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People · Shanghai daotai, Qing official

Shen Bingcheng

沈秉成Shěn Bǐngchéng · 1823–1895

Qing official, Shanghai daotai from 1872, who promoted mulberry planting, backed a Western-language school, led troops into the French Concession in 1874.

Painted portrait of a seated bald man with a moustache in a white robe, surrounded by books, bronzes and scrolls.
Portrait of Shen Bingcheng by Hu Quan, 1882.Image: Hu Quan (胡洤), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Shen Bingcheng (沈秉成, Shěn Bǐngchéng) was a Qing official who served as Shanghai daotai from 1872 until early 1875. His best-known act in the settlements’ history was bringing Qing troops into the French Concession during the first Siming Gongsuo incident of 1874.

According to the Shanghai Concessions Gazetteer, he passed the jinshi examination in 1856. As daotai he promoted mulberry planting and silkworm rearing, sent people to Huzhou to buy mulberry seedlings and issued a handbook on the subject. He thought training translators urgent, so he sent clever students to the Guangfang Yanguan language school to study Western languages. In 1873 he founded the Gujing Academy.

In early 1875 he was promoted to judicial commissioner of Henan, and he later became governor of Anhui.

Timeline

  1. 1856Passed the jinshi examination1
  2. 1872Appointed Shanghai daotai1
  3. 1873Founded the Gujing Academy1
  4. 1874Led Qing troops into the French Concession during the first Siming Gongsuo incident1
  5. 1875Promoted to Henan judicial commissioner1

Connections

  • M. Gaudeaux葛笃Agreed with Shanghai daotai Shen Bingcheng to bar women waiters from French Concession opium houses

Sources

  1. 1.Shanghai Concessions Gazetteer, part 6 People, ch. 1 Biographies: 沈秉成（1823～1895年） (上海租界志·第六篇 人物·第一章 人物传略·沈秉成（1823～1895年）), 上海市档案馆（编）, 上海社会科学院出版社；上海市地方志办公室数字方志（在线）, 2001 — 上海租界志·人物传略·沈秉成gazetteer