Weng Tonghe (翁同龢, 1830—1904,
Styled Shuping 叔平).
Chinese
Confucian scholar and imperial tutor during the Qing
dynasty. In 1856, he was awarded the highest degree in the
imperial examinations and he
subsequently became a member of the prestigious
Hanlin Academy. When the
Tongzhi Emperor was in his minority, Weng
was appointed imperial tutor and after the demise of the emperor,
he became tutor of the
Guangxu emperor as
well. Concurrently with his duties as imperial tutor, he also held
a number of prominent positions in the Qing government and he
served on the
Grand Council 1882-84.
He is famous for having recommended the radical Confucian reformer
Kang Youwei to the
Guangxu emperor. He was subsequently removed from
all offices because the
Empress
Dowager Cixi feared losing her power.
References
- Hummel, Arthur William,
ed. Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period (1644-1912). 2
vols. Washington: United States Government Printing Office,
1943.