Xu Jingcheng

Xu Jingcheng was born in 1845 in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, and received his jinshi degree after the 1868 imperial examination. He began his civil service as a bureaucrat in the Hanlin Academy serving as the Bachelor of the six offices of Scrutiny (), a compiler (), and an Academician Expositor-in-waiting () until 1884. As a compiler, he was a keen analyst of foreign and current affairs and was first promoted and appointed as envoy to Japan but failed to journey abroad due to the death of his father and his responsibilities as the eldest son in filial mourning. The end of the mourning period allowed Xu to begin his diplomatic service, succeeding Li Fengbao, first as the Envoy to France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany (1884–1885), and then as the first Qing Envoy to Belgium while also concurrently accredited to France and Germany from 1885 to 1890.) Vice Minister of Rites (). In 1895, he was promoted as the Senior Vice Minister of Department of Public Works (), one of the six top ministries of Qing China. During this time, he remained active in diplomacy, serving in various foreign delegations and as Envoy to Germany in 1897 and as the head minister of the Zongli Yamen (Office of Foreign Affairs) from 1895 to 1899. His final promotion as the Senior Vice Minister of Ministry of Personnel ( also made Xu the Minister of Education and Superintendent of the Imperial University of Peking (now Peking University), posts he served until his execution in 1900. == Execution ==

A Roman Catholic, Xu was marked with suspicion in the lead up to the Boxer Rebellion. Legacy Xu Jingcheng is memorialized, along with Yuan Chang and Xu Yongyi (Hsu Yung-yi) at Hangzhou's West Lake where a memorial commemorates the three Qing court officials as loyal officials. Roman Catholic influence During his diplomatic career, Xu was also the mentor of the future Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Lu Zhengxiang, and was instrumental in Lou's conversion to Roman Catholicism from Protestantism. Xu, as envoy to Russia took an early interest in Lou, a polyglot, in 1893 when he was posted to St Petersburg as an interpreter (fourth-class) to the Chinese embassy. During this time, Lu became increasingly religious under Xu Jingcheng's influence and instructions: ''Europe's strength is found not in her armaments, nor in her knowledge — it is found in her religion [...]. Observe the Christian faith. When you have grasped its heart and its strength, take them and give them to China''. The execution of Xu during the Boxer Rebellion paved the way for Lou's service as the Qing delegate at the first and second Peace Conferences in The Hague (1899 and 1907), and as Minister to Belgium and Ambassador to Russia, roles previously held by Xu. Lu referred to Xu as his "second father" and never forgot his execution under the Qing court. When the 1911 Revolution broke out while Lu was Ambassador in St Petersburg, he took it upon himself, against the advice of his colleagues at other European capitals, to cable Beijing that there could be no hope of assistance from the Great Powers. At the death of his wife Lu retired from an active life, and in 1927 became a postulant, under the name Dom Pierre-Célestin, in the Benedictine monastery of Sint-Andries in Bruges, Belgium. He was ordained priest in 1935. In his later years, Lu Zhengxiang hoped to return to China as a missionary to fulfill the instructions Xu Jingcheng had given him at the beginning of his career but his planned departure was postponed during the Chinese Civil War, and Dom Lu died in Belgium on 15 January 1949. == Publications ==

See here for a complete list of Xu's publications. • ''Pami'er tu shuo'' (帕米爾圖說) • Xu Wensu gong wai ji (許文肅公外集) • Xu Wensu gong ri ji (許文肅公日記) • Xu Wensu gong shu zha (許文肅公書札) • Xu Zhuyun xian sheng chu shi han gao (許竹篔先生出使函稿) In 2015, Zhu Jiaying (朱家英) published a book of Xu's collected works titled Xu Jingcheng ji (許景澄集). ==References==