Zeng Guofan

Zeng Guofan (1811 – 1872) was a contemporary of Feng Guifen’s, who, unlike Feng, was able to successfully raise an army to defend his hometown against the Taiping. Feng convinced Zeng to send his top lieutenant, Li Hongzhang, to come to Feng’s aid and liberate Suzhou from the rebels.

Zeng was impressed with Feng’s thinking inĀ Dissenting Views from a Hut near Bin, and had the volume distributed to his staff. Through the support of Zeng and Li, Feng’s ideas about self-strengthening began to percolate into the mainstream of Chinese thinking.

Zeng Guofan

 

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