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.