Zuo Zongtang | |
|---|---|
左宗棠 | |
 Photograph of Zuo Zongtang, late 19th century | |
| Grand Councilor | |
| In office 1881–1881 | |
| In office 1884–1884 | |
| Grand Secretary of the Eastern Library | |
| In office 1874–1885 | |
| Assistant Grand Secretary | |
| In office 1873–1874 | |
| Viceroy of Liangjiang | |
| In office 1881–1884 | |
| Preceded by | Peng Yulin |
| Succeeded by | Yulu (acting) |
| Viceroy of Shaan-Gan | |
| In office 1866–1880 | |
| Preceded by |
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| Succeeded by | Yang Changjun |
| Viceroy of Min-Zhe | |
| In office 1863–1866 | |
| Preceded by | Qiling |
| Succeeded by | Wu Tang |
| Provincial Governor of Zhejiang | |
| In office 1861–1862 | |
| Preceded by | Wang Youling |
| Succeeded by | Zeng Guoquan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 10, 1812 Xiangyin County, Yueyang City, Hunan Province, Qing Empire |
| Died | September 5, 1885 (aged 72) Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, Qing Empire |
| Resting place | Tomb of Zuo Zongtang |
| Spouse | Zhou Yiduan (m. 1832) |
| Relations |
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| Children | Sons:
Daughters:
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| Parents |
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| Education | Jinshi degree in the Imperial Examination |
| Occupation | Statesman, military leader |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Qing Empire |
| Years of service | 1851–1885 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Commander of the Xiang Army |
| Battles/wars | Taiping Rebellion, Nian Rebellion, Dungan Revolt, Qing reconquest of Xinjiang |
| Zuo Zongtang | |||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 左宗棠 | ||||||||||||||
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Zuo Zongtang (左宗棠, Xiang Chinese: [tso˧˩ tsoŋ˧ tan˩˧];[1] Wade-Giles spelling: Tso Tsung-t'ang; November 10, 1812 – September 5, 1885), sometimes referred to as General Tso, was a statesman and military leader of the late Qing dynasty.[2]
Born in Xiangyin County, Hunan Province, Zuo sat for the imperial examination in his youth but obtained only a juren degree. He then spent his time studying agriculture, geography and military strategy. In 1851, he started his career in the Qing military by participating in the campaign against the Taiping Rebellion. In 1862, he was recommended by Zeng Guofan to serve as the provincial governor of Zhejiang Province. During his term, he coordinated Qing forces to attack the Taiping rebels with support from British and French forces. For this success, he was promoted to Viceroy of Min-Zhe. After capturing Hangzhou from the Taiping rebels in 1864, he was enfeoffed as a first class count. In 1866, as part of the Qing government's Self-Strengthening Movement, Zuo oversaw the construction of the Fuzhou Arsenal and naval academy. That same year, he was reassigned to serve as the Viceroy of Shaan-Gan, where he oversaw industrialization in Gansu Province. In 1867, he was appointed as an Imperial Commissioner in charge of military affairs in Gansu.
During his term as Imperial Commissioner in Gansu, he participated in the suppression of the Nian Rebellion. In 1875, he was appointed Imperial Commissioner again to supervise military action against the Dungan Revolt. By the late 1870s, he had crushed the Dungan Revolt and recaptured Xinjiang Province from rebel forces. In 1875, the Guangxu Emperor made an extraordinary exception by awarding Zuo a jinshi degree – even though Zuo never achieved this in the imperial examination – and appointing him to the Hanlin Academy. In 1878, in recognition of his achievements, Zuo was promoted from a first class count to a second class marquis. He was reassigned to serve as the Viceroy of Liangjiang in 1881 and appointed to the Grand Council in 1884, before being made an Imperial Commissioner again to oversee naval affairs. He died in 1885 in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, and was given the posthumous name Wenxiang.
While Zuo is best known outside China for his military exploits, he also made contributions to Chinese agricultural science and education. In particular, he promoted cotton cultivation to northwestern China as a replacement for cash crop opium and established a large-scale modern press in Shaanxi and Gansu provinces which published Confucian classics and newer works on agricultural science.[3]
The dish General Tso's chicken in American Chinese cuisine was named after Zuo, though there is no recorded connection between him and the meal.
- ^ a b 鲍厚星; 崔振华; 沈若云; 伍云姬 (1999). 长沙方言研究. 湖南教育出版社. pp. 69, 82, 89, 62.
- ^ Hummel, Arthur W. Sr., ed. (1943). . Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. United States Government Printing Office.
- ^ 白, 玉岱 (2011). 甘肃出版史略 (Illustrated ed.). 读者出版集团. p. 221. ISBN 978-7-5423-2445-0.