What kind of person is Li Hongzhang in history?

Japanese Prime Minister Hirofumi Ito regards him as "the only person in the Qing Empire who has the ability to compete with the world powers".

The Japanese's evaluation of Li Hongzhang is: learn from the west, understand foreign civilizations, strive to emulate self-improvement, have a great vision and have a quick wrist.

The evaluation of Americans is: as a scholar, he is outstanding; As a soldier, he made valuable contributions to the country in important battles; As far as politics is concerned, he has provided recognized excellent facilities for the people of the oldest and most populous country on earth; As a diplomat, his achievements made him one of the best in diplomatic history.

While commenting on Li Hongzhang's merits and demerits, people gradually noticed his calligraphy art. Through a lot of ink left in the world, we saw his extraordinary calligraphy skill. However, few people mentioned that he was a man with high cultural accomplishment and a calligrapher with deep attainments in the late Qing Dynasty.

Li Hongzhang's fan is on an irregular fan, with orderly layout and harmonious characters. Beauty jumps like a lively pearl, and the lines are measured, sparse but not chaotic. It is refreshing and pleasing to the eye, and it can be called a masterpiece of calligraphy, which shows Li Hongzhang's profound calligraphy attainments.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia-Li Hongzhang