Mujangga (Manchu: ᠮᡠᠵᠠᠩᡤᠠ, Möllendorff: mujangga; Chinese: 穆彰阿; pinyin: Mùzhāng'ā; Wade–Giles: Mu-chang-a; Jyutping: Muk6jeong1aa3; 1782–1856) was a Manchu statesman of the late Qing dynasty, belonging to the Gogiya (郭佳) clan. He belonged under the Bordered Blue Banner in the Eight Banners. In 1805, he was awarded the jinshi degree, the highest level in the imperial examination and quickly rose in the ranks of the Qing government. He became a member of the Grand Council in 1828 and gradually grew to exercise a decisive influence on the Daoguang Emperor's policies. Following the demise of Cao Zhenyong, Mujangga became the chief Grand Councillor in 1837. As tensions in Sino-British relations rose in 1839, he became one of the chief advocates of a conciliatory policy towards the British and following the outbreak of the First Opium War, he moved to dismiss Lin Zexu from his position as imperial commissioner in September 1840. Around 1845 he was President of the Hanlin Academy.[1] Mujangga's conciliatory policies created tensions with the allegedly more xenophobic heir apparent, and following his accession to the throne as the Xianfeng Emperor, Mujangga was dismissed from all his positions in 1851.

Mujangga
Chief Grand Councillor
In office
1836–1850
Preceded byPan Shi'en
Succeeded byQi Junzao
Grand Councillor
In office
1827 – 1850
(as the Chief Grand Councillor since 1836)
Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall
In office
1838–1850
Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall
In office
1836–1838
Assistant Grand Secretary
In office
1834–1836
Minister of Personnel
In office
25 December 1834 – 30 August 1836
Serving with Tang Jinzhao
Preceded byWenfu
Succeeded byKeying
Minister of Revenue
In office
14 July 1833 – 25 December 1834
Serving with Wang Ding
Preceded byXi'en
Succeeded byKeying
Minister of Works
In office
9 January 1832 – 14 July 1833
Serving with Zhu Shiyan
Preceded byFujun
Succeeded byBoqitu
In office
8 January 1827 – 21 September 1831
Serving with Pan Shi'en
Preceded byXi'en
Succeeded byFujun
Minister of War
In office
21 September 1830 – 9 January 1831
Serving with Shi Yizhi
Preceded bySongyun
Succeeded byNaqing'an
Minister of Lifan Yuan
In office
3 March 1824 – 8 January 1827
Preceded byFujun
Succeeded byYinghe
Viceroy of the Canal Transport
In office
1826 – 1826
(acting)
Preceded byChen Zhongfu
Succeeded byNergingge
In office
1825 – 1825
(acting)
Preceded byWei Yuanyu
Succeeded byChen Zhongfu
Viceroy of Zhili
In office
14 April 1837 – 25 July 1837
(acting)
Preceded byKeshen
Succeeded byKeshen (acting)
Personal details
Born1782
Died1856(1856-00-00) (aged 73–74)

Mujangga was the teacher of Zeng Guofan — a young Chinese statesman, Confucian scholar, and future general of the Xiang Army during the Taiping Rebellion who later became a mentor to Li Hongzhang, a future diplomat of the Qing Dynasty and trade minister of the Beiyang Navy.

Further reading

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  • Crossley, Pamela Kyle. Orphan Warriors: Three Manchu Generations and the End of the Qing World, page 256. Princeton University Press, 1990.
  • Hummel, Arthur W. Sr., ed. (1943). "Mu-chang-a" . Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. United States Government Printing Office.

References

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  1. ^ The Chinese Repository, Volume 14, edited by Elijah Coleman Bridgman, Samuel Wells Willaims