Zeng Guofan is a figure in Chinese history that cannot be ignored. He was a late Qing dynasty minister, the founder and commander of the Xiang Army, and one of the advocates of the Western Affairs Movement, and together with Li Hongzhang and others, he promoted the modernization of China. Although historians and the public have disputed his evaluation, his philosophy of governing the family and teaching children has always been appreciated and learned.
Zeng Guofan once talked with his younger brother Zeng Guoyan about the story of "Six Feet Alley". During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Ying was a scholar of the Wenhua Temple and a shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, and was a neighbor of the Wu family. There is an alley between the two for both sides to enter and exit. Later, the Wu family wanted to build a new house and wanted to occupy this alley, but the Zhang family did not agree, and the two sides could not argue. Zhang Ying thought that he should be polite to the neighbors, and he wrote only four sentences in his reply: "Thousands of miles of books are only for the wall, why not let him be three feet?" The Great Wall is still there, and I don't see the Qin Shi Huang back then. After seeing it, the Zhang family took the initiative to give up the three-foot open space. The Wu family also took the initiative to give up the base of the three-foot house, from which the "six-foot alley" got its name. This story tells the story between the Zhang Ying and Zhang Tingyu families of the father and son of the Qing Dynasty.
The Zeng family is a large family, and Zeng Guoyan is not an official and is responsible for household chores at home. Zeng Guofan instructed his younger brother to read the "Family Discipline of the Prime Minister of Father and Son", believing that it was a model of self-cultivation and Qi family. It can be seen that Zeng Guofan attaches great importance to family style and family training.
Zeng Guofan's education of the family's children was successful, and none of the subsequent children were "rebels" and all became people with lofty ideals, which is the best proof.
Zeng Guofan's second son, Zeng Jize, achieved his only diplomatic victory. He served successively as minister to Britain and France and ambassador to Russia, successfully recovered the Ili region, and signed the Sino-Russian Revision Treaty.
Zeng Guofan's third son, Zeng Jihong, was particularly interested in natural sciences, especially in mathematics, and wrote many mathematical monographs, becoming a famous mathematician in modern China.
Zeng Jize's son, Zeng Guangquan, was fluent in many foreign languages, served as ambassador of the late Qing government to Korea and Germany, and was also a famous translator. The Zeng family also included translators such as Zeng Yonong and Zeng Xiansen.
Zeng Guofan's great-grandson Zeng Shaojie is a famous seal carving calligrapher, great-granddaughter Zeng Zhaoye is an expert in literature and culture, and great-grandson Zeng Xianjie is a famous painter. The descendants of the Zeng family are also highly accomplished in calligraphy, such as Zeng Guoquan, Zeng Jize, Zeng Jihong and others are regarded as calligraphers by later generations.
More than a dozen of Zeng Guofan's descendants entered the military, five of whom were graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy, and Zeng Guangtai and Zeng Guangrong held the rank of major general in the Kuomintang army. The Zeng family also includes Zeng Zhaoyi, the great-granddaughter of Zeng Guoyan who served as president of the Third People's Hospital in Beijing. Zeng Guoquan's great-great-grandson, Zeng Xianpu, served as deputy director of the General Administration of Cash Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Zeng Guofan clearly realized that if a family wants to prosper, it cannot rely on the accumulation of ancestors, but on the efforts of future generations. He once warned his family, "The family of eunuchs should not accumulate silver money, so that the children would feel that they had nothing to lose", so "never leave silver money with future generations". He left no property to his children and grandchildren, but left a family motto that could be passed down from generation to generation.
Is Zeng Guofan's family discipline still relevant today? If I were to leave the family discipline, what would I say?
Zeng Guofan's family motto mentioned that the house of official eunuchs is the most prone to decay, while the house of cultivation and filial piety is more likely to last. He hoped that his family members would not become officials for generations, but would pay attention to cultivation and study. He stressed the importance of reading and believed that reading can stop foolishness. At the same time, he also stressed the importance of family education, requiring parents to be strict when educating their children, but not to be overly restrained. He also stressed the importance of teaching by example and influencing the conduct and behavior of his children.
These words of Zeng Guofan's family motto are still of great significance today. In today's society, people still need to pay attention to the education of their children, especially in terms of values. The concepts of the House of Cultivation and Filial Piety are still applicable, and the values of self-cultivation, respect for elders, and kindness to others still play an important role in family education.
If I want to leave a family discipline, I will emphasize the importance of family and encourage my children to pay attention to self-cultivation, respect for elders, and be kind to others. I will emphasize the importance of education, encourage children to study hard, and pay attention to personal cultivation and character cultivation. At the same time, they will also emphasize the importance of teaching by example, and they should be good examples to influence their children's behavior and conduct.