FU-K'ANG-AN

died June 1796, China Pinyin Fukangan famous military commander of the Ch'ing dynasty (16441911/12). A member of the Manchu forces of Manchuria who had established the Ch'ing dynasty, Fu-k'ang-an inherited a minor post in the government. After distinguishing himself in battle, he was made military governor of Manchuria (1777). Between 1780 and 1795 he served several terms as governor-general in different Chinese provinces. A corrupt official, he is said to have greatly enriched himself in his various positions. In combat, however, he was undefeated. He suppressed rebellions in the western Chinese provinces of Szechwan and Kansu, pacified the recently occupied island of Taiwan, and finally led a Chinese expedition into Tibet. There, on unfamiliar territory, 3,000 miles from his source of supplies in the Chinese capital at Peking, he defeated an army of Gurkha warriors and drove them 1,000 miles (1,600 km) across one of the highest plateaus of the world, back into their homeland in Nepal, which became a Chinese tributary state. For his services, Fu-k'ang-an was made a prince of the fourth degree, the first Manchu outside the Imperial family to receive that rank.