10 Facts About Qu Hongji

Qu Hongji, style name Zijiu, and art name Zhi'an, was a politician of the Chinese Qing Dynasty who served in several ministerial positions, most notably being the first Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Qu Hongji was born in 1850 in a small town called Shanhua in the Changsha city area of Hunan Province.

Qu Hongji passed the highest level of the Imperial Examinations in 1871 and went to the Hanlin Academy.

Qu Hongji was promoted to Neige Bachelor in 1897, and organized Town Examinations of Fujian Province and Guangxi Province.

Qu Hongji supervised local government as Provincial Education Commissioner of Henan Province, Zhejiang Province and Sichuan Province.

Qu Hongji changed the Imperial Examinations into discourses on politics, and added economy examinations.

Qu Hongji simplified the Headquarters of All Countries Business Department into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and became the first Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Qu Hongji followed the Dowager Empress Cixi's imperial edict, and among other things proposed peace plans, was honoured by the Emperor with a gold jacket, and tutored the crown prince.

Qu Hongji was actively involved in the reform of the Imperial Examination system, and was a key proponent of the establishment of the Jinshi Bureau and reorganisation of the Hanlin Academy around 1901.

Qu Hongji was famous not only because of his erudition, but because his face looked like that of the Tongzhi Emperor, 10th emperor of Qing Dynasty who died in 1875.