Sheng Xuanhuai

Author: Han Bo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: It seems to verify the praise given by Li Hongzhang's sworn brother, the influential late Qing figure Li Hongzhang, upon his arrival in Zhou: "One hand holding an official seal, the other holding an abacus—both official and merchant, turning both ways." Under Li Hongzhang's protection, Sheng Xuanhuai, as a practitioner of the Self-Strengthening Movement, founded many pioneering enterprises in the movement. These covered various fields such as steamships, telegraphs, railways, iron and steel, banks, textiles, and education, with a profound impact that extended to later generations. Sheng was an active practitioner of Li Hongzhang's Self-Strengthening Movement and had lived in Shanghai for over forty years. Therefore, this book serves as both a joint biography of Sheng and Li, an important supplement to the story of Li Hongzhang, and a vivid record of the changes in Shanghai's city proper and concessions, as well as the rise of Shanghai compradors and their paths to immense wealth.