A Study On Li Bingheng

As an important local official of the late Qing, Li Bingheng has an extremelyimportant historical influence in the Chinese modern history. He frequently carries outthe following principles:doing the affairs industriously, showing solicitude for thepeople and loving the motherland deeply in the long-term process of handling thegovernment affairs, so he is regarded as a model of the incorruptible official by thepeople. The history researchers hold a nearly comprehensive firmly manner to himand neglect the hindrance to the advancement for China walking towards moderntimes that his Stubbornness, conservatism and opposing the foreign affairs has created.This article plans to examine Li Bingheng carefully again with a historical,developmental and dialectical viewpoint, and puts him under the big background ofthe modern times to inspect it, thus gives him brand-new and accurate historicallocalization.Politics aspect. Li Bingheng paid much attention to reorganize the official'sworking style and reversed the government's bad habit enormously. In order to savethe fund, he also carried on the organization reform positively, consolidated somebureaus and saved massive funds for the country. When the disaster occurred, healways relieved the disaster victims positively. He extremely took talented person'sfunction in rulling a nation and advocated to rule a nation diligently and thriftily.However, constrained by his own experience, Li Bingheng opposed anytransformation of studying the west countries and establishing the foreign affairsfirmly. This hindered the society's development enormously at that time.Economy aspect. Li Bingheng paid attention to the agricultural production andprohibited destroying the farmland, he paid more attention to lightening the peasant'sburden. Whenever the flood came, he would improve the river positively and relievedthe disaster victims' poverty. At the same time, he also paid attention to reducing themerchant's burden, he tried to increase the national tax revenue but not to aggravatethe merchants' burden. In order to increase the financial revenue of the country, LiBingheng also emphasized the administration for salt industry and tariff, and theeffect is notable. However, fettered by the Confucianism, Li Bingheng did his best toobject to studying the west countries and establishing the foreign affairs, such asbuilding railways, opening mines, setting up post offices, studying the westernlearning and so on, this reflects the backward side of his thought.Military aspect. Li Bingheng trained troops strictly, he paid attention tostrengthening the interior construction of the army, solidified the morale of the troopsand selected the incorruptible high-ranking military officer to reduce the interiorcorruption of the army, in the situation that the soldier's pay and provisions warescarce, he positively supported the royal government's plan for disarmament to savethe money, and this played an important role at that time. However, because of theconservative thought, he actually opposed reconstructing the navy and still followedtraditional training way, There's no doubt that this was extremely disadvantageous forthe army to modernize, He also participated in and commanded Sino-French war,Sino-Japanese war and resisted the invasion of eight joint powers. The author hasappraised his behavior in the wars.Culture and education aspect, because he accepted the legitimate Confucianismeducation since he was a boy, Li Bingheng extremely venerated the dominant positionof Confucianism in China, He paid much attention to the construction of thetraditional academy and the imperial examination, and he did his utmost to object thewestern culture, This kind of consciousness became his thought foundation to excludethe west blindly.Diplomacy aspect, In order to maintain the dominant status of Qing governmentand the Confucianism in China, Li Bingheng extremely repelled the foreigners andthe western culture, This behaved very obviously when he handled the religious case.In order to Expel the foreigners out of China, he also extremely supported theexclusive struggle of Yi He Tuan. Finally, This made the Western imperialism powersget the excuse to invade China instead, we had no choice but to say a kind of regretfor it. In order to maintain the benefit of the country, Li Bingheng's manner is tough inthe diplomatic field. However, this actually couldn't save the Qing government'sdisadvantageous situation in diplomatic field and fully verified the principle "theweak country does not have the diplomacy".In a word, we can draw a conclusion: Li Bingheng should be the typicalrepresentative of the feudal conservatives. Though he is a incorruptible, loyal andpatriotic officer, his conservative thought hampered the country and society'sdevelopment at that time, his fault is greater than the achievement in the process ofwalking towards the modern times for China.At the same time, the author has analyzed the origin, characteristic and thehistorical influence of Li Bingheng's conservative thought, Then the author carries onthe discussion about the conservatives' harmful effects in the course of walkingtowards the modern times in China, and announces its hindrance for the process ofChina walking towards the modern times. This has an important meaning for thethought construction of the Party members at present. It tells us: All the partymembers and cadres must emancipate the mind in the reform tide of today, advancetogether with the times and dare to absorb the advanced technical achievements andmanagerial experience of other nations, We should get hold of the chance of openingto the outside world and promote the development of our great socialism constructionfurther.