that, he served as the Minister of War and served as a military planner. He also served as the minister of rites, and the prime minister's office. In 1889 he took office as Viceroy of Yun-Gui which would prove to be effective in suppressing the Second Dungan Revolt.
During the First Sino-Japanese War, he served as Viceroy of Zhili, and continued to promote Hongzhang's Self-Strengthening Movement, either within the bulk removal of redundant soldiers, set up a naval and military academy, leather water transport long-standing abuse and construct more mines. Wenshao also supported the construction of the Beijing–Hankou railway, together with the Peiyang University Main Hall, Railway Academy, Yucai Hall, and Russian Hall.
In 1898, he was assigned to military service, and was co-organized by the Department of Household Affairs as a bachelor. In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion was ongoing, and Wenshao opposed provoking foreign nations. The Siege of the International Legations was deemed the only way to protect the royal family with the Xi'an chancellor but Wenshao did not participate in the rebellion due to the agreement of the Mutual Defense Pact of the Southeastern Provinces. Later, he successively served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Plenipotentiary Affairs, Minister of Government Affairs, Minister of Supervision of Roads and Mines, and conferred a Fellow of Wenyuange University and a Bachelor of Wuyingdian University. In 1907, he returned to Hangzhou for retirement. Live in Qingyin Lane Mansion.
Wang Wenshao admired Zuo Zongtang very much and called him a "great man", but he had a slight disagreement with Lin Zexu, thinking that his style of acting was too tough, which was a drag on the overall situation. Wang Wenshao had contacts with Western diplomats in the early days of his career. He was open to Western culture and was willing to listen to the opinions of Western diplomats. During a visit to a U.S. warship, he once lamented that
On the issue of the civil commotions in the late Qing Dynasty, Wang Wenshao did not fully agree with the Qing court and sympathized with the uprisings in Miaojiang, but he still performed his assigned duties with all his strength.
Wenshao's Scholar's Mansion, is now the third batch of municipal cultural relics protection units in Hangzhou and is occupied by the Xiling Seal Art Society and folk houses.
Wang Wenshao, courtesy name Wenqin was a late Chinese statesman and military figure who was a advocate for Westernization. His official career was described as prosperous and powerful for a while, but smooth and easy to avoid.