The Wolf Gu reveals Guo Songtao's little-known life of honor and disgrace as the first foreign ambassador of the Qing Dynasty.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been very popular recently, which has shown China's diligent diplomacy and great country demeanor. However, before the Opium War, China did not establish diplomatic relations with other countries. It was not until the Opium War that western powers knocked on China's door that the Qing government finally realized the importance of diplomacy to a country from the concept of "China to the country". 1876 In August, the Qing government set up its first embassy in London, England, and sent its first plenipotentiary Guo Songtao back to China. However, Guo Songtao suffered great pressure and criticism from beginning to end, suffered many artificial obstacles and setbacks, and finally failed.

Guo Songtao's fame is far less than that of Zeng Guofan and Zuo. In fact, Guo Songtao was one of the founders of Xiang Army. It can be said that the two most important things in his life were the formation of the Xiang army and the organization of westernization. Confucian traditional friendship is an important hub to maintain the Xiang Army Group. The 40-year friendship between Zeng Guofan and Guo Songtao and Liu Rong, a veteran of Xiang Army, has fully developed this tradition and is also the spiritual pillar for the survival and development of Xiang Army Group in the complicated modern history.

Guo Songtao was a scholar and scholar when he was young. He met Zeng Guofan and Liu Rong when he was studying at Yuelu Academy. Zeng Guofan is six years older than Guo Song Road, and Liu Rong is two years older than Guo Song Road. These three people are like-minded, love to talk about sages and all worship practical learning. They all admire Tongcheng School's ancient prose and are closely related because of their similar interests. Guo Songtao recalled in "The Autobiography Year of Yuquan Old Man": "When you first visit Yuelu, you must make friends with Liu Mengrong, and try to return to Changsha from Beijing to teach and make old friends with Liu Mengrong. I'm glad to join. These three people live in the public library. They have been happy for months. They suddenly feel that their understanding has become more flexible and their understanding of God is growing. "

The relationship between Guo Songtao and Westernization has a long history. As early as the first Opium War, he was the assistant of Zhejiang scholar Luo Wenjun, and he saw the power of building strong ships and guns. He said in his poem, "Wan Li Island is floating, a sense of star participation." At that time, Guo Songtao treated foreigners as well as others. He said that "there have been whales in the sea for three years", but Guo Songtao's eyes widened with surprise.

1856 assisted Zeng Guofan in handling military affairs and had a perceptual knowledge of western artifacts and some systems. From 65438 to 0858, Guo served as assistant minister of the Ministry of National Defense in Tianjin. For some unknown reason, he was demoted to the third grade and then returned to the south study room. Then he resigned and went home on the grounds of illness. Two years later, at the invitation of Li Hongzhang, he went out again and was promoted to Huaibei to transport salt. 1863 was promoted to governor of Guangdong, with third class merit. Working in Guangdong, where there are many westernization activities, he deepened his understanding of the West and saw the gap between the East and the West. Since then, he has actively advocated the Westernization Movement and learned from the West. Later, because of disagreement with the boss, I had to retire again and have been idle for 8 years. At the beginning of 1875, the Qing government urgently needed talents who knew westernization. He was sent to Beijing by imperial edict, and was later awarded Fujian provincial judge.

Guo Songtao

1852, Britain occupied Myanmar. Since then, the British have coveted Yunnan for nearly twenty years. 1874, Britain publicly organized an armed "expedition" consisting of nearly 200 people to explore the road from Myanmar to Yunnan. In order to deal with this naked aggression, the British Embassy in China sent an interpreter Ma Jiali from Yunnan to Myanmar to meet him. 1875 In February, Ma Jiali led an "expedition" from Myanmar to Yunnan, but it was stopped by the local Jingpo people. Ma Jiali shot and provoked, killing one person on the spot. The crowd was enraged and killed Ma Jiali. After Macquarie incident, the British government sent Wade to China to put pressure on the Qing government, demanding that the Qing government compensate the families of the deceased and open more trading ports. The most important thing is to ask the Qing government to send someone to Britain to apologize. Wade had a bad attitude and threatened to attack Beijing with Russia if Beijing did not meet the conditions put forward by the British side. Faced with British arrogance, the Qing government had to compromise. 1On September 3rd, 876, Yantai Treaty was signed with Britain. Among other things, it decided to send a delegation to Britain to apologize. And decided to send an "apology" to Britain this time and stay in Britain as a minister after the task is completed.

However, at this time, "who to send" became a difficult problem for the rulers of the Qing government. Because in the imperial court, most of these ministers who are proficient in westernization are not proficient in westernization. They don't know what a foreign envoy is, and even think that they will become hostages of a "barbaric country". In particular, this task is to "apologize" to foreigners on behalf of the country, which is originally a humiliating task. After the "apology", ministers will stay for a long time for fear of hiding. To this end, the Qing government made repeated choices and thought carefully. Later, Li Hongzhang recommended Guo Songtao, a native of Hunan and governor of Guangdong, saying that he was "a man of learning and diplomacy". Empress Dowager Cixi immediately adopted it.

Guo Song-Tao Xinran accepted the news that he was sent overseas and was determined to share his worries about this country and show his ambition. The Qing government informed Guo Songtao to intervene, and those involved agreed. Subsequently, the Qing government agreed to a delegation composed of Minister Guo Songtao, Deputy Ambassador Liu Xihong, Counselor Li Shuchang and Translator Zhang Deyi. Guo Songtao's wife Liang, two Englishmen, seven people and a dozen servants accompanied him. He instructed Guo Songtao to record what he saw and heard and send it back to the Prime Minister's Office in time.

The news that China will send permanent envoys to foreign countries immediately caused an uproar among the government and the public. At that time, there were many conservative princes and ministers in the Qing court. Although he was beaten and humiliated repeatedly, he still masturbated with the concept of "ten thousand people came to the DPRK", "vassal tribute" and "submission to the outside world" How does China issue equal diplomacy to "foreign countries"? In their view, the mission of Guo Song Dao is nothing more than an act of "seriously endangering the state system". Some die-hards even think that allowing foreign envoys to come to China is a great tolerance. It is a great shame for China to send diplomatic envoys to China now. "What should I do with my green face?" I feel guilty about going out as a special envoy. The more boring literati also compiled a pair of couplets to satirize Guo Song's Tao: beyond its class, outstanding, and incompatible with Yao and Shun's world; You can't deal with people or ghosts. Why go to your parents' country?

Liu Kunyi, a native of Hunan, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and Minister of Nanyang Trade, had dealt with foreigners before, but he accused Guo Song of saying, "You don't judge what you want to do when you go back to Hunan. What makes you treat the descendants of the world? " Li Ciming, a famous literary historian in the late Qing Dynasty, even represented the attitude of the conservative forces in the academic circles at that time: "For his supervision and policies, I created one person after another like parasites and protons and laughed at them, but this was only an insult to the country." In Li Ciming's view, being a diplomat in a foreign country is simply a hostage! A serious insult to the country is intolerable.

Guo Songtao's good friends in politics are also worried about him. Beijing officials advised him to resign and return to Hunan so as not to insult the reputation of Hunan people. Many people hinted to him in person or in writing, "This trip is stressful and shameful." Some said to him regretfully, "It's a pity, take my life to study river and sea geese." "Guo assistant minister article reading, world affairs. Sorry to send this task. " This means that good people should not go abroad.

This incident was most strongly reflected in Guo Songtao's hometown of Hunan. Wang Yun is a master of Confucian classics and poetry in Hunan and a good friend of Guo Songtao. At this time, he thought Guo Chuyang was a "ghost" and said angrily, "Hunan people are ashamed to associate with others!" In Changsha, candidates preparing to take the after-school entrance examination gathered in Yuquan Mountain to condemn him. Yuquan Mountain not only burned down Shanglin Temple, a famous temple in Tang Dynasty restored by Guo Songtao, but also threatened to destroy its residence and expel it from Hunan.

As the saying goes, "Spitting everywhere will drown people." Faced with such great pressure of public opinion, Guo Songtao had a wavering idea. He once said that he was sick, asked for withdrawal, and even suggested whether the Qing government could delay sending foreign ambassadors. However, Foreign Ministers Wen Xiang, Shen Guifen, Bao Yan, etc. Ministers in the Prime Minister's Office refused to accept Guo Songtao's request, saying that they could call in sick if they were sick, but they would still go after they got sick.

Among the numerous denunciations, only Li Hongzhang supported him. He said, "It is best to know the heroes of the world and the political system similar to westernization." Li Hongzhang also gave Guo Song great encouragement, saying that he was "famous and had a surname" and should not be influenced by comments. Under such circumstances, Guo Songtao repeatedly weighed his reputation and national interests, and finally said, "If he thinks the times are difficult, who will let him go?" There is no reason to stand by. ""Defamation ruined the whole world, but my heart is calm. What happened to the reputation of leisure? "Determined to work hard and go abroad for the motherland.

1On the evening of February 2, 876, Guo Songtao and his party, who were nearly sixty years old, boarded the British mail ship "Travan Cole" and embarked on a difficult road to go abroad amid the reviling of officials and people. As the first minister sent to the Western Regions by the Qing Dynasty, Guo felt no honor. Before this trip, the cruelty of British ministers, the ignorance of the court and the denigration of villagers had made him exhausted and shuddered. For foreigners, the ancient empire finally sent envoys to the "civilized western world", which is an excellent opportunity for them to see the official "make a fool of yourself". As early as when China and Britain signed the Tianjin Treaty, London's Daily Telegraph ridiculed "the best point of the treaty", that is, "the British minister will be based in Beijing and the Manchu officials will be based in London. Maybe he will invite the Queen of England to the Albert Gate Ball. "

After more than 50 days' sea voyage, Guo Songtao and his party arrived in London at the end of 1877+65438 10, and moved into the apartment No.45, which was rented by others and became the Chinese embassy in Britain. And after a pause, according to the emperor's instructions, he quickly collected more than 50 days' diaries, named them The Journey to the West, and immediately sent them back to the Prime Minister's Office.

In this diary, he objectively recorded what he saw and heard in the past 50 days, and attached his own comments to everything. The most precious thing in the diary is to introduce the democratic systems of countries along the route, praise the political, legal and economic progress of western countries, and put forward some suggestions that China can follow in its internal affairs. For example, when talking about the British political system, he said: "Western state affairs are all open, while China's state affairs for more than 2,000 years since the Qin and Han Dynasties are just the opposite." He also said that the mutual restraint between parliament and government is the reason why Britain is invincible. Regarding the British Prime Minister, he said: "The House of Lords and the House of Commons also distinguish political parties. If they are in the same position, many people must agree with the parliament, so as to ensure their status. " He spoke highly of Guo Song's system of "owned by the people, governed by the people, enjoyed by the people and governed by the monarch". He praised western politics and religion for raising the Ming Dynasty and hoped that

Unfortunately, such a book about Guo Songtao was attacked and reviled by die-hards after it was sent back to the Qing Dynasty. Until Guo Songtao died, the book was still unpublished. At that time, the information and opinions sent back by Guo Songtao touched the most sensitive nerves of the conservative feudal ruling class and literati, which greatly exceeded the political and ideological bottom line of the country. These old-fashioned schools launched a fierce criticism of this diary. It is difficult for them to tolerate Guo Songtao's praise of "barbarians" and his criticism of China. "Song Dao said this because I really don't know what lungs and livers are, and I don't know what the hearts of those who remember them are. All flesh and blood are gnashing their teeth. " He accused him of being "extremely boastful of foreign countries, almost poisoned by foreign countries, and impossible to adopt." He Jinshou, editor of the Hanlin Academy, was instigated by the old school such as Li, the prime minister of various countries. He wanted to break the position of "having second thoughts in Britain and wanting to intervene in China affairs", requested his dismissal and was transferred back for investigation. He said: "Now everyone who watches Journey to the West thinks it is the opposite. Guo Songtao also made a fuss. "

Guo Song once again stood in the forefront. Although still supported by Li Hongzhang at this time, it could not resist the powerful offensive of the old school. Li Hongzhang can't protect Guo Songtao who is so passive at this time. In a crusade, the Qing government ordered the destruction of the "forever banned" The Journey to the West. Just because there was no suitable candidate, the Qing court did not immediately recall it.

However, what worries Guo Songtao more at this time is not the massive attack of the Qing court, but the danger is just around the corner.

1In July, 877, Guo Songtao had a fierce conflict with German Ambassador and Minister Liu Xihong. Liu Xihong insinuated Guo Duo and accused Guo Songtao of "three sins": "You shouldn't wear a skirt even if you freeze to death." "Why do you have to pay tribute to this small country when you see the Brazilian boss stand up and create the world?" "While listening to music, Parkin Palace repeatedly looks at the music list and imitates the actions of foreigners."

The reason for this "infighting" is the idea given to him by the Qing government when it set up an embassy in Tao An, Guo Song. The composition of the embassy is the result of westernization and conservatism. In order to restrict Guo Song, the conservatives deliberately arranged Liu Xihong, who was stubborn and resolutely opposed to the Westernization Movement, as their deputy. After coming to England, Liu Xihong supervised Guo Songtao very seriously and diligently. He openly declared that Guo Songtao was a "traitor" among the embassy staff, regardless of his status. He also threatened, "I can't stand this traitor pointed out by capital." Then, he performed the "duty" of supervision everywhere, found fault everywhere, and then filed a case and reported it to China.

Liu Xihong accused him of committing three major crimes, all of which were trivial matters. First of all, when I visited the fort, the weather suddenly changed. An accompanying Englishman put his coat on Guo Songtao. Liu Xihong thinks, "Even if you freeze to death, you shouldn't wear it." Second, when participating in the activities of other countries' embassies in Britain, foreign kings came in, and Guo Songtao stood up and applauded with everyone. Liu Xihong believes that this is a great loss of national character. Finally, when Guo Songtao attended the concert held by the Queen of England at Buckingham Palace, he looked through the music list in front of his seat like other guests. Liu Xihong feels very ashamed. He should sit with his hands down, not turn things over.

In addition to these, even Guo Songtao did not drink tea to entertain guests, and used a silver plate to hold sugar cheese; Husband and wife learn foreign languages without authorization; They don't bow when shaking hands with foreign officials; A tea party was held for the ladies of the embassy; Westerners don't follow China from left to right, but they all follow international etiquette. At the same time, it also proves that it is correct for the British to praise Guo as "the most educated person in the East", but it is successful in Liu Xihong's works. In Liu Xihong's small report, these trivial things are all in vain. It is said that they deliberately please the British, deliberately "slander the government" and "always hold grudges", which is suspected of being involved with foreign countries. At this time, the domestic die-hards began to respond to Liu Xihong, and He Jinshou, editor-in-chief of Hanlin Bachelor, illegally called him "the second person in Britain and wanted to surrender to Britain".

Despite the difficulties, Guo Songtao insisted on enduring humiliation and doing his duty. In the present task, he tried his best to save face for the Qing government.

Guo Songtao's first mission to Britain had two purposes: first, as a representative of the Qing court, he went to Britain to "apologize" to the British government for the Macquarie incident; The second is to stay in the UK as the "first minister". However, should we apologize first or submit our certificate first? This is a question of national dignity before Guo Songtao. If you "apologize" first, it will damage the image of China; If you hand in the certificate first and then forget the "apology", Britain, which is angry because of Macquarie incident, will be dissatisfied and lose face. Through Guo's efforts, the two ceremonies were held in harmony, which solved the embarrassment of both sides.

Before going to England, Guo Songtao asked the British ambassador, what should Her Majesty the Queen of England do when she sees her? At that time, the ambassador hesitated and said that you can do whatever you want in court. In fact, the ambassador wanted Guo Songtao to kneel down and knock nine times. Because before you removed the government, you made westerners kowtow to Emperor China for three transgressions and nine times, which caused a lot of unhappiness. So many British people are waiting for jokes. Faced with this problem, Guo Songtao met many foreigners and asked about etiquette. Finally, he took off his hat and bowed to show the etiquette of meeting the Queen with other foreign ambassadors. He invented the form of three bows to show his respect, and the queen bowed in return, thus safeguarding the dignity of the country.

Guo Songtao visited the China Pavilion of the French World Expo.

In addition, in order to safeguard the dignity and security of the motherland, he has done a lot of concrete work. For example, by recording the British Foreign Office, he clarified the issue of the British Chamber of Commerce ships blocking Zhenjiang, China. And successfully handled the incident that British merchant ships collided with China merchant ships and employees of British foreign companies shot and killed Xiamen fishermen, which finally forced the British side to compensate for the losses. He also informed the Qing government of the national security situation in time.

In order to strengthen the consular protection of overseas Chinese, Guo Songtao first proposed to set up consulates in some countries. Thanks to his efforts, China has successively set up consulates in Singapore, San Francisco, Yokohama and Kobe, thus protecting the interests of overseas Chinese. Guo Songtao was strict with his subordinates and formulated the so-called five precepts for accompanying officials: no smoking, no whoring, no gambling, no soliciting and no oral sex. Guo Songtao's image as a special envoy was unanimously recognized by foreigners as the most educated oriental, and became the earliest code of conduct for China missions.

Guo Songtao has not been idle since he came to England. He went to the House of Commons to listen to members' criticism of the government and inspect the British parliamentary democracy and free election system. Visit and meet with government ministers, local celebrities, scholars and scientists. Attend the "International Criminal Prison Conference" and actively study public international law. Go to factories, ports, warships, forts, businesses, banks, mint, telegraph office, schools, museums, libraries, newspapers, tax bureaus, embroidery research institutes, shipyards, porcelain kilns, etc.

Guo Songtao sent these findings back to China and put forward many pertinent suggestions from politics, economy, culture, science and technology. It is suggested that we should not only introduce "the method of making machines" from Europe, but also learn from their systems. China has not awakened, transforming the old and catching up with the new, and it is stronger in the West and China. Guo Song's suggestion hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, in Korean society, deep-rooted traditional concepts still dominate, and these suggestions and information are shocking. At the same time, they deepened their hatred of the old school in China.

During his stay in Britain, Guo Songtao created many practices without precedent and reference, which provided valuable experience for China's diplomatic work, especially the embassy work.

Sadly, it was such a person who died for the diplomacy of the Qing court, but was called a "traitor" by many people in China at that time. The contradiction between Guo Songtao and Liu Xihong was quickly reflected in the Qing court, and their right and wrong caused a new round of contest between China Westernization School and the old school.

1On May 6, 878, Liu Xihong wrote a thousand-word complaint to the Prime Minister's yamen, which comprehensively listed Guo Songtao's "Top Ten Crimes" in the embassy. Guo Songtao, a former French minister, heard that the contradiction between the two men had deepened sharply and was almost incompatible, which had begun to affect the national reputation. The Qing government had to put the dispute between Guo and Liu on the agenda.

The old school headed by Li took advantage of this and demanded that Guo Songtao be immediately transferred back to China for treatment. Li Hongzhang of the Westernization Movement still tried his best to defend him. On June 20, Li Hongzhang wrote a letter to the Prime Minister's Office, in which he relayed Li's views on Liu Xihong: Western countries don't think highly of Liu Xihong, German newspapers always find fault with Liu Xihong, and Liu Xihong has a bad working attitude and is often "terminally ill". At the same time, Li Hongzhang wrote: "However, at present, Jun Xian is also the second ambassador of Britain and France, and his responsibility is heavier." "The British have nothing to say." In order to protect Guo Songtao, Li Hongzhang deliberately compared the criticism of Liu in German newspapers with that of Guo Songtao in British newspapers. But to Li Hongzhang's surprise, the voice against Guo Song's road is very strong. Many people not only demand that Guo Songtao be sent back to China, but also strongly demand that Guo Songtao be investigated and punished.

At this time, the situation was very unfavorable to Guo Song, and Li Hongzhang wrote to the Prime Minister's Office on July 10. He said: "only the British ambassador has a seat, and the relationship is very heavy. Fame should be commensurate with the position, and hope and Excellence should be realized. Xi is still controlled by the British and it is difficult to maintain. "He wants to oppose Guo Songtao's transfer on the grounds of the importance of the post of ambassador to Britain and the improper selection of successors, and then oppose the punishment of Guo Songtao. At the same time, he also borrowed a German sentence from the letter, saying that Liu Xihong was "humble and had a bad reputation" and "not very polite in Germany". If Guo Songtao is transferred back, it is best to transfer Liu Xihong back.

However, Li Hongzhang didn't want to be too stiff with the old school at this time, so he wrote a letter to the Prime Minister's Office to show his attitude. He explained in the letter: "Guy knows that Yunxian's heart will always be loyal and loving, but he is impatient by nature." He has been embarrassed by Liu since he went abroad, and it is difficult to stand together. "So he wrote a letter and talked about his own views. As for how to deal with them, I, Li Hongzhang, obey the court decrees and the ruling of the Prime Minister's Office. I only hope that the Prime Minister's Office will handle this matter carefully.

The Prime Minister initially decided to recall only Guo Songtao, and Liu Xihong stayed in Germany as a minister. According to Liu Xihong's proposal, another student studying in Germany will be appointed as the Counsellor of the German Embassy to supervise Li Jinxing. Feng Bao, the confidant cultivated by Li Hongzhang, has a harmonious relationship with Guo Songtao, and has always been disgusted with Liu Xihong's behavior. I heard that he will be Liu Xihong's deputy. Li thinks this man is difficult, so he doesn't want to do it. Then he looked around for an intercessor and refused. Li Hongzhang seized this opportunity and wrote to the Prime Minister's Office on July 18. In his letter, he reminded the Prime Minister's Office to "make full use of each other" when arranging candidates. He also said that Li's task of managing international students in Germany is already very heavy. If you give him this reluctant job, I'm afraid he can't do both things well. Finally, Li Hongzhang added: From this incident, we can see that "people's virtue is well known". Li Hongzhang's intention is obvious, and no one wants to cooperate with Liu Xihong, which makes him fall into a "lonely" situation. So as to realize the real intention of replacing Guo Songtao and Liu Xihong.

Ms. Guo Songtao Liang

On the one hand, Li Hongzhang resolutely opposed the investigation of Guo Songtao, and at the same time demanded the removal of Liu Xihong, saying that he was violent, intelligent and had a bad external influence. The Qing government attached great importance to Li Hongzhang's opinions. After fierce struggle, the Qing court finally changed its original intention. On August 25th, the Qing government formally ordered the recall of Liu Xihong and Li respectively. Guo Songtao will no longer be investigated. The two political forces, Westernization School and Old School, finally bound the debate between Guo and Liu.

10, Guo Songtao and his successor Ceng Jize returned to China. Before leaving, Guo Songtao and his wife Liang went to the palace to bid farewell to Queen Victoria in accordance with international diplomatic etiquette. Guo Songtao also wants to marry a wife. Because according to the requirements of feudal ethics in Qing dynasty for "women's morality", women are not allowed to participate in politics or appear in public, otherwise it is "immoral" As a result, the news that he took his wife to bid farewell to the king of England was sent back to Beijing, which once again aroused the condemnation of feudal literati, thus aggravating his sin.

However, westerners spoke highly of Guo Songtao's practice and called him "the most educated person in the East". I heard that Guo Songtao was going to be transferred, and officials and journalists from Britain and France came to bid farewell. Everyone expressed their reluctance to break up with this impressive China diplomat.

Guo Songtao arrived in Shanghai after sailing for a few days. According to the routine of important envoys returning to China, he should have returned to Beijing to report on his work. However, Empress Dowager Cixi sent a letter saying that she could retire and go home instead of going to Beijing to report on her work. On May 5, Guo Songtao, who was extremely lonely, arrived in his hometown of Changsha by boat. At that time, there was an old-fashioned wave of xenophobia in Hunan. Guo Songtao's sudden return seems to add fuel to the fire and make the situation more tense. At this time, Guo Songtao's slogans of "traitors and traitors" and "interacting with foreigners" have been plastered all over the street. Although Guo Songtao's imperial rank was not abolished, local officials were "arrogant and rude" under the governor, allowing many people to abuse Guo on the shore and not letting his ship dock.

Guo Songtao refuted the accusations and neglect of officials and people in his hometown. He said: "slander ruined the whole world, but my heart is calm." He also wrote poems to express his ambition: "Pride is unintentional, not distorted. He should make his old age full of vitality. After hundreds of generations and thousands of years of communication, it is certain that there is such a person in the world. When the world wants to kill positioning talents, it is often countered. I studied semi-officially, and I have driven it several times in my life. " This is not only his understanding of his life experience and ending, but also his silent protest against the conservative and decadent officialdom ecology in the late Qing Dynasty. After Guo Songtao went to the countryside, he still cared about state affairs, often despised the court and wrote current affairs and diplomatic letters to important officials such as Li Hongzhang.

189 1 07 18, Guo Songtao died lonely and desolate. When Li Hongzhang, Ceng Jize, Wang Xianqian and other officials heard about it, they asked the court to summon Guo Songtao and asked him to set up a posthumous title for himself. However, these requests were rejected by Empress Dowager Cixi, and some even asked the court to flog Guo Songtao to show their gratitude.

Guo Songtao is on duty, shouldering heavy responsibilities and working hard for the country and the people. But because he was ahead of that era, he was not recognized by his era until the day he died. Before we die, we can only hope that "there will be such people in the world after thousands of generations" and place our expectations on future generations. Even if we read history books a hundred years later, we can't see much description about him. We have to say that his ending is very sad. It should be said that his experience is the sorrow of that era. Wang Xianqian, a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, once commented on Guo Songtao: "Serving the country with loyalty to the liver, the world lives up to its name."