Born in
Minhou in
Fujian province, he obtained the
highest degree in the
imperial examinations in 1847 and was soon appointed to the
Hanlin Academy. His great administrative abilities attracted the attention of
Zeng Guofan, who enlisted him in the effort to suppress the
Taiping Rebellion. Following the suppression of the rebellion in 1864, Shen became actively involved in the
Self-strengthening movement and later worked on the
Foochow Arsenal in
Fuzhou. There he established the Qiushi Tang Yiju (), which became the , and utilized the skill of French technicians and workersnotably
Prosper Giquelto construct modern warships for the
Imperial Navy prior to the destruction of the arsenal and the fleet itself during the
Battle of Fuzhou in the 1883–1885
Sino-French War. Concurrently, he also improved the land tax collection system in
Jiangxi province. He also took part in obtaining a peace settlement with
Japan, following the
Mudan Incident and Japan's
invasion of Taiwan in response to imperial disavowals of sovereignty over the islands'
native tribes. He was appointed as the
Viceroy of Liangjiang in 1875. He personally visited Taiwan and reformed its administration. The island had consisted of a single
prefecture at
Taiwan (Tainan); the three
subprefectures of , and ; and the four
counties of , , , and . Shen elevated 2 prefectures, 4 subprefectures, and 4 counties, making the territories smaller and easier to administer. He also launched a military campaign against the aborigines and initiated a building program in southern Taiwan intended to establish a stronger Qing presence and prevent Japanese or European colonization of the area. He died in office in 1879. He was posthumously awarded the title of Senior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. He is chiefly remembered in European histories for his belated opposition to the
Woosung Road Company's railroad, which he purchased and dismantled in its first year of operation, limiting Shanghai's development for twenty years. Shanghai remained unconnected to China's growing rail network until the line's reconstruction in 1898 and its subsequent extension to
Nanjing in 1908. Shen was married to
Lin Puqing 1821–77), the third daughter of
Lin Zexu. She exhibited great courage and determined tenacity when under siege by the Taiping rebels at Guangxin when she bandaged troops, cooked for them and cut her finger to write a message in blood. ==References==