The positive evaluation of historians holds that the westernization movement led by him and Zeng Guofan is a sign of his progress. He also had the deeds of defending China diplomatically, for example, after Eight-Nation Alliance captured Peking, he went to negotiate alone, and finally used the Boxer Movement to hold the Qing court hostage as a diplomatic excuse [32] to quell the incident without ceding territory.
"Biography of Li Hongzhang in the Draft of Qing Dynasty" commented: "A famous minister of Zhongxing started with military affairs, and his exploits are often overwhelmed by martial arts. Hong Zhang has been in charge of the country for decades, and domestic and foreign affairs have always borne the brunt. The country is more important than light, and it is famous all over the world, which shocked both at home and abroad, which is unprecedented in modern times. I have taken the world as my responsibility all my life, endured humiliation and shouldered heavy burdens, and I am worthy of being a minister of the country; Being incompetent and complacent, driving people away with wealth, many people who are determined to be honest are unwilling to use wealth and do not rely on priorities, leading to failure. Is there no reason for the rise of suspicion and slander? "
Zeng Guofan once said, "Li Shaoquan tried his best to be an official, and Yu (Yu Yue) tried his best to write a book". Li Hongzhang was keen on officialdom and trusted by the imperial court. He can live for decades, obviously thanks to his official skills.
Liang Qichao's biography of Li Hongzhang commented on him: "I respect Li Hongzhang's talent, I cherish his knowledge, and I mourn Li Hongzhang's experience." "I want to say two words, saying: I am not enough to learn, and I dare not make an exception; It is its strength not to avoid hard work and not to be afraid of rumors. " [33]
When Sun Wen wrote a letter to Li Hongzhang, he once commented on Li Hongzhang: "Since George George was in power in the nave, I have made no profit, and the reform has been difficult and arduous, and I have spared no effort. If it is difficult to support the navy and railways, we will resolutely establish them. It is because of the great politics of farming and mulberry, the lifeblood of people's livelihood, that some people have no difficulty in doing it. Does anyone not do it? "
Tang Degang, a historian of modern history (a native of Hefei, Anhui, and a fellow countryman of Li Hongzhang), thinks that he is one of the "two halves" diplomats of China since its modern diplomacy (besides, Zhou Enlai is one and Gu Weijun is half). )
U.S. President Grant called Li the first of the four great men in the world at that time, and he was as famous as British Prime Minister, French Prime Minister Gambi and German Chancellor Bismarck.
1896 The New York Times believes that the American people responded enthusiastically to Li's visit to the United States because "everyone wants to see the elegant demeanor of the prime minister of the Qing Dynasty, because this man ruled more people than all the subjects under the jurisdiction of European monarchs combined". The courtesy of the state guest not only shows his personal lofty dignity, but also shows the greatness of the Qing Empire. [34]
1896, when Li Hongzhang visited China, Victor, the finance minister of Russian Empire, commented on his impression of Li Hongzhang: "I think Li is an outstanding figure. Of course, he did, but he was deeply educated in China. The most important thing is that he has an excellent sound mind and is good at thinking clearly. Because of this, it is not surprising that he played an important role in governing China in the history of China. At that time, it was actually Li Hongzhang who governed the Chinese empire. " [35][36]
Negative evaluation
Li Hongzhang has long been at odds with the conservative Qing Weng Tonghe. Weng Tonghe once ridiculed Li Hongzhang that "the prime minister is too thin for the world" and was hit back by Li's "thinking of agriculture and Changshu in the world".
Liang Qichao believed that Li "grew up in a high position and made zhina a second-class country."
1895, due to the signing of treaty of shimonoseki, Taiwan Province Province was ceded to Japan, and the provincial gentry in Taiwan Province Province intended to support the Qing Dynasty's anti-Japanese war, which broke out and was later defeated by Japan. Qiu, a Hakka elder in Taiwan Province, wrote a poem after the Second World War: "The Prime Minister has the right to cut land, but the lonely minister is powerless to save the sky. The boat went to be a scorpion and looked back at the mountains and rivers. " The first two sentences are intended to satirize Li Hongzhang.
Zhang Boju once wrote a book "Notes on Poems in a Dream of Red Mansions", recalling his 70-year-old chrysanthemum historical materials, and included 199 poems. It is recorded in the poem that after the signing of treaty of shimonoseki, people's resentment boiled. Liu Gansan, a famous actor who played a clown in Yanjing, dared to publicly ridicule Li Hongzhang when he was acting on the stage one day, and popped up an additional line: "Unplug the third eye!" It happened that Li Hongzhang's nephew was also present at the play. Hearing this, he flew into a rage, immediately went on stage and slapped Liu Gansan several times, but he was not dissuaded by others. Liu Gansan was insulted only because he dared to be angry and didn't dare to speak. He was depressed and died soon. At that time, people made a joint ridicule on this matter, saying, "It is not shameful to kill Sany, and Mr. Li Er is a traitor. Because "Catch Three to Die" and "Mr. Li Er" are incompatible, it became Yang San after being passed down from generation to generation. There is also a saying that Liu Gansan's nickname is "Yang Saner", so it was misrepresented as "Yang San". Some people say that "Yang San" refers to Yang Mingyu, a famous and ugly Suzhou native.
After the Qing-French War, Zuo gave up the suzerainty over Vietnam by signing a treaty. Zuo commented on Li Hongzhang: "For the Qing Dynasty, ten French generals are not as good as one Li Hongzhang"; "Li Hongzhang's mistakes in his life will lead to eternal infamy." [37]
It is said that Bismarck once said, "I don't want to be called Li Hongzhang of Europe."