"I admire Li Hongzhang's talent, I lament Li Hongzhang's judgment, and I grieve over Li Hongzhang's circumstances." -Liang Qichao From a staff member in Zeng Guofan's secretariat to a provincial governor and frontier official, and then to a key late-Qing minister who directed the Self-Strengthening Movement and maneuvered through diplomacy, Li Hongzhang's ups and downs in officialdom were tightly bound to the rise and fall of the dynasty-he dared to take responsibility and pioneered modern military and industrial undertakings, yet he was also skilled at self-preservation, safeguarding his own power and interests. This book uses Li Hongzhang's memorials and letters as clues, linking together his entire official life in "government service," "foreign affairs," and "diplomacy." His memorials reveal his political wisdom, while his letters offer a glimpse into his true state of mind. By cross-referencing the two, the book presents a heavyweight minister in an era of decline-his explorations and struggles in a time of great upheaval. He devoted his entire life to shoring up the Qing dynasty, a dilapidated house held together with paper, yet in the end he bore the infamy of "selling out the country." 吾敬李鴻章之才，吾惜李鴻章之識，吾悲李鴻章之遇。--梁啟超 從曾國藩幕僚到封疆大更，再到執掌洋務、縱橫外交的晚清重臣，李鴻章的宦海浮沉與王朝興衰緊緊綁定--他既敢任事，開創近代軍事與實業;又善自保，維護自己的勢力與利益。 本書以李鴻章的奏摺與信函為線索，串聯起他「為官」「洋務」「外交」的從政一生。奏摺見其政治智慧，信函窺其真實心境。兩相參照，呈現出一位衰世重臣在大變動時代的探索及掙扎。他窮盡一生維護大清這間紙糊的破屋，最終卻背負「賣國」的罵名