Mujangga 穆彰阿

MU-chang-a 穆彰阿 (T. 子樸, H. 常軒, 鶴舫), 1782–1856, official, was a Manchu of the Bordered Blue Banner. His father, Kuang-t'ai 廣泰 (d. 1825), was a sub-chancellor of the Grand Secretariat. A chin-shih of 1805, Mu-chang-a was selected a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy and was later made a corrector. By quick promotion he became an expositor of the Hanlin Academy in 1809, chief supervisor of instruction in 1813, and sub-chancellor of the Grand Secretariat in 1814. In the same year (1814) he was appointed junior vice-president of the Board of Ceremonies. Early in 1816 he was degraded to an official of the third grade for suspending many legal cases during his tenure as acting junior vice-president of the Board of Punishments, but was soon restored to his former rank. During the period 1817–23, besides holding office as a vice-president in various Boards, he served concurrently as deputy lieutenant general of several Banners.

After 1820 Mu-chang-a gradually came to great power. When Emperor Jên-tsung died at Jehol (September 2, 1820) and the coffin was transported to Peking, Mu was rewarded with a promotion of one grade for his careful preparation of the road along the way. In the first year of Tao-kuang (1821) he was made a minister of the Imperial Household, and after Jên-tsung's funeral he was promoted three grades. Thereafter he served as president of the Censorate (1823), minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs (1824), and twice (1825, 1826) as acting director-general of grain transport.

Early in 1827, for his efficiency in managing public business, he was made president of the Board of Works, a post he held for six years. In the same year he became concurrently general commandant of the Peking Gendarmerie, a probationary Grand Councilor, and superintendent of the Ch'ung-wên Gate Octroi in Peking. During this time he was particularly active in the administration of the grain transport system.

In 1828 Mu-chang-a became a Grand Councilor, and in the following year, while serving concurrently as chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, he accompanied the Emperor on a journey to Mukden to visit the Imperial Tombs. Thereafter he became president of the Board of Revenue (1833–34), and was sent to Kiangnan and Hupeh to settle legal cases and to investigate flood control work. In 1834 he was transferred to the Board of Civil Appointments and early in 1835 was made an Assistant Grand Secretary. In 1836 he became a Grand Secretary and soon took the place of the powerful minister, Ts'ao Chên-yung [q.v.], who had died in 1835. In the same year (1836) he became chief tutor of the princes and in 1837 he was made chief Grand Councilor. In the struggle with England, which at this time was gradually moving toward the hostilities of 1840–42, Mu-chang-a became a leader of the party which favored negotiation and compromise as the best means of meeting the "barbarian" problem. After the vigorous anti-opium policy of Lin Tsê-hsü [q.v.] had been defeated by the superior arms of the British, and the latter had negotiated at Taku near Tientsin with Ch'i-shan [q.v.] in August and September 1840, Mu-chang-a urged upon the emperor the dismissal of Lin Tsê-hsü, which occurred September 28, and the appointment of Ch'i-shan to Canton in his place, to pursue a policy of negotiation. Mu-chang-a thus became the chief supporter at the capital of the unpopular but unavoidable policy of compromise and surrender, which in the provinces was carried out first by Ch'i-shan and later by Ch'i-ying and I-li-pu [qq.v.]. The consummation of this policy was checked by the failure of Ch'i-shan to make an acceptable settlement with the British in the Chuenpi Convention (January 20, 1841), which led to the renewal of hostilities a month later. Thereupon, the second British expedition went up the coast, capturing Amoy (August 26, 1841) and Ningpo (October 13), where the expedition wintered. In March 1842 a Chinese surprise attack on Ningpo failed and the campaign was reopened; the governor of Chekiang, Liu Yün-k'o (see under Yü-ch'ien), and other officials in the provinces urged the hopelessness of the military situation and the necessity for renewing negotiations, and Ch'i-ying was sent south as Imperial Commissioner for that purpose. The British continued their advance, capturing Cha-p'u (May 18), Shanghai (June 19), and Chinkiang (July 21), and finally reached Nanking, where Ch'i-ying and I-li-pu negotiated the treaty signed on August 29, 1842.

The influence of Mu-chang-a in these events is apparent from the manner in which he, as Chief Grand Councilor, recommended the approval of the documents signed by Ch'i-ying, both at Nanking and later. The imperial approval of the Treaty of Nanking, on Mu-chang-a's advice, brought upon him the hatred of the irreconcilable and irresponsible advocates of continued resistance. The Grand Councilor, Wang Ting (see under Lin Tsê-hsü), is said to have committed suicide (June 8, 1842) as a protest against Muchang-a's policy, although his dying memorial of impeachment did not succeed in reaching the Emperor. Mu-chang-a's position remained unshaken; in 1841 there had been an imperial celebration of his sixtieth (cyclic) birthday; and in 1843 and 1844 the further treaties negotiated by Ch'i-ying with Great Britain, the United States, and France, were approved on his recommendation.

During the Tao-kuang period (1821–1851) Mu-chang-a—in addition to his other posts—served many times as chief examiner of provincial, metropolitan, palace, and other high examinations, and also as editor-in-chief of the official history, the imperial genealogy, and of other official documents. By the end of the reign his influence was enormous, his followers were scattered all over the country, and he was regarded as the head of a political party. But the heir apparent—who was later Emperor Wên-tsung—had conceived a strong hatred for Mu-chang-a. After about 1848 his expressions of anti-foreign feeling became more pronounced, and ten months after he ascended the throne he issued a special decree (December 1, 1851) condemning Muchang-a for his opposition to Lin Tsê-hsü and for his support of Ch'i-ying's negotiations. Because of his service under three emperors, Mu-chang-a was excused from serious punishment, but was dismissed, never to serve again. In the same edict Ch'i-ying was also condemned and degraded. In 1853 Mu-chang-a was given a button of the sixth rank for his contribution to the military fund. He died three years later. His poems, compiled by himself, were given the title 澄懷書屋詩鈔 Ch'êng-huai shu-wu shih-ch'ao, 4 chüan, printed in 1847. A famous actor of the late Ch'ing period, Tê-chün-ju 德珺如, is reported as being a grandson of Mu-chang-a.

[1/369/7a; 2/40/29b; 3/99/30; 5/3/9a; Tsiang T'ing-fu 蔣廷黻, 近代中國外交史資料 Chin-tai Chung-kuo wai-chiao shih tzŭ-liao chi-yao (Shanghai, 1930); Ch'ing-pai lei-ch'ao (see bibl. Liu Lun) 38 yu-ling 44; Ch'ên Kung-lu 陳恭祿, 中國近代史 Chung-kuo chin-tai shih (1935).]

J. K. Fairbank

S. Y. Têng

Guojia Muzhanga 郭佳穆彰阿 《清代人物生卒年表》定其生卒年為乾隆47年~咸豐6年。 【參考《清代人物生卒年表》#24832.】

字鶴舫 一字耕珊 一字子樸 號常軒 嘉慶庚申恩科舉人 乙丑科進士 翰林院檢討 太子太保 吏部尚書 協辦大學士 管理工部事務 鑲白旗滿洲都統 經筵日講起居注 官翰林院掌院學士 教習庶吉士 南書房行走 內大臣 軍機大臣

《清史稿》卷363

穆彰阿 ，字鶴舫，郭佳氏，滿洲鑲藍旗人。父廣泰，嘉慶中，官內閣學士，遷右翼總兵。坐自請兼兵部侍郎銜，奪職。穆彰阿，嘉慶十年進士，選庶吉士，授檢討。大考，擢少詹事。累遷禮部侍郎。二十年，署刑部侍郎。因一日進立決本二十餘件，詔斥因循積壓，堂司各員並下嚴議，降光祿寺卿。歷兵部、刑部、工部、戶部侍郎。道光初，充內務府大臣，擢左都御史、理藩院尚書。以漕船滯運，兩次命署漕運總督。召授工部尚書，偕大學士蔣攸銛查勘南河。洎試行海運，命赴天津監收漕糧，予優敘。七年，命在軍機大臣上學習行走。逾年，張格爾就擒，加太子少保。授軍機大臣，罷內務府大臣，直南書房。尋兼翰林院掌院學士，歷兵部、戶部尚書。十四年，協辦大學士。承修龍泉峪萬年吉地，工竣，晉太子太保，賜紫韁。十六年，充上書房總師傅，拜武英殿大學士，管理工部。十八年，晉文華殿大學士。時禁煙議起，宣宗意銳甚，特命林則徐為欽差大臣，赴廣東查辦。英吉利領事義律初不聽約束，繼因停止貿易，始繳煙，盡焚之，責永不販運入境，強令具結，不從，兵釁遂開。則徐防禦嚴，不得逞於廣東，改犯閩、浙，沿海騷然。英艦抵天津，投書總督琦善，言由則徐啟釁。穆彰阿窺帝意移，乃贊和議，罷則徐，以琦善代之。琦善一徇敵意，不設備，所要求者亦不盡得請，兵釁復起。先後命奕山、奕經督師，廣東、浙江皆挫敗。英兵且由海入江，林則徐及閩浙總督鄧廷楨、臺灣總兵達洪阿、臺灣道姚瑩以戰守為敵所忌，並被嚴譴，命伊里布、耆英、牛鑑議款。二十二年，和議成，償幣通商，各國相繼立約。國威既損，更喪國權，外患自此始。穆彰阿 當國，主和議，為海內所叢詬。上既厭兵，從其策，終道光朝，恩眷不衰。自嘉慶以來，典鄉試三，典會試五。凡覆試、殿試、朝考、教習庶吉士散館考差、大考翰詹，無歲不與衡文之役。國史、玉牒、實錄諸館，皆為總裁。門生故吏遍於中外，知名之士多被援引，一時號曰「穆黨」。文宗自在潛邸深惡之，既即位十閱月，特詔數其罪曰：「 穆彰阿 身任大學士，受累朝知遇之恩，保位貪榮，妨賢病國。小忠小信，陰柔以售其姦；偽學偽才，揣摩以逢主意。從前夷務之興，傾排異己，深堪痛恨！如達洪阿、姚瑩之盡忠盡力，有礙於己，必欲陷之；耆英之無恥喪良，同惡相濟，盡力全之。固寵竊權，不可枚舉。我皇考大公至正，惟以誠心待人，穆彰阿得肆行無忌。若使聖明早燭其奸，必置重典，斷不姑容。 穆彰阿恃恩益縱，始終不悛。自朕親政之初，遇事模棱，緘口不言。迨數月後，漸施其伎倆。英船至天津，猶欲引耆英為腹心以遂其謀，欲使天下群黎復遭荼毒。其心陰險，實不可問！潘世恩等保林則徐，屢言其『柔弱病軀，不堪錄用』；及命林則徐赴粵西剿匪，又言『未知能去否』。偽言熒惑，使朕不知外事，罪實在此。若不立申國法，何以肅綱紀而正人心？又何以不負皇考付託之重？第念三朝舊臣，一旦置之重法，朕心實有不忍，從寬革職永不敘用。其罔上行私，天下共見，朕不為已甚，姑不深問。朕熟思審處，計之久矣，不得已之苦衷，諸臣其共諒之！」詔下，天下稱快。咸豐三年，捐軍餉，予五品頂戴。六年，卒。子薩廉，光緒五年進士，由翰林官至禮部侍郎。