The Making of a Manchu Statesman
Ronglu’s rise through Qing officialdom defied conventional trajectories. Born in 1836 into a Manchu military family that had sacrificed generations for the empire—his grandfather fell suppressing Xinjiang rebels, his father and uncle perished battling the Taiping—the young bannerman entered government service with unique political capital. Emperor Xianfeng himself had praised the family’s “unwavering loyalty,” a reputation that propelled Ronglu to become Beijing’s police commissioner and head of the Imperial Household Department by his early forties.
Contemporary accounts paint a contradictory figure: a reform-minded administrator who maintained extravagant habits, reportedly owning enough winter sable robes to wear a different one daily for three months. This duality—progressive policymaking coupled with traditional Manchu aristocratic tastes—would characterize his career. After a brief political exile following clashes with Grand Councilor Shen Guifen in 1879, Ronglu reemerged under Prince Chun’s patronage, eventually assuming command of Xi’an’s garrison forces.
Military Modernization After the Jiawu Disaster
The Qing Empire’s humiliating defeat in the 1894-1895 Sino-Japanese War became Ronglu’s defining moment. Appointed to lead the new Military Affairs Supervision Office, he spearheaded China’s most consequential military reforms since the Taiping Rebellion. His 1895 proposal systematically dismantled outdated banner forces while creating Western-style divisions—most notably authorizing Yuan Shikai’s 7,000-strong Newly Created Army near Tianjin.
When censors accused Yuan of embezzling troops’ pay in 1896, Ronglu’s investigation produced unexpected results. Rather than disciplining Yuan, he submitted a memorial praising the general’s “exceptional leadership” and declaring the new army “China’s vital self-strengthening measure.” This episode revealed Ronglu’s pragmatism—he protected promising reforms while navigating conservative opposition. By 1897, his comprehensive blueprint included military academies, specialized officer examinations, and phased retirement of traditional forces, predating the Hundred Days’ Reform.
The 1898 Reform Crisis: Power Broker Between Throne and Dowager
Appointed Viceroy of Zhili during the 1898 reform frenzy, Ronglu occupied history’s hinge point. Contrary to Kang Youwei’s later claims of ideological opposition, archival evidence shows Ronglu focused on military preparedness while cautiously monitoring Beijing’s political storms. As Emperor Guangxu’s radical edicts—abolishing six ministries overnight, dismissing entire boards—alienated the bureaucracy, provincial officials increasingly sought Ronglu’s counsel.
The September 21 coup unfolded with Ronglu as critical facilitator. New research clarifies he didn’t instigate the Dowager Empress’s intervention but helped stabilize the regime after Kang Youwei’s faction allegedly plotted to besiege the Summer Palace. When Yuan Shikai revealed the conspiracy, Ronglu ensured the crisis didn’t escalate into dynastic collapse, protecting both the emperor’s legitimacy and Cixi’s authority. His nuanced handling—executing radical plotters while shielding moderate reformers like Zhang Yinhuang—demonstrated political dexterity.
Legacy Beyond the “Reactionary” Label
Post-coup, Ronglu engineered lasting institutional changes. He preserved Peking University (China’s first modern higher education institution) and reorganized northern defenses into the five-division Wuwei Army, integrating modern artillery and drill systems. His 1899 memorials continued advocating railway expansion and industrial development, challenging his “conservative” reputation.
Modern scholarship reveals a figure neither progressive nor reactionary, but a pragmatic centrist navigating impossible constraints. While Kang Youwei’s polemics shaped Ronglu’s historical caricature, archival records show a reformer working within system limits—modernizing armies without destabilizing the regime. His tragic epilogue came during the Boxer Uprising, watching his Wuwei forces destroyed between xenophobic rebels and foreign armies, symbolizing late Qing reform’s ultimate failure.
Ronglu’s career encapsulates China’s modernization paradox: substantive change required operating within traditional power structures, yet those very structures ultimately undermined transformation. His military innovations laid groundwork for Yuan Shikai’s Beiyang Army, proving some reforms outlasted the dynasty they aimed to save.