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Xue Fucheng | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chinese Ambassador to the UK | |
| In office ?–? | |
| Monarch | Guangxu |
| Chinese Ambassador to France | |
| In office ?–? | |
| Monarch | Guangxu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 April 1838 Wuxi, Jiangsu,Qing dynasty, China |
| Died | 21 July 1894 (aged 56) Shanghai, Jiangsu, Qing dynasty, China |
| Xue Fucheng | |||||||||
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| Chinese | 薛福成 | ||||||||
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| Shuyun (courtesy name) | |||||||||
| Chinese | 叔耘 | ||||||||
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| Yong'an (art name) | |||||||||
| Chinese | 庸庵 | ||||||||
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Xue Fucheng or Hsieh Fucheng (12 April 1838 – 21 July 1894) was a Chinese diplomat of the Qing dynasty in the late 19th century. Born in Wuxi, Jiangsu to a literati family. Late Qing dynasty writer/essayist, diplomat to England, France, Belgium, Italy, and one of the leaders and advocate for modernization and adoption of Western technology as well as proponent for the development of capitalist industries in China during the late 19th century. Eschewing the traditional literati pursuits of writing poetry and calligraphy, Xue proposed that the government should promote pragmatism application of new technology and knowledge in strengthening China.
Xue was a prolific writer – his works included: Essays from a Commonplace Hut (庸庵文編), More Essays from a Commonplace Hut (續編), Essays from Across the Ocean (庸庵海外文編), Diplomatic Journal from 4 Countries (出使四國日記), Notes from a Commonplace Hut (庸庵筆記), Preliminary proposals concerning Western Affairs (籌洋芻議), Diplomatic Memorials to the Throne (出使奏疏). His seminal works are included in the Complete Works from the Commonplace Hut (庸庵全集).
During his tenure as the Qing government's ambassador to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Italy, he wrote a diary describing his diplomatic activities and his impressions of European countries. Apart from documenting records of historical events such as the Taiping Rebellion, he also wrote essays on local legends, the macabre and the supernatural. As a proponent of introducing Western technology into China, Xue wrote about witnessing new technology such as the telephone while he was abroad.