Li Hongzao (; 1820–31 July 1897), styled Lansun (),

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Shisun (), was a high government official towards the end of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. One of his sons was Li Shizeng, a prominent politician in the Chinese Nationalist Party.

Draft History of Qing The ''Draft History of Qing'' () is a draft of the official history of the Qing dynasty compiled and written by a team of over 100 historians led by Zhao Erxun who were hired by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China. The draft was publ ...

- Biographies Chapter 223rd: 《清史稿·列傳二百二十三》：李鴻藻，字蘭孫，直隸高陽人。 ("Li Hongzao, Courtesy name Lansun, is from Gaoyang of Zhili Province.")

Official career

Li was born in

Gaoyang County Gaoyang County () is a county in the central part of Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Baoding and has an area of . The county seat is in Gaoyang Town (). Administrative di ...

, Zhili, in present-day

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

province. In 1861, the two dowagers empresses chose Li Hongzao, Qi Junzao, and Weng Xincun, who were all Imperial teachers, to instruct the newly enthroned Tongzhi Emperor in the classics. The Emperor, who was less than five years old at the time, displayed little or no interest in his studies, and would concentrate only when Li was instructing him. Li rose to be vice-president of the Board of Revenue and Grand Councilor, and in 1872 became head of the Board of Works. He then retired for a three-year period, 1877-1880, as required by custom and statute at the death of his mother. Upon his return to office, he resumed his post with the Grand Council and the Zongli Yamen, which was in effect the dynasty's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1884, Li and all the Grand Councillors, such as Yixin, who had been supported by the Empress Dowager, Cixi, were dismissed in a dispute with a group of conservative officials. He was gradually given permission to resume responsibilities, but often criticized for not carrying them out promptly. After the outbreak of the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

in 1894, he was given even greater duties, but died in 1897.

Family

He was the father of Li Shizeng.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Hongzao 1820 births 1897 deaths 19th-century Chinese diplomats Politicians from Baoding Grand Councillors of the Qing dynasty Assistant grand secretaries Ministers of Zongli Yamen Imperial tutors in Qing dynasty