[or Gong; Kung-Chin-Wang]. Chinese statesman, born in 1833. Being Emperor Hin-Fung’s brother, he was in 1861, when Hin-Fung died, made one of the regents, as the new emperor, Tung-Che, was then only seven years old. For the suppression of the Taiping rebellion, which occurred while he was a regent, he availed himself largely of the assistance of foreigners. In 1866, and again in 1869, Prince Kung went on special embassies to Europe and America. When, in 1874, he concluded peace with Japan after the Formosan troubles, he was accused of having yielded too much to foreign influence, and was condemned to death. But on the next day an imperial decree restored him to his former high office. In the difficulties with France in 1883–84, ending with the treaty of Tien-tsin, Prince Kung’s conduct gave his enemies another opportunity to drive him from power. This prince was noted for his steady endeavors to introduce the ideas, methods and inventions of modern European civilization into China, and would have succeeded in so doing, in spite of many hindrances and a powerful inimical clique, had he understood better the proper methods to be used to reach such radical results. His political adversary, Viceroy Li Hung-Chang, had a clearer comprehension of the ways and means by which China can be gradually brought to adopt modern progress, and his influence through the Empress dowager was all-powerful. When General Grant visited China, Prince Kung entertained him royally. At the close of 1894 he was appointed by the emperor to arrange with Japan terms of settlement of the war then raging. After Prince Kung’s short period of imperial favor, Li Hung-Chang was again called forward, and closed the negotiations with Japan—thus throwing Prince Kung back into the shade.
