Li Hongzhang signed more than 30 treaties in his life, most of which were unequal treaties. Recently, with more and more historical materials appearing, he has gradually evaluated diversified evaluations of this important official in the late Qing Dynasty.

He led the Westernization Movement with Zeng Guofan and others as a manifestation of his progress. He also had diplomatic deeds to safeguard China, such as after the Eight-Nation Alliance captured Beijing, he went to negotiate alone, and eventually used the Boxer rebellion to hostage the Qing court as a diplomatic excuse and quelled the incident without cede the land.

The most famous evaluation of Li Hongzhang by Britain and the United States: not only the greatest figure born in the contemporary era, but also in terms of all aspects of talent, he is the most unique figure in the world in the last century. As for literati, he is outstanding; as for soldiers, he has made valuable services to the country in important battles; as for politicians who have been in politics for 30 years, he has provided recognized excellent facilities for the people of the oldest and most prosperous country on the earth; as for a diplomat, his achievements have made him one of the best in diplomatic history.

The Japanese commented on Li Hongzhang as: they knew the general trend of coming from the West, knew foreign civilizations, wanted to follow the examples and strengthen themselves, had outstanding vision and agile skills.

"Draft History of Qing Dynasty? Biography of Li Hongzhang" commented: "A famous minister was revived and his military affairs ended and endured. His achievements were often concealed by martial arts. Hongzhang had been fighting the great disaster and ruled the country for decades. He often used his own strengths as the brunt of internal affairs and diplomacy. The country was relied on the most important things and was famous all over the world. China and foreign countries were admired by them, which was unprecedented in modern times. He took the world as his responsibility in his life, endured humiliation and burdened people, and was worthy of the country. He was only happy with his talent and favored the people with profit and wealth. Many people with integrity were unhappy to use it. They did not rely on their urgent needs, and they eventually led to failure and mistakes. Is there no reason for the slander?"

Liang Qichao's comments on him in "Biography of Li Hongzhang" are: "I respect Li Hongzhang's talent, I cherish Li Hongzhang's knowledge, and I am sad about Li Hongzhang's encounter." "I want to talk about it with two words, saying: "If you don't learn and have no skills, you dare not break the rules, which is his weakness; if you don't avoid hard work and don't fear slander, it is his strength."

When Sun Yat-sen wrote to Li Hongzhang, he said this: "Since my central government governing, there has been no profit or failure, no harm or failure, and it has to be resolutely unwilling to do it. It is like preparing for the navy, and the difficulty of railways is still established resolutely, not to mention the major policies of agriculture and sericulture, which are the focus of the people's lifelines, and there is no difficulty of doing it. There are also people who do it, so how can there be no one who does not do it?"

Li Hongzhang said complacently in front of Bismarck: US President Grant called Li Hongzhang the Bismarck of China. Bismarck smiled and said: No one said I am Li Hongzhang from Germany.

Modern historian Tang Degang (a native of Hefei, Anhui Province, a fellow villager of Li Hongzhang) believes that his "pleasant monarchs inside and controls the great powers outside" is one of the "two and a half" diplomats in China since modern diplomacy (in addition, Zhou Enlai is one, Gu Weijun is half.)

Li Hongzhang made the following summary of his own experience: "I have been doing things for a lifetime, training military forces, and navy, and are all paper-paste tigers. How could I let go of it? But I have to wear them and have a look and feel that they are not exposed, and I can still be perfunctory for a while. For example, a broken house was repaired by a paper maker and made it into a clean room. Although I knew it was a piece of paper, I could never determine what kind of materials it was inside. Even if there was a small wind and rain, I would make a few caves and repair them at any time, and I could also deal with it. I would like to tear my hands and not prepare any repair materials and transformation methods. Natural truth was revealed and uncontrollable, but what technique could the paper maker take responsibility?"

Li Hongzhang was born in the darkest and most turbulent era of the Qing Dynasty. Every time he "appeared" was when the country was in critical condition, the Qing Dynasty asked him to bear everything that was "the most embarrassing to human feelings". Therefore, when the Chinese people cursed and denounced him, they did "must reflect on themselves" and they did not "give up the responsibility of the people."

However, how to evaluate this unusual important official of the Qing Dynasty 100 years ago, the Chinese have always concluded that the Chinese have completely different from the world public opinion over the past century.

In China, it is easy and difficult to evaluate a person.

Attachment: About Li Hongzhang's "Not walking on the sun"

During the negotiations between Shimonoseki, China had only two options: "permit" and "no" and "no"; and there was no room for bargaining. Mr. Li kept grinding until the lights were lighted, and asked for another 50 million taels to be reduced. He couldn't achieve his goal, and said that it would be fine to reduce 20 million taels. Finally, he even begged Hirowen Ito with tears in his eyes. Seeing that the face of my old bones was somewhat reduced, it would be considered as a way to return to China. It can be said that he faithfully implemented the Qing court's telegram: "It's a benefit to win a point", but the people were not moved at all. How pitiful the old man! The Japanese side even threatened whether the Chinese representative could return to China safely. The father and son of the Li family had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki. (This passage is a story on TV in "Towards the Republic" and is not a historical fact)

It is said that at the last moment before signing, he once said to the mission's American adviser Kosda in tears: "If the negotiations fail, the capital will be moved to Shaanxi and fight with Japan for a long time. Japan will not be able to conquer China, and China can resist for an endless period of time. Japan will eventually lose and seek peace."

It was also because of the strong stimulation of the signing of the contract in Maguan that Li Hongzhang vowed to "never go to the Japanese forever". Two years later, he returned from a mission to Europe and the United States, passed through Yokohama, Japan, and was no longer willing to land. He needed to transfer to a ship and ferry on a small boat. When he saw it was a Japanese ship, he refused to get on. In the end, there was no choice but to build a wooden board between the two ships. The 75-year-old man was staggering on the sea again, resolutely staggering and slowly moving over.
Chapter completed!