Lin Zexu: The First Modern Chinese to See the World

“I would give my life for my country. How could I avoid misfortune and seek good fortune?” This book paints a sweeping portrait of the life of Lin Zexu, a national hero. It begins with his birth into a poor family in Fuzhou in 1785, follows his early education and success in the imperial exams, and then recounts his years as a local official, when he controlled floods, provided famine relief, and redressed wrongful convictions, earning him the name “Lin the Upright.” It focuses on his momentous destruction of opium at Humen in 1839, portraying his resolve as an imperial commissioner charged with banning opium and resisting British forces, while revealing the upheavals of the era before and after the Opium War. The book also details his sense of duty during his exile in Ili: building the Lin Gong Canal, promoting karez wells, overseeing agricultural settlements, and compiling Records of the Four Continents, which helped usher in the idea of “opening one’s eyes to the world.” After his reinstatement, he served as governor-general of Shaanxi and Gansu, then Yunnan and Guizhou, mediating ethnic conflicts, reforming the mining industry, and strengthening the frontier. In 1851, he traveled to Guangxi despite his illness and died in Chaozhou, still preoccupied with the affairs of the nation in his final moments. Drawing on historical sources such as Lin Zexu’s memorials and diaries, the book brings his character to life through its details. It shows both his pragmatism and foresight as a statesman and his deep love of country and family as an ordinary man. Ultimately, it captures his place in history as “modern China’s first person to open his eyes to the world,” offering readers a profound perspective on the dawn of modern China and the legacy of its national spirit.