Xu Chengyu (, 1838–1901),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Nanshi (楠士), 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 ...

official from the Han Chinese Plain Blue Banner. He was a son of

Xu Tong Xu Tong (, 1819–1900) was a Qing dynasty official from the Han Chinese Plain Blue Banner. Xu Tong was a son of Xu Zechun (徐澤醇), whom had been made the Minister of Rites. He obtained the highest degree ('' jinshi'') in the imperial exami ...

. Xu Chengyu obtained the ''xiucai'' (秀才) degree in the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

and was selected a ''gongsheng'' (貢生) of the Imperial Academy in 1861. He had served as director of the Ministry of Revenue Shaanxi Bureau (戶部陝西司郎中), staff of Huiling Mausoleum construction office (惠陵工程處隨同辦事), Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud (太僕寺卿), Assistant Commissioner of Transmission (通政使司參議), associate director of the

Court of the Imperial Clan The Imperial Clan Court or Court of the Imperial Clan was an institution responsible for all matters pertaining to the imperial family under the Ming and Qing dynasties of imperial China. This institution also existed under the Nguyễn dynasty o ...

(宗人府府丞) and other positions. He was promoted to the Senior Deputy Minister of Justice (刑部左侍郎) in 1898. Like his father, Xu Chengyu stood in the way of

Hundred Days' Reform The Hundred Days' Reform or Wuxu Reform () was a failed 103-day national, cultural, political, and educational reform movement that occurred from 11 June to 22 September 1898 during the late Qing dynasty. It was undertaken by the young Guangxu Emp ...

. Although he was hostile to Western culture, he was quite accepting of Western things in terms of material life enjoyment. It was said that he bought Western-style furniture and smoked cigars, for which he was scolded by his father. During the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

, Xu Chengyu supported to use the Boxers to fight against Western countries. He was appointed the execution witness (監斬官) of

Xu Yongyi Xu Yongyi (, 22 October 1826 – 11 August 1900), courtesy name Wenyun (筱雲), was a politician of Qing dynasty. Xu Yongyi took the Shuntian Provincial Examination (順天鄉試) and obtained a ''juren'' degree in 1859. He had served as the M ...

, Lishan,

Xu Jingcheng Xu Jingcheng (; 1845 – 28 July 1900) was a Chinese diplomat and Qing politician supportive of the Hundred Days' Reform. He was envoy to Belgium, France, Italy, Russia, Austria, the Netherlands, and Germany for the Qing imperial court and ...

Lianyuan Lianyuan () is a county-level city and the 7th most populous county-level division in Hunan Province, China; it is under the administration of Loudi prefecture-level City. Located on the geographical centre of Hunan, the city is bordered to the ...

and Yuan Chang. When Beijing fell to the

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 ...

in 1900, Xu Chengyu persuaded his father to commit suicide with him. However, after Xu Tong committed suicide, he regretted it. He buried his father's body in the backyard and tried to fled from the capital however, was captured by Japanese soldiers. In the next year, the victorious Eight-Nation Alliance named him as one of the masterminds behind the rebellion and demanded that he be executed.

Zhang Zhidong Zhang Zhidong ( zh, t=張之洞) (2 September 18374 October 1909) was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Qing dynasty. Along with Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, Zhang Zhidong was one of the four most famous offici ...

suggested to the

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 ...

that Xu Chengyu should be returned to the Qing court for trial, and then force him commit suicide. Xu Chengyu was dismissed from all official positions and later, executed at the

Caishikou Execution Grounds Caishikou Execution Grounds (), also known as Vegetable Market Execution Ground, was an important execution ground in Beijing during the Qing dynasty era. It was located at the crossroads of Xuanwumen Outer Street and Luomashi Street. The exact l ...

together with Qixiu on 26 February 1901. Xu Chengyu was so frightened that he fainted and fell unconscious during the execution. Unlike him, Qixiu accepted the fate very calmly. (

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 ...

Volume 465)

References

{{Authority control 1838 births 1901 deaths Han Chinese Plain Blue Bannermen Chinese people of the Boxer Rebellion People executed by the Qing dynasty by decapitation