Zeng Guofan pursued patience as the first priority in his life, advocated thrift in everything and was not proud of being an official. He cultivated self-discipline, sought officials by virtue, put courtesy first, and sought politics by loyalty, and achieved great success in officialdom.
The rise of Zeng Guofan had a far-reaching impact on the politics, military affairs, culture and economy of the Qing Dynasty. At Zeng Guofan's initiative, he built the first ship in China, founded the first ordnance school, printed and translated the first batch of western language books, and arranged the first batch of students studying in the United States. It can be said that Zeng Guofan was the pioneer of China's modernization.
The "First Minister of Zhongxing" in the late Qing Dynasty, together with Zhang Zhidong, Li Hongzhang and Zuo, was also called "Four Famous Ministers" and was known as "Zheng Wen". He is a philosopher, politician, calligrapher and writer. Some people praised him as the first perfect man in history, but he was controversial because he was loyal to the Qing Dynasty and suppressed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.