Zuo Zongtang (10 November 1812-5 September 1885) was a Chinese statesman and military general of the Qing dynasty. Zuo was famous for his role in crushing the Taiping Rebellion, and he was also the namesake of "General Tso's Chicken".
Biography[]
Zuo Zongtang was born in Xiangyin County, Hunan, Qing, China in 1812, and he became a member of the lower civil service. In 1851, he started his military career by participating in the campaign against the Taiping Rebellion.
In 1862, Zeng Guofan recommended that he be appointed Governor of Zhejiang, and he coordinated Qing, French, and British forces against the Taiping rebels.
After his 1864 capture of Hangzhou, he was elevated to the rank of Count, and he oversaw the construction of the Fujian Arsenal and naval academy. He also oversaw industrialization in Gansu, and he suppressed the Nian Rebellion in that province.
In the late 1870s, he crushed the Dungan Revolt and captured Xinjiang, leading his elevation to marquis in 1878. He rose in the ranks of the nobility and the civil service during the early 1880s, and he died in Fuzhou in 1885.
Zuo was best remembered for his military, agricultural, and educational achievements, and he is the namesake of "General Tso's Chicken".