Li Hongzhang did many major things in his life, suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Twist army uprising, serving as the governor and minister of Beiyang for 25 years, and was also the leader of the foreign affairs movement, which can be said to be one of the most influential figures in the late Qing Dynasty. However, his sons seem to be tepid, have not achieved much, and have different endings.
Li Hongzhang lived to be 79 years old, which was a high lifespan in that era, but he was not counted as many children and grandchildren, and only three sons grew up, namely the eldest son Jingfang, the second son Jingshu, and the third son Jingmai. Among them, the eldest son was not Born to Li Hongzhang, but was inherited from the sixth brother Li Zhaoqing.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" > Li Jingfang – a tragic figure of the times</h1>
Li Jingfang also took the road of entering the imperial examination, and the study and hard work scores were good, Guangxu eight years he passed the examination, unfortunately he will fail the first test, did not achieve the name of jinshi. Li Jingfang's youth was precisely the period when Li Hongzhang was most popular, and with such a background, it was naturally not difficult to mix an official.
In the year of Zhongju, he was listed as an alternate Langzhong by the imperial court, and was later promoted to Jiangsu Alternate Road. In terms of Li Jingfang's family background, it is not impossible to get a prefect, a Taoist official, or even a political envoy and inspector.
However, Li Hongzhang deviated from planning Li Jingfang's career path, and instead of letting his son serve in the central government and other provinces, he always took him with him and let him engage in foreign affairs. He served as a minister counselor in the United States for three years and a minister in Japan for three years, becoming a diplomat without compromise.
In the late Qing Dynasty, diplomats were not a good errand, and the so-called weak countries had no diplomacy and had to be angry everywhere they went. When Li Hongzhang dealt with foreigners, he would generally take Li Jingfang with him, that is, when he signed the "Treaty of Maguan" and the "Treaty of Xinugi", Li Jingfang also carried a lot of black pots with his father.
After Li Hongzhang's death, Li Jingfang's situation was even more difficult, and at the call of the imperial court, he became another minister in Britain. After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, his political life came to an end.
Li Jingfang entered the career because of his father, but he was also unable to exert his ambitions because of his father, and he spent his whole life in failed diplomacy. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Li Jingfang was discouraged and became a Yugong in Shanghai, although the Japanese tried their best to win him over, but fortunately, the backbone was still there, and he saved the late festival.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="30" > Li Jingshu - the first filial piety of the late Qing Dynasty</h1>
Li Jingshu was the second son of Li Hongzhang, in fact, the eldest son of his own birth, and after Li Hongzhang's death, he inherited the title of Marquis of the First Rank. Like the boss, Li Jingshu also studied since he was a child and embarked on the road of scientific examination. At the age of 22, he was admitted to the lifting, unfortunately he was also photographed dead on the way to the test.
The imperial court remembered Li Hongzhang's merits and rewarded Li Jingshu with an alternate foreign lang. Speaking of which, Li Jingshu is also a rather talented person, judging from the relevant historical records, he did not serve as an official in the first half of his life, but more engaged in some literary creations, and also left a lot of excellent poetic works.
Li Jingshu only participated in one political event in his lifetime, that is, when Li Hongzhang was ordered to send envoys to various countries, the imperial court issued a decree to allow him and his eldest brother to accompany Li Hongzhang. Li Jingfang was responsible for the translation, and Li Jingshu was a senior bodyguard at his father's side, responsible for eating and living.
Li Jingshu was born filial piety, his birth mother, Li Hongzhang's step-room, was not in good health, and Li Jingshu did not leave his mother's side for many years, personally tasting soup medicine, and taking care of everything. In 1892, his mother died of illness, and Li Jingshu was too sad and lost his vitality, and his health has not been very good since then.
In 1901, Li Hongzhang held his last breath and signed the "Xinugu Treaty" with foreigners, and the treaty had just been signed, and Li Hongzhang also completely collapsed. Li Jingshu was at his father's bedside every day, day without food or sleep, for more than fifty days, and he also burned incense and worshipped the Buddha every day, and his attitude was extremely religious.
On November 7 of that year, Li Hongzhang passed away for a long time, Li Jingshu was in pain, felt that he had not saved his father's life, and felt very remorseful in his heart, and he even wanted to martyr his father, and only gave up under the persuasion of his family. But after this blow, Li Jingshu's physical and mental state plummeted. On the 100th day of Li Hongzhang's death, Li Jingshu also followed his father.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="33" > Li Jingmai - muffled to make a fortune</h1>
Li Jingmai is the youngest son of Li Hongzhang, and the younger son is generally more pampered by his parents, and he studies less diligently. Helplessly, he was born with a golden key, and the imperial court looked at Li Hongzhang's face and rewarded Li Jingmai with a title of chief, and since then he has been continuously favored, rising to the rank of candidate of the SanpinJingtang and wearing the top of the head. Counting up, Li Jingmai is also the highest title among Li Hongzhang's three sons.
Li Jingmai did not study hard, but he was not a clumsy disciple, he was more interested in foreign affairs, and learned fluent English with his foreign teacher. And from an early age, he has reflected the talent for business, which is stronger than his eldest brother and second brother. Li Jingmai also briefly engaged in some political activities, served as a diplomat, and went abroad for several inspections.
Li Hongzhang was the leader of the Western Affairs Movement, and most of the enterprises established in the late Qing Dynasty were through his hands, especially in Shanghai, almost all of which had the participation of Li's family. With such advantages, it provides a good opportunity for Li Jingmai to do business.
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Li Jingmai moved to Shanghai, ran various businesses, and soon became a big businessman on the rich side. At that time, there was a saying that "half of Huashan Road belonged to the Li family", which meant that Li Jingmai did business in Shanghai and bought a lot of real estate.
In addition to doing business, collecting is also a big hobby of Li Jingmai. After Li Jingmai's death, his son donated 18,000 precious books to the Aurora University Library. In addition, Li Jingmai also collected a lot of calligraphy and paintings, seals, ancient fans, and inscriptions.
It is said that Li Jingmai's collection was compiled into a book, with as many as four volumes in the catalog alone, and dozens of boxes of physical objects, of which a large part was also donated to the state. It is not difficult to see that Li Jingmai has indeed accumulated a lot of wealth in his life.
Li Hongzhang's three sons, the eldest son engaged in politics, the second son was a student, and the third son was engaged in business, which can be said to have their own strengths. However, their achievements in their respective fields are not too outstanding. However, the descendants of the Li family (Li Hongzhang brothers) have indeed produced many talents.