Editing Li Hongzhang (section)

{{Short description|Chinese politician, general (1823–1901)}}
{{distinguish|Li Hongzao|Li Hongzhong}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Li (surname 李)|Li]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Li Hongzhang
| native_name = {{No bold|李鴻章}}
| native_name_lang = zh-hant
| honorific_prefix = [[Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty#Notable titles|Marquis Suyi of the First Rank]]
| honorific-suffix = [[GCVO]]
| image = File:Bundesarchiv Bild 116-127-035, China, Tsingtau-Chinese.jpg
| caption = 
| office           = [[Grand Secretariat|Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall]]
| term_start       = {{start date|1875|1|9}}
| term_end         = {{end date|1901|11|7}}
| predecessor      = 
| successor        = 
| office2           = [[Grand Secretariat|Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall]]
| term_start2       = {{start date|1872|1|16}}
| term_end2         = {{end date|1875|1|9}}
| predecessor2      = 
| successor2        = 
| office3           = [[Grand Secretariat|Assistant Grand Secretary]]
| term_start3       = {{start date|1868|8|27}}
| term_end3         = {{end date|1872|6|22}}
| predecessor3      = 
| successor3        =
| office4 = [[Viceroy of Zhili]] and Beiyang Trade Minister
| term_start4 = {{start date|1900|7|8}}
| term_end4 = {{end date|1901|11|7}}
| predecessor4 = [[Yulu (Qing dynasty)|Yulu]]
| successor4 = [[Yuan Shikai]]
| term_start5 = {{start date|1870|8|29}}
| term_end5 = {{end date|1895|8|28}}
| predecessor5 = [[Zeng Guofan]]
| successor5 = [[Wang Wenshao]]
| office6 = [[Viceroy of Liangguang]]
| term_start6 = {{start date|1900|5|24}}
| term_end6 = {{end date|1900|7|9}}
| predecessor6 = [[Tan Zhonglin]]
| successor6 = {{ill|Tao Mo|zh|陶模}}
| office7 = [[Viceroy of Huguang]]
| term_start7 = February 2, 1867
| term_end7 = August 29, 1870
| predecessor7 = [[Guanwen]]
| successor7 = {{ill|Li Hanzhang|zh|李瀚章|ja|李瀚章|ko|이한장}}
| office8 = [[Viceroy of Liangjiang]]<br>{{small|(acting)}}
| term_start8 = {{start date|1865|5|23}}
| term_end8 = {{end date|1866|10|27}}
| predecessor8 = Zeng Guofan
| successor8 = Zeng Guofan
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1823|2|15}}
| birth_place = [[Hefei]], [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1901|11|7|1823|2|15}}
| death_place = [[Beijing]], [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]]
| spouse = Lady Zhou<br>Lady Xiaolian<br>Lady Mo
| occupation = Official, general, diplomat
| relations = {{plainlist|
*{{ill|Li Wen'an|zh|李文安}} (father)
*{{ill|Li Hanzhang|zh|李瀚章|ja|李瀚章|ko|이한장}} (brother)
*[[Eileen Chang]] (great-grandchild)
}}
| religion =
| allegiance = {{flag|Qing Dynasty}}
| branch = [[Military of the Qing dynasty|Qing Army]]
| commands = [[Beiyang Fleet]]<br>[[Huai Army]]
|rank = [[General officer|General]] 
| battles = [[Taiping Rebellion]]<br>[[First Sino-Japanese War]]
| awards = [[Order of the Double Dragon]]<br />Knight Grand Cross of the [[Royal Victorian Order]].<ref name="Antony Best 1922">Antony Best, "Race, Monarchy, and the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, 1902–1922,"[[Social Science Japan Journal]] 2006 9(2):171–186</ref><br />Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Red Eagle]].<ref name="ReferenceA">Meng, Hong, Chinese in Germany at the end of the Qing-Dynasty, Page 3</ref>
| education = ''[[Jinshi]]'' degree in the [[Imperial Examination]]
| signature = Li Hongzhang Signature (Kao).svg
| serviceyears = 1847-1901
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| t = {{linktext|李|鴻|章}}
| s = {{linktext|李|鸿|章}}
| p = Lǐ Hóngzhāng
| w = Li<sup>3</sup> Hung<sup>2</sup>-chang1
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|l|i|3|-|h|ong|2|.|zh|ang|1}}
| j = Lei<sup>5</sup> Hung<sup>4</sup>-zoeng<sup>1</sup>
}}

[[File:Liang Shitai Portrait of Li Hongzhang.jpg|thumb|left| [[Liang Shitai]]. Portrait of Li Hongzhang. 1878. Albumen silver print. [[Stephan Loewentheil|The Loewentheil Photography of China Collection.]]]]
[[File:Li Hung Chang, Lord Salisbury, Lord Curzon.jpg|thumb|Li Hongzhang (middle) with [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury|Lord Salisbury]] (left) and [[George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston|Lord Curzon]]]]
[[File:Lihongzhang Shanghai Baoji Studio Portrait (Volkenkunde Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands).jpg|thumb|Photographic portrait of Li Hongzhang by Baoji Studio, Shanghai. Date unknown.]]
[[File:LiHungTschang.jpg|thumb|right|[[Woodcut]] of Li Hongzhang with [[Otto von Bismarck]] (left) in [[Friedrichsruh]] in 1896.]]

'''Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi''' ({{lang-zh|t=李鴻章}}; also '''Li Hung-chang'''; February 15, 1823 – November 7, 1901) was a Chinese statesman, general and diplomat of the late [[Qing dynasty]]. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important positions in the Qing imperial court, including the [[Viceroy of Zhili]], [[Viceroy of Huguang|Huguang]] and [[Viceroy of Liangguang|Liangguang]].

Although he was best known in the West for his generally pro-modern stance and importance as a negotiator, Li antagonised the British with his support of Russia as a foil against Japanese expansionism in [[Manchuria]] and fell from favour with the Chinese after their defeat in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]]. His image in China remains controversial, with criticism on one hand for political and military defeats and praise on the other for his success against the [[Taiping Rebellion]], his diplomatic skills defending Chinese interests in the era of [[unequal treaties]], and his role pioneering China's [[Kaiping Tramway|industrial]] and [[Beiyang Navy|military]] modernisation. He was presented the [[Royal Victorian Order]] by [[Queen Victoria]]. The French newspaper ''[[Le Siècle]]'' described him as "the yellow [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]]."

At the time of Li's death, he was the most famous person from China within places outside of China, better known than members of the family of the Emperor of China.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Matthewson|first=Amy|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/779882|title=''Cui Malo? Cui Bono?'' Reflections on a Literary Forgery: The Case of ''The Memoirs of Li Hung Chang''|journal=[[Partial Answers: Journal of Literature and the History of Ideas]]|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]]|volume=19|issue=1|date=January 2021|pages=19–34|doi=10.1353/pan.2021.0001 }} - Cited: p. 19.</ref>