Zuo Zongtang, the national hero who regained Xinjiang, what happened to his descendants?

Zuo Zongtang is a well-deserved national hero. At the age of 64, he carried a coffin and marched westward. He led 80,000 Hunan descendants to regain the entire territory of Xinjiang and reclaimed more than 1.6 million square kilometers of land for China. At the age of 72, he took the initiative to volunteer and went to the front line of the Sino-French War to supervise the affairs of the Fujian Navy, save the war situation, and devote himself to protecting the borders of the motherland.

Finally, in 1885, Zuo Zongtang died of illness in Fuzhou, Fujian Province at the age of 73. Before his death, Zuo Zongtang dictated his legacy, never forgetting the country's hatred for his family:

"I am a scholar who was well known to Emperor Wenzong of Mongolia. Although the commander-in-chief is dead, he still has no regrets! The war is a key to China's strength. The commander-in-chief has not yet carried out a large-scale attack to show off the power of our country, but he can't rest in peace for the rest of his life! p>

After Zuo Zongtang died of illness, what about his descendants?

Zuo Zongtang had four sons, namely Zuo Xiaowei, Zuo Xiaokuan, Zuo Xiaoxun, and Zuo Xiaotong.

The eldest son, Zuo Xiaowei, was born in 1846 to Zuo Zongtang’s first wife, Zhou Yiduan. Zuo Zongtang loved his eldest son the most and took him with him at all times. After Zuo Xiaowei grew up, he served in Zuo Zongtang's camp. In 1873, when Zuo Zongtang was campaigning in Shaanxi and Gansu, Zuo Xiaowei became seriously ill and died at the age of 27.

The second son, Zuo Xiaokuan, was born in 1847 to Zuo Zongtang’s concubine Zhang. Zuo Xiaokuan did not receive any fame or become an official. He embarked on the path of practicing medicine and became a well-known local doctor. Among Zuo Xiaokuan's grandchildren, there is a very famous anorectal surgery expert and professor - Zuo Jingjian. Zuo Jingjian, together with Huang Jiasi, Qiu Fazu, and Wu Jieping, are known as the "four knives" of Chinese surgery.

The third son, Zuo Xiaoxun, was born in 1853 to Zuo Zongtang’s concubine Zhang. Zuo Xiaoxun entered the official career through the imperial examination and was very knowledgeable about military affairs. He once served as a medium-sized official in the Ministry of War: the chief of the Ministry of War. Zuo Xiaoxun has two grandsons and is somewhat famous. One is Zuo Jingqing, better known by his pen name. He has served as the editor-in-chief of "Hua Bao", "China Daily" and the "Party and Army Daily". He has written 8 novels including "We Are the World's Fallen People" and "Long Night". novel. One is Zuo Jingyi, a well-known corrosion protection expert in my country. He has been a professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, and a part-time professor at Zhejiang University and University of Science and Technology Beijing.

The fourth son, Zuo Xiaotong, was born in 1857 to Zuo Zongtang’s concubine Zhang. Zuo Xiaotong granted him the title of Juren and accepted the title of Taoist priest. In 1894, after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, Zuo Xiaotong took charge of battalion affairs in Wu Dacheng's army. He has successively served as the Minister of Guanglu Temple, the Prime Minister of Zongrenfu, the Inspector of Henan, the Inspector of Jiangsu, and the Chief Envoy of Jiangsu. He can also be regarded as a high official in the border area.

In addition to his four sons, Zuo Zongtang also had four daughters, namely Zuo Xiaoyu, Zuo Xiaoqi, Zuo Xiaolin, and Zuo Xiaoyu. These four daughters were all born to his wife, Zhou Yiduan.

Zuo Xiaoyu was born in 1833 and was Zuo Zongtang’s first child. Zuo Zongtang was only 21 years old at that time. At that time, Tao Shu, the governor of Liangjiang, had a keen eye and admired Zuo Zongtang's talents, and wanted to marry Zuo Zongtang as his son and daughter. Therefore, when Zuo Xiaoyu was 5 years old, she made a "baby marriage" with Tao Shu's 7-year-old only son Tao Huan. The granddaughter of Tao Huan and Zuo Xiaoyu married the son of Hunan celebrity Tan Siyi. Tan Siyi's brother is very famous, named Tan Sitong.

Zuo Xiaoqi was born in 1834 and was extremely intelligent since childhood. Unfortunately, she never married due to illness. In 1873, Zuo Xiaoqi died young. That year, Zuo Zongtang lost his eldest son Zuo Xiaowei and his second daughter Zuo Xiaoqi, and felt the grief of "a white-haired person giving a black-haired person".

Zuo Xiaolin and Zuo Xiaoyu were both born in 1837 and married respectively Li Fuchang and Zhou Yibiao, the children of Xiangtan celebrities.

It is worth mentioning that in ancient times when women were virtuous without talent, Zuo Zongtang and his wife Zhou Yiduan did not relax the education of their daughters. Zuo Zongtang’s four daughters were not only well-educated, but also proficient in Poetry and essays, there are poetry collections published in the world, namely "Little Stone House Poems", "Yilan Room Poems", "Qionghua Pavilion Poems" and "Danru Zhai's Poems".

Reference materials: "Manuscript of Qing History", "The Complete Works of Zuo Zongtang", etc.