Lin Zexu

A politician from the Qing Dynasty in China. His pen name was Shaomu and his posthumous name was Wenzhong. In his later years, he was known as Shuncun Lao. He was from Houguan County, Fujian Province (now Fuzhou City). In the 16th year of the Jiaqing era (1811), he became a scholar. He formed a poetry and prose association with Gong Zizhen, Wei Yuan, and Huang Juezi (1793-1853) and advocated the study of governance and practical application. He gained fame for his efforts in flood control of the Yellow River and water conservancy in Jiangsu while he was Governor of the Donghe River Channel and Governor of Jiangsu. He was also an upright and honest official, and is regarded as the greatest official of the Qing Dynasty. Keenly aware of the harm caused by opium, he was appointed Governor-General of Huguang in 1837 and achieved success in banning it, and the following year, in response to a petition in support of Huang Jue-tzu's strict ban, he was dispatched to Guangzhou as an Imperial Commissioner to resolve the opium problem. He gave strict orders to foreign merchants to hand over opium, and used strong measures to force British merchants and others to hand over over 2.37 million catties of opium, which he then incinerated on Humen Beach.

On the other hand, in order to understand the situation in the west, he had foreign geography books, law books, newspapers, etc. translated, and he personally compiled the "Records of the Four Provinces" and the "Litigyo Codes of Each Province." He protected legitimate trade and tried to strengthen defense by purchasing modern weapons from abroad. He also organized fishermen and people living on the water into volunteer naval soldiers, and tried to use all his strength to tackle the situation. In 1940, shortly after he was appointed Governor-General of the Two Rivers, the Opium Wars began, but with the British army advancing north, calls for peace grew within the imperial court, and he was dismissed as a warmonger. In 1941, he was exiled to Ili, Xinjiang Province, and three years later he was reappointed as acting Governor-General of Shaan-Gan, then Governor-General of Shaanxi, and Governor-General of Yungui. During this time, he worked on water conservancy construction in Xinjiang and also suppressed rebellions by the southwestern ethnic minorities. In 1950, he died of an illness on his way to his post as the Imperial Commissioner for suppressing the rebellion in Guangxi. There is also a theory that he was poisoned by an opium merchant. He is the author of "President Hayashi Bunzhong's Government Notes," "Unzaoyamabo Textbook," and "Unzaoyamabo Poetry Notes."

[Shinji Kojima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、清(しん)代の政治家。字(あざな)は少穆(しょうぼく)、諡(おくりな)は文忠。晩年、竣村(しゅんそん)老人と号す。福建省候官県（現福州市）の人。嘉慶16年（1811）進士。龔自珍(きょうじちん)、魏源(ぎげん)、黄爵滋(こうしゃくじ)（1793―1853）らと詩文の結社をつくり、経世致用の学を提唱し、東河河道総督、江蘇巡撫(こうそじゅんぶ)のときに、黄河の治水や江蘇の水利に尽力して名声を得た。また清廉潔白な清官で、清代最高の官僚と評されている。アヘンの害を痛感し、1837年湖広総督に任じてその厳禁に成果をあげ、翌年黄爵滋の厳禁論に賛同する上奏により、アヘン問題解決のための欽差(きんさ)大臣として広州に派遣された。外国商人にアヘン提出を厳命し、強硬手段でイギリス商人などから237万余斤のアヘンを提出させて虎門(こもん)海岸で焼却した。

　一方、西方の事情を理解するため、外国の地理書、法律書、新聞などを翻訳させ、自ら『四州志』『各国律令』を編集して、正当な貿易は保護し、また外国の近代兵器を購入して防衛力を強化しようとした。さらに漁民や水上生活者を海上の義勇兵に組織して、総力をあげて事にあたろうとした。40年両江総督に任じてまもなくアヘン戦争が始まったが、北進したイギリス軍を目前にして朝廷内で和平論が高まり、戦争挑発者として罷免された。41年新疆(しんきょう)省イリに流され、3年後代理陝甘(せんかん)総督、ついで陝西巡撫、雲貴総督として再登用された。この間、新疆の水利建設に努め、また西南少数民族の反乱鎮圧にあたった。50年広西の反乱鎮圧の欽差大臣として赴任途上病死した。アヘン商人による毒殺説もある。『林文忠公政書』『雲左山房文鈔(しょう)』『雲左山房詩鈔』の著作がある。

［小島晋治］

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