Weng Tonghe 翁同龢

Wêng T'ung-ho 翁同龢 (T. 笙階, 訒夫, 聲甫 H. 叔平, 松禪, 瓶笙韻齋), May 19, 1830-1904, July 3, official, calligrapher and writer, a native of Ch'ang-shu, Kiangsu, was the youngest son of the Grand Secretary, Wêng Hsin-ts'un [q.v.]. In 1856 Wêng T'ung-ho passed first in the examination for the chin-shih degree, and was made a first class compiler of the Hanlin Academy. Two years later he was appointed assistant director of the provincial examination of Shênsi, the chief director being P'an Tsu-yin [q.v.]. Late in 1865 he was appointed Hung-tê tien hsing-tsou 弘德殿行走, or tutor to Emperor Mu-tsung. His duties as tutor included the expounding of the historical work, Chih-p'ing pao-chien (see under Chang Chih-wan), to the Regent Empresses. Meanwhile he was promoted to libationer of the Imperial Academy (1868-71) and to sub-chancellor of the Grand Secretariat (1871-76). Early in 1875 Emperor Mu-tsung died. Later in the same year Wêng was appointed tutor to the new child Emperor Tê-tsung, with the title Yü-ch'ing-kung 毓慶宮 hsing-tsou. He and Sun Chia-nai [q.v.] were to instruct the Emperor in the classics and in other subjects while another tutor, Hsia T'ung-shan 夏同善 (T. 舜樂 H. 子松, posthumous name 文莊, 1831-1880), was to instruct him in calligraphy. Wêng began to teach the child Emperor in 1876 and thus started a long and intimate relationship which lasted for twenty-two years, until Wêng retired. To the young Emperor, Wêng was more than a tutor—he filled the place of an adviser, a guardian, and almost a father. He gave the Emperor books to read and urged on him the necessity for governmental reform.

During the ten years from 1876 to 1886 Wêng T'ung-ho served as a vice-president of the Board of Revenue (1876-78), president of the Censorate (1878-79), president of the Board of Punishments (1879), and president of the Board of Works (1876-1886). During the dispute with Russia over Ili, Wêng, P'an Tsu-yin, and the princes, I-huan and I-tsung [qq.v.], formed an inner cabinet to deal with the crisis. Wêng also served for two years as a Grand Councilor (1882 84). In April 1884 he was discharged from the Grand Council, but was allowed to retain all his other posts including his tutorship of the Emperor (see under I-hsin).

Early in 1886 Wêng T'ung-ho was made president of the Board of Revenue, a post he held for twelve years until his retirement. In the meantime he was concurrently appointed a Grand Councilor (1894), a member of the Tsungli Yamen (1895), and an Associate Grand Secretary (1897). During this period his most important service was in connection with national finance. He did not agree with Chang Chih-tung's [q.v.] policy of spending freely on reform and would have put a stop to his introduction of new industries had Chang not engaged the support of Prince I-huan. As a financier of the old school, Wêng tried to balance the expenditures of the government with the small revenue from agriculture. He opposed the provincial officials who were experimenting with commercial and industrial capitalism with funds borrowed from foreign banks. After the Taiping Rebellion provincial officials possessed almost independent powers and Wêng's contest with Chang typifies the conflict between the central and the local governments. Wêng similarly was not on cordial terms with Li Hung-chang [q.v.], their disagreement being on the question of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95. While Li and his faction sought to avoid a war, Wêng and his colleagues pressed for a test of arms. But when Li was later blamed for China's defeat, Wêng is said to have persuaded the throne to deal leniently with him. It seems that the Sino-Japanese conflict awakened Wêng to the necessity of reforms in China, for thereafter he began to introduce to the Emperor books on world history and on other subjects, and so spurred him to a reform policy. As his influence increased, Wêng was hated by members of the conservative party (mostly northerners) who recognized Empress Hsiao-ch'in [q.v.] as their leader.

In 1896, by order of the Empress Dowager, Wêng's tutorship of the Emperor terminated. As an official, however, he still had access to the Emperor and in 1898 helped him to decide on a reform policy. On June 11 of that year the Emperor ordered the provincial officials to recommend able men to serve at Court, and on the same day he issued an edict endorsing the introduction of reforms. On the 14th he ordered the leading reformers, K'ang Yu-wei (see under T'an Ssû-t'ung) and Chang Yüan-chi 張元濟 (T. 小齋 H. 菊生, b. 1868), to prepare for an audience two days later. Other reformers like Huang Tsun-hsien, T'an Ssû-t'ung [qq.v.], and Liang Ch'i-ch'ao (see under T'an Ssû-t'ung), were also mentioned in the edict as eligible for an audience. This so alarmed the conservatives that they began to maneuver for key positions (see under Jung-lu) and to effect the discharge of Wêng T'ung-ho. On the 15th an edict was issued charging Wêng with mismanagement of state affairs, and with displaying temper in the presence of the throne. On these vague charges he was ordered to retire and return to his native town. The edict was doubtless written by the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor was powerless to countermand it. Thus at the beginning of his attempts at reform Emperor Tê-tsung was deprived of the only intimate friend he had at Court who might have carried his policies to a successful conclusion. After Wêng left, the Emperor still worked hopefully for his program, but three months later the conservatives struck, the movement collapsed, and the Empress Dowager and the conservatives returned to power. Some reformers were executed or exiled (see under T'an Ssû-t'ung). On December 4, Wêng was denounced for having recommended K'ang Yu-wei to the throne. He was punished by being deprived of all his ranks and was confined to his home under the surveillance of local officials. He died in 1904. In 1909, the year after Empress Hsiao-ch'in died, the gentry of Kiangsu succeeded in persuading the Court to return posthumously to Wêng all his former ranks, and to canonize him as Wên-kung 文恭.

Though Wêng T'ung-ho was much occupied with affairs of state, it seems likely that he was by nature a scholar and man of letters. His perseverance in the field of letters is clear from the diaries he kept continuously for forty-six years from 1858 until a few days before his death. This valuable document was reproduced (ca. 1925) in facsimile in forty volumes, entitled 翁文恭公日記 Wêng Wên-kung kung jih-chi. It contains much information, especially concerning the government in Peking before 1898, though it is claimed by some that sections of it relating to his share in the reform movement were in part re-written. From this and similar diaries Chin-liang 金梁 (T. 息侯 H. 瓜圃) compiled his important record of men and events of the late Ch'ing period, entitled 近世人物志 Chin-shih jên-wu chih, printed in 1934. A collection of Wên's poems, entitled 瓶廬詩稿 P'ing-lu shih-kao, 8 chüan, was printed in 1919. Two years later there appeared a supplement, (P'ing-lu shih-pu 補), in 1 chüan, with collation notes and a collection of poems in irregular meter (tz'û). Besides exhibiting some skill as a painter of landscapes, Wêng T'ung-ho achieved fame as a calligrapher, particularly in the k'ai 楷 style which was favored in the examinations. Examples of his calligraphy, which underwent changes in later years, may be observed in his printed diary and in several collections of correspondence which also were reproduced in facsimile. One such collection, entitled 翁松禪相國真蹟 Wêng Sung-ch'an hsiang-kuo chên-chi, 12 volumes, was reproduced in 1920. Another, entitled Wêng Sung-ch'an shou-cha 手札, 10 volumes, was compiled by a nephew and was reproduced in the years 1905-11.

[ 1/442/3a; 2/63/56a; 6/1/-1b; 19 hsin hsia 13b; 26/4/15a; Chin-shih jên-wu chih (see above) p. 1; Chiu-ching wên-ts'un 1/la and Shih-shih ko jên-kuei shih-ts'un 6/30b (for both see Sun Yüan-hsiang); Richard, Timothy, Forty-five Years in China, pp. 242-64; see bibl. under T'an Ssû-t'ung.]

FANG CHAO-YING

Weng Tonghe 翁同龢 【參考資料: MQWW PoetID #272.】 《清代人物生卒年表》定其生卒年為道光10年~光緒30年。 【參考《清代人物生卒年表》#19597.】

MQWW: 翁同龢

字叔平 號松禪 諡文恭 江蘇常熟人 咸豐丙辰科狀元

《中國大百科全書 中國歷史》（張寄謙 撰）

晚清重臣。字聲甫﹐號叔平﹑瓶笙﹐晚號松禪。江蘇常熟人。1856年(咸豐六年)狀元﹐授翰林院修撰。歷官署刑部右侍郎﹑戶部右侍郎﹑都察院左都御史﹐刑部﹑工部﹑戶部尚書﹐協辦大學士﹐軍機大臣兼總理各國事務大臣﹐光緒帝師傅。光緒帝“每事必問同龢﹐眷倚尤重”。前後充鄉試考官﹑會試總裁等﹐參與主持科舉考試達四十年。江浙名士如文廷式﹑沈曾植﹑張謇等多出其門下。繼前清流李鴻藻之後逐步成為後清流的領袖人物。1894年(光緒二十年)中日甲午戰爭時﹐他極力主戰。次年﹐馬關議和﹐反對割地﹐力爭修改約稿。《馬關條約》簽訂後﹐因憤於割地求和﹐遂“有變法之心”。且以慈禧太后名為歸政﹐實事事掣肘﹐欲輔佐光緒帝籌謀新政。北京強學會成立﹐曾予支持。但反對維新派提倡的民權平等學說。1898年初﹐參與總理各國事務衙門王大臣對康有為的問話﹐隨即向光緒帝密荐康才堪大用。6月11日﹐光緒帝頒布定“國是”詔﹐開始變法維新。翁同龢為慈禧太后及后黨所忌恨﹐15日即被開缺回籍。同年12月﹐又被“革職”﹐永不敘用﹐交地方官嚴加管束。他居家懼禍﹐所存疏稿﹐焚燬強半﹐日記亦有刪改。睏頓七載﹐於1904年病卒。1909年(宣統元年)詔復原官﹐追謚“文恭”。著作有《瓶廬詩稿》(另詞一卷)﹑《翁文恭公日記》﹑《翁文恭公軍機處日記》。其書法縱橫跌宕﹐為世所重﹐有手札﹑墨跡等多種影印或石印出版。