Sheng Xuanhuai (; November 4, 1844 – April 27, 1916) was a
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 ...
Chinese tycoon, politician, and educator. He founded several major banks and universities and served as Minister of Transportation of the
Qing Empire
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 ...
. He was also known as Sheng Gongbao ().
Biography
Sheng was born into a family of officials, and was the eldest of six children. Sheng's father was also a close friend of General
Li Hongzhang
Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901) was a Chinese statesman, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in importan ...
. In 1870, Li appreciated Sheng's talent, employed him as his aide and soon became his chief economic deputy. Sheng recommended that Li build more merchant ships in order to fund the military ships that the Qing government needed. Sheng's suggestion was accepted and from then on Sheng became well known for his career in ship building.

Taking active part in the
Self-Strengthening Movement
The Self-Strengthening Movement, also known as the Westernization or Western Affairs Movement (–1895), was a period of reforms initiated during the late Qing dynasty following the military disasters of the Opium Wars and Taiping Rebellion.
The ...
, He actively advocated using Western technology in saving the country from destitution. His influence was mainly felt in the southern part of China, specifically in Shanghai. By 1893, Sheng controlled
China Merchants' Steam Navigation Company, established the Imperial Telegraphy Administration and created first successful cotton mill in China. In 1896, he took over the Hanyang ironworks and related mines, along with control of the newly created imperial railway administration.
In 1895, he founded
Beiyang University, the first institution of modern
higher education
Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education.
The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
in China. In 1896, he also founded the forerunner of Jiaotong University, which was later divided into
Shanghai Jiaotong University and
Xi'an Jiaotong University
Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU; zh, p=, c=西安交通大学, labels=no) is a public university in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 9 ...
. He also created eleven "first", including the first modern bank, first telegraphy company, the first iron and steel joint enterprise....
In 1897, official Sheng founded the
Imperial Bank of China, the first Chinese owned commercial bank modeled on the Western banking system. The bank was headquartered in Shanghai and had the authority to issue notes from the Qing government.
Sheng Xuanhuai was a founder and the first president of the
Red Cross Society of China, and is widely considered one of the key officials behind the then fledgling movement alongside
Shen Dunhe.
After the
Boxer Uprising, in 1900 when
Eight Nation Alliance
The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded northern China in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion, with the stated aim of relieving the foreign legations in Beijing, which were being besieged by the popular Boxer ...
entered Peking, Sheng and
Ronglu initiated the
Mutual Protection of Southeast China, resisting
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 ...
's
Imperial Decree of declaration of war against foreign powers.
Li Hongzhang
Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901) was a Chinese statesman, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in importan ...
,
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 18596 June 1916) was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president and the first official president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and ...
and other viceroys openly rejected Dowager's call for staging military actions against the foreign powers.
In 1902, Sheng and British diplomat
James Mackay negotiated and signed the Sino-British "
Mackay Treaty," which anticipated the abolition of
extraterritoriality
In international law, extraterritoriality or exterritoriality is the state of being exempted from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations.
Historically, this primarily applied to individuals, as jurisdict ...
in China.
In 1911, Sheng was appointed head of the Board of Posts and Communications, a high rank in the Imperial cabinet during the Qing dynasty, until the dynasty fell in 1911. Sheng died at the age of 72 in Shanghai.
Residences
Sheng's private residence in Beijing while he was serving as the postal minister, has since been turned into a hotel for the public.
In Shanghai, Sheng lived a mansion constructed in 1900 at No. 1517 Huaihai Zhong Lu.
[Former Residence of Mandarin Sheng Xuan Huai](_blank)
/ref> Tongmenghui
The Tongmenghui of China was a secret society and underground resistance movement founded by Sun Yat-sen, Song Jiaoren, and others in Tokyo, Empire of Japan, on 20 August 1905, with the goal of overthrowing China's Qing dynasty. It was formed ...
revolutionaries Xia Chao and Gu Naibin planned to burn down the building in 1911. The manor currently houses the Japanese Consulate.
See also
* Sheng Aiyi
References
Bibliography
*Feuerwerker, Albert. ''China's Early Industrialization; Sheng Hsuan-huai (1844-1916) and Mandarin Enterprise.'' Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1958.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheng, Xuanhuai
1844 births
1916 deaths
Educators from Changzhou
Qing dynasty government officials
Politicians from Changzhou
19th-century Chinese businesspeople
Businesspeople from Changzhou
Chinese company founders
Presidents of Shanghai Jiao Tong University