Lishan (official)

In this Manchu name, the given name is Lishan. In accordance with Manchu custom, it should be used alone or with titles but not with the clan name Tumet.
Lishan
立山
Minister of Revenue
In office
17 April – 15 July 1900
Serving with Wang Wenshao
Preceded byJingxin
Succeeded byChongqi
Personal details
Born1843
Died11 August 1900(1900-08-11) (aged 56–57)
Caishikou Execution Grounds, Beijing, Qing Empire
Cause of deathdecapitation
NationalityQing Chinese
Educationcentral government school (guānxué)
Occupationpolitician, government official
Clan nameTumet (土默特)
Courtesy nameYufu (豫甫)
Posthumous nameZhongzhen (忠貞)
Military service
AllegianceQing dynasty
Branch/serviceMongolian Plain Yellow Banner

Lishan (Chinese: 立山, 1843–1900), from the Tumet clan[1] (土默特氏) with the courtesy name Yufu (豫甫), was a Manchu politician of the late Qing dynasty. He was a member of the Mongolian Plain Yellow Banner.

Lishan entered official life as a bithesi (Chinese: 筆帖式, "clerk") in 1862. In 1879, he was made the Head of Suzhou Waving Department (蘇州織造). Later, he had served as the minister of the Bureau of Imperial Gardens and Parks (奉宸苑卿), minister for the Chancery of the Imperial Household Department (總管內務府大臣), deputy lieutenant-general of the Han Chinese Plain White Banner (正白旗漢軍副都統), then the Junior Deputy Minister of Revenue (戶部右侍郎) and other positions.[2] In 1894, he was awarded the nominal title Crown Prince's Junior Tutor (太子少保). Someone stole items from the Palace of Tranquil Longevity. Due to negligence, he was demoted and temporarily retained in his post.[3]

Lishan was promoted to the Minister of Revenue in 1900. He was deeply trusted by the Empress Dowager Cixi and therefore envied by his colleagues. In the meantime Eight-Nation Alliance was sent to China to lift the siege of Legation Quarter. When the Alliance approached Tianjin, the court officials were summoned to the palace for a meeting to discuss countermeasures.[3] Prince Duan strongly suggested using the Boxers to attack Westerners. As an official close to the Empress Dowager Cixi, Lishan was asked for his opinion. However, Lishan replied: "There's nothing else special about the Boxers but their magic arts are often ineffective." Prince Duan was angried and proposed that Lishan be responsible for persuading the Eight-Nation Allied Forces to withdraw. Lishan claimed that he favored peaceful resolution of conflicts, but he was not familiar with foreign affairs, making him difficult to take on.[3]

Prince Duan hated him even more. Since Lishan's residence was close to a French church, Prince Dan started rumors that he was hiding Westerners and secretly provided food to them through tunnels.[4] Lishan was dismissed from office and imprisoned, and later executed together with Xu Yongyi and Lianyuan on 11 August 1900. During the negotiations for the Boxer Protocol, Xu Yongyi, Lishan, Xu Jingcheng, Lianyuan and Yuan Chang were posthumously rehabilitated by Qing dynasty.[5][6] He was given the posthumous name "Zhongzhen" (忠貞) in 1909.[3]

  1. ^ "Baqi Manzhou shizu tongpu 八旗滿洲氏族通譜".
  2. ^ "(土默特)立山".
  3. ^ a b c d Works related to 清史稿/卷466 at Wikisource (Draft History of Qing Volume 466)
  4. ^ Works related to 景善日記 at Wikisource
  5. ^ Works related to Peace Agreement between the Great Powers and China. at Wikisource
  6. ^ "北淸事變に関する最終議定書（北清事変に関する最終議定書，北京議定書）" (in Japanese).