LI HUNG-CHANG

born Feb. 15, 1823, Ho-fei, Anhwei Province, China died Nov. 7, 1901 Pinyin Li Hongzhang leading Chinese statesman of the 19th century who made strenuous efforts to modernize his country. In 1870 he began a 25-year term as governor-general of the capital province, Chihli, during which time he initiated projects in commerce and industry and, for long periods, conducted China's relations with the Western powers. Additional reading Stanley Spector, Li Hung-chang and the Huai Army: A Study in Nineteenth-century Chinese Regionalism (1964); Mary C. Wright, The Last Stand of Chinese Conservatism (1957).