Lin Zexu: the First Person in Modern Times to Open His Eyes to the World

"If you live and die to benefit the country, how can you avoid it because of misfortunes and blessings?" This book gives a panoramic view of the magnificent life of national hero Lin Zexu. He started writing in 1785 when he was born in a poor family in Fuzhou. He went through a period of enlightenment through elementary education, becoming an official in the imperial examination, and when he was a local official, he controlled floods, rescued famines, and redressed injustices, earning him the reputation of "Lin Qingtian". Focusing on the opium eradication feat in Humen in 1839, he reproduced his resolute figure as an imperial envoy to ban opium and fight against the British army, revealing the pain of the times before and after the Opium War. The book also details his responsibilities during his exile in Yili: building "Lin Gong Canal", promoting karez, presiding over farming, and compiling "Records of the Four Continents" to open his eyes to the world. After his recovery, he served as governor of Shaanxi-Gansu and Yunnan-Guizhou, mediating ethnic conflicts, rectifying the mining industry, and strengthening border areas. Until 1851, when he went to Guangxi due to illness and died of illness in Chaozhou, he still thought about national affairs before his death. The book is based on Lin Zexu's memorials, diaries and other historical materials, showing his spirit in every detail. It not only shows his pragmatism and foresight as a politician, but also depicts his feelings about his family and country as an ordinary person. It finally establishes his historical coordinates as "the first person in modern China to open his eyes to the world", and provides readers with a profound perspective to understand the beginning of modern China and the inheritance of the national spirit.