Born in Xiaolan, Xiangshan County, Guangdong Province (now Zhongshan City) in 1816 (the 21st year of Jiaqing). His grandfather was He Wenming; his father was He Yueyu; he had two sons, He Yaozhang and He Hanzhang.
In 1833 (the thirteenth year of Daoguang), he participated in the Shuntian rural examination with the qualification of supervising students.
(Picture: He Jing’s calligraphy couplet)
In 1843 (the 23rd year of Daoguang reign), the fourteenth candidate of Guimao Branch was elected.
In 1847 (the 27th year of Daoguang reign), Ding Wei was admitted as a Jinshi, ranked 53rd among the top two in the imperial examination, and was selected as a concubine of the Hanlin Academy.
From 1850 to 1853 (the 30th year of Daoguang to the third year of Xianfeng), he was awarded the title of editor and editor of the Hanlin Academy.
In 1852 (the second year of Xianfeng), he served as the same examiner of Shuntian Township Examination.
In 1853 (the third year of Xianfeng), he was awarded the title of supervisory censor of Jiangnan Province as a registered censor.
In November 1857 (the seventh year of Xianfeng), the British and French forces captured Guangzhou. Ye Mingchen, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, was captured, but Bai Gui, the governor of Guangdong, who surrendered to the invaders and sued for peace, was not only not reprimanded, but was appointed acting governor, causing an uproar in public opinion.
He Jing went to court and requested that Ye Mingchen's family property be expropriated and that Bai Gui be severely punished to arouse the anger of the people.
After the British troops spent the winter in Guangzhou, they marched northward to Dagukou one after another. The Qing government was panicked. He Jing wrote eight memorials in a row to explain the key strategies of the battle and defense.
It is believed that Tianjin and Shanghai are strategic points. They should build more watchtowers and piers, arrange gun emplacements, bury wooden piles in the ports, send more soldiers to guard them, and strictly prohibit civilian ships from going to sea.
It is also recommended to organize coastal people and mobilize soldiers and militia to resist foreign enemies. Practice boating, sharpen equipment, and prepare for fire attacks. The British were ordered to withdraw from the provincial capital within a time limit. If they did not comply, they would be ordered to launch a campaign of suppression.
It also advocates treating Britain differently from France, the United States, Russia, etc., and allowing legitimate commercial exchanges to focus on combating the aggressive arrogance of the British army.
In 1858 (the eighth year of Xianfeng), the British and French forces captured the Dagu Fort. He made repeated concessions, advocating strengthening defenses at seaports such as Tianjin and Shanghai, and launching an attack in Guangdong, believing that this would force the British to return to rescue Hong Kong, and the British ships in Tianjin would retreat without a fight and sue for peace in despair.
In May of 1859 (the ninth year of Xianfeng), he was promoted to Shizhong.
In 1860 (the tenth year of Xianfeng), the palm seal of the Ministry of Industry was transferred to Shizhong. In view of the shortcomings in the promotion of officials in various ministries, it is advocated that senior officials should be promoted first and recommended according to merit, so as to change the situation of external emphasis and internal neglect and slightly curb the tendency to be anxious. Its recommendations were adopted and implemented.
In March 1861 (the eleventh year of Xianfeng), He Jing was named as a Taoist priest. In September, he was appointed as a Taoist priest in Lufeng, Anhui.
In 1862 (the first year of Tongzhi), he entered the camp affairs office of Zeng Guofan's military general office.
In 1863 (the second year of Tongzhi), he was appointed as the inspector of Anhui.
In 1864 (the third year of Tongzhi), Jiangning was restored and he was awarded the title of envoy for his meritorious service. In September, he was awarded the title of Inspector of Anhui Province. In October, he also served as the chief envoy.
In 1865 (the fourth year of Tongzhi), he was awarded the title of Chief Envoy of Hubei Province and took office in 1866 (the fifth year of Tongzhi). When there was a flood in Huangpi County, people fled to the Jianghan area one after another, causing social unrest. He Jing went to the court to ask for 300,000 taels of silver relief, and ordered all states and counties to accumulate grain to prepare for famine and to cope with disasters. After the Taiping Rebellion was suppressed, Zeng Guofan set about dismantling the Hunan Army. He Jing was the nursing governor at the time. He learned from the previous two mutinies that occurred when Ting camp was dismantled and advocated secrecy. Due to careful consideration, things went smoothly and the rebellion in Qishui was put down.
In 1867 (the sixth year of Tongzhi), he nursed the governor of Hubei. At that time, the Nian Army was planning to attack Anqing. Governor Qiao Songnian led troops to Shouzhou, while He Jing stayed in the provincial capital. In order to avoid the inconvenience of correspondence and delaying the opportunity of fighting, He Jing changed his approach and acted according to the opportunity with the commander-in-chief Yu Jisan to defeat the Nian army together. After the provincial capital was recovered, the documents were scattered and scattered, so He Jing personally drafted 13 articles of association to make affairs more orderly. He led troops to suppress the Nian army and was rewarded with Hualing for his meritorious service.
In 1868 (the seventh year of Tongzhi), He Jing laid off 54 small cards in the donation branch.
In 1869 (the eighth year of Tongzhi), the chief envoy of Shanxi was transferred.
In 1870 (the ninth year of Tongzhi), he was successively appointed governor of Fujian and then governor of Shanxi. At that time, the Hui uprising in Gansu had not yet been quelled. He Jing toured the Hequ, Baode, Jizhou, and Xiangning areas, and went to the army many times to request stronger defenses.
In 1871 (the tenth year of Tongzhi), he was transferred to the governor of Jiangsu.
In February of 1872 (the eleventh year of Tongzhi), he was appointed the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi and also the Minister of Commerce and Industry.
At that time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was preparing for the wedding of Emperor Tongzhi (the appointment of Queen Alute and Queen Xiaozheyi), and a large number of satin pieces were prepared for rewards. It was difficult for He Jing to raise a huge sum of money, so he asked for a reduction, and the court decreed that it should be reduced by half, saving 1 million taels of funds.
In October 1872 (the eleventh year of Tongzhi), Ding's father was worried and returned to his hometown to observe the system.
In September of 1876 (the second year of Guangxu), he went to Beijing to see Emperor Guangxu. He was appointed governor of Fujian and Zhejiang and was given the gift of riding horses in the Forbidden City.
After December of 1877 (the third year of Guangxu), he was also appointed General of Fuzhou.
After taking office, in view of the weak military strength in Fujian, he negotiated with Shen Baozhen, the governor of Liangjiang, and transferred two more battalions led by General Song Guoyong to build defenses in Fujian. At the same time, prepare for coastal defense.
In May 1878 (the fourth year of Guangxu), there was a flood in Fuzhou. He Jing supervised the relief work for the victims for seven consecutive days and nights. He took the lead in donating 2,000 taels of silver to set an example for the officials and gentry. After the flood receded, he presided over the dredging of the Hongtang River, which basically eliminated the flood.
In 1879 (the fifth year of Guangxu), he also served as governor. In view of the maritime unrest and Japan's plan to annex Ryukyu, which is close to Taiwan, He Jing suggested that the ships of the Yangtze River Navy's Shipping Bureau be transferred to Keelung Hecao, and ships be sent to patrol the ports every day to prepare for emergencies at any time.
In 1883 (the ninth year of Guangxu), Sino-French negotiations broke out and the Qing-France War began. The French army launched an attack on the Qing army stationed in Shanxi, Vietnam. As the Sino-French negotiations reached a deadlock, France's attempts failed, so they formed a Far East Fleet with Guba as the fleet commander and sailed to Fuzhou and Keelung. In view of the lack of troops in Fujian and Taiwan, He Jing recruited more troops and deployed defenses in Wuhumen, Funing, Haikou, Xiamen, Xinghua, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Tainan, Penghu and other places.
Liangjiang Governor Zuo Zongtang obeyed the order and sent deputy general Yang Zaiyuan to lead the fourth battalion of the Hunan-Huai Army to cross Taiwan to assist in defense.
Because Yang was familiar with the situation in Taiwan in the Yuan Dynasty, He Jing ordered him to temporarily serve as the commander-in-chief of Taiwan Town. Together with General Mu Tushan and Governor Zhang Zhaodong, he arranged war and defense strategies, and also sent officials to the Fujian Customs and the vassal and military affairs. Allocate funds from the Second Salt Treasury to support military needs.
(The picture shows the archives of the military aircraft on December 18, the 9th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, in which Yang Songsheng was asked to serve as the deputy general of the Min'an Association of Fujian Province. Collection unit: Library and Documentation Department, National Palace Museum, Taiwan)
In 1884 (the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu), the Qing government appointed Zhang Peilun, a bachelor's degree scholar, as the imperial envoy to handle Fujian's maritime affairs.
Arriving in Fuzhou on the third day of July, He Jing was about to hand over coastal defense matters to Zhang Peilun for his exclusive decision. .
Beginning on July 13, Guba led French warships to Mawei Port in Fuzhou one after another, monitoring the Fujian Navy day and night, preparing to attack the Fujian Navy and Mawei Shipyard, and also threatened to capture Fuzhou. At that time, the Qing court had not yet declared war on France, and He Jing did not dare to block its entry under the constraints of unequal treaties.
On July 15, He Jing, Zhang Peilun and others called the capital to request instructions, pointing out that the legal person actually intended to occupy key points and strike preemptively; if the imperial court decided to declare war, please give the order in advance before rejuvenating the law. It was a good idea to order the Chinese army to attack from head to tail, using both water and land forces. The imperial court issued a strict order to abide by the treaty and avoid any provocation. He Jing and others repeatedly requested the navy from the South and the North for reinforcements. The Qing emperor agreed, but Zeng Guoquan and Li Hongzhang, who controlled the two naval forces, did not send ships to respond. He Jing, Zhang Peilun and others petitioned to block the mouth of the Minjiang River and launch a preemptive attack on the French warships anchored in Mawei, but the Qing court officials did not take it seriously.
On the fifth day of August, the French army attacked Keelung.
At noon on August 23, He Jing received a declaration of war from the French consul in Fuzhou, which telegraphed the two fortresses of Mawei and Nagato. However, the telegraph at Nagato was interrupted and Mawei had not yet received the message. When the telegram arrived, the French ship had fired first. Nine ships of the Fujian Navy and the Mawei Shipyard were destroyed. He Jing was summarily dismissed from his post due to his defeat. After returning to Guangdong, he gave lectures at Yingyuan Academy in Guangdong in his later years.
He died of illness in 1888 (the fourteenth year of Guangxu) at the age of 72.
(The picture shows the name plaque of Wen Kui. In the Renwu year of Guangxu, Zhang Zhaodong, the governor of Fujian Province, was appointed as the right deputy censor of the Inspectorate of the Ministry of War and the right deputy censor of the Inspectorate of the Ministry of War; He Jing, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang Province as the right deputy censor of the Inspectorate of the Ministry of War; The left minister of the household department is also in charge of the affairs of the three treasuries. The Fujian governor's academic affairs clan Kungang, size 193X83cm)