Early life and diplomatic career

Although Zheng traced his ancestral roots to Minhou, a small town near Fuzhou, he was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu. In 1882, he obtained the intermediate degree in the imperial examinations, and three years later he joined the secretariat of the prominent statesman Li Hongzhang. In 1891, he was appointed secretary to the Chinese legation in Tokyo, and in the following years he performed consular duties at the Chinese consulates in Tsukiji, Osaka and Kobe respectively. During his tenure in Kobe, he worked closely with the Chinese community and played an instrumental part in establishing the Chinese guild (Zhōnghuá huìguǎn 中華會館) there. In Japan, Zheng also interacted with a number of influential politicians and scholars, such as Itō Hirobumi, Mutsu Munemitsu and Naitō Torajirō.

Government service

Following the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese war in 1894, Zheng was forced to leave Japan. Having returned to China, Zheng joined the secretariat of the reformist statesman Zhang Zhidong in Nanjing and followed him to Beijing, where Zheng obtained a position in the Qing foreign office, the Zongli Yamen. Following the abortive Hundred Days' Reform in 1898, Zheng left his post in Beijing and took up a number of important government positions in central and southern China. After the collapse of the imperial system in 1911, Zheng remained loyal to the Qing dynasty and refused to serve under China's Republican government. Instead he withdrew from public life entirely and retired comfortably in Shanghai, where he devoted his time to calligraphy, poetry and art, while also writing extensive articles critical of the Kuomintang leadership, whom he characterized as 「thieves」.

Qing loyalist and Collaboration with the Japanese

In 1923, the former Qing emperor Puyi summoned Zheng to Beijing in order to reorganize the imperial household. Zheng became a close adviser of Puyi and helped arrange for his flight to the foreign concession at Tianjin after his expulsion from the Forbidden City. Zheng remained loyal to the throne and secretly met with Japanese officials and groups such as the Black Dragon Society to discuss a restoration of the Qing dynasty in Manchuria. Following the Mukden Incident and the invasion of Manchuria by the Imperial Japanese Army in 1931, Zheng played an important role in the establishment of Manchukuo, becoming its first prime minister the following year. Zheng also composed the lyrics of the National Anthem of Manchukuo. Zheng had hoped that Manchukuo would become a springboard for the restoration of Qing rule in the whole of China, but he soon found out that the real rulers of Manchukuo, the Japanese Kwantung Army, did not share his ambitions.

As Prime Minister of Manchukuo, Zheng frequently disagreed with the Japanese Army leadership. In May 1935, he was pressured to resign from his office. Three years later, he died suddenly under unclear circumstances, which led to speculation that he may have been poisoned by the Japanese. He was accorded a state funeral in April 1938.

Legacy

Although Zheng Xiaoxu is mostly remembered today for his collaboration with the Japanese, he is still recognized as an accomplished poet and calligrapher. Zheng was one of the most respected and influential calligraphers of the 20th century. His calligraphy brought high prices during his lifetime and he supported himself in later life with the proceeds from its sale. His calligraphy continues to be influential in China and his style has been incorporated into the logos of current Chinese corporations.

Zheng kept an extensive diary, which is still valued by historians as important source material.

生平簡歷

鄭孝胥為翰林鄭守廉之子。光緒八年（1882年）中福建鄉試第一名（解元）。歷任廣西邊防大臣，安徽、廣東按察使，湖南布政使等。鄭孝胥曾參與戊戌變法，與唐才常有過交往；立憲運動時期，鄭孝胥也曾經參加上海商務印書館、上海儲蓄銀行的創建以及新式教育的推動等。光緒三十四年（1908年），鄭孝胥受岑春煊派遣，出任預備立憲公會會長，要求清廷儘速召開國會。

宣統三年（1911年）辛亥革命之後，鄭孝胥以遺老自居，後擔任溥儀的內務大臣與顧問。鄭孝胥早年在清廷駐日本大使館做書記官，由此與日本人關係密切，在溥儀被趕出紫禁城後，他一手安排溥儀住進日本使館。民國十四年（1925年）隨溥儀從北京潛逃至天津日租界。與日本方面也多有接觸，致力於溥儀的復闢。他提出，先通過日本建立一個政權，然後積極推動國際列強共管。他曾在日記中寫到：

民國二十年（1931年）九一八事變之後，鄭孝胥勸說溥儀前往東北，招致朱益藩等人的怒斥，並且與日本方面達成建立滿洲國的協議，並負責起草《滿洲國國歌》與《建國宣言》。滿洲國的成立對於清遺民而言，實具有「中興清室」與「防共」的雙重作用。然而，滿洲國的「王道」與傳統中國的文化理念有所不同，其中甚至摻揉了法西斯主義與反帝國主義的思想。質言之，鄭孝胥透過「再造」中國的傳統，為滿洲國與溥儀尋找合理性基礎，但這些舉動不僅為國民政府所不恥，也未必引起多數清遺民的共鳴。

1932年3月8日，鄭孝胥隨溥儀登上前往長春的列車。3月9日，溥儀舉行了就職典禮。滿洲國成立後，鄭孝胥出任國務總理兼陸軍大臣、文教部長，並且與日本關東軍代表武藤信義簽定《日滿議定書》，承認日本在滿洲國的特殊地位與駐軍權。此內閣雖然各部總長都是中國人，但實權卻掌握在日方，面對此現實，鄭不得不感慨：「何事與人說時命，殘年由遣待蒼茫。」

鄭孝胥後來反對日本方面對滿洲國的壓制；在他主辦的「王道書院」里向聽課的人說：「滿洲國已經不是小孩子了，就該讓它自己走走，不該總是處處不放手。」此言論引起了關東軍的不滿，鄭孝胥被迫離開政治，後來連存在銀行里的「建國功勞金」也取不出來，想遷離長春也不許，在憲兵隊的監視下，只能在家裡寫字，做詩。1938年於新京（今長春）病逝，予諡襄勤。7月，滿洲國予以國葬，墓址在清太祖努爾哈赤陵墓附近的七間房村，墓碑上有「大勛位鄭公孝胥、誥封一品夫人吳夫人之墓」等字。後在文革期間，墓碑被推倒，墓穴被破壞，迄今只有墓碑仍在七間房村某個大院裡。

文學成就

• 鄭孝胥個人修養有兩方面傑出的才能，一是古體詩，二是書法。古體詩在清末民初，與陳三立比肩的唯有鄭孝胥。為詩壇「同光體」倡導者之一。

• 近現代兩大書法家，即北于南鄭。于乃于右任，鄭便是鄭孝胥。書法工楷、隸火，尤善楷書，取徑歐陽詢及蘇軾，而得力于北魏碑版。所作字勢偏長而蒼勁樸茂。

• 其詩作集結為《海藏樓詩集》出版。

三共論

鄭孝胥在1920年代初曾有如下預言：「大清亡于共和，共和亡于共產，共產亡于共管」。

此外鄭孝胥在日記中還曾有過其他預言，例如他在1919年6月23日的日記曰：「近日舉國亂世潛伏，亂黨將陰結日本亂黨推倒政府及軍閥；然此輩惟知作亂，無立國之略，其必終成專制政府。余語鄒紫東、王聘三：『使我執政，先行三事：禁結黨，封報館，停學堂，皆以丘山之力施之，使莫敢犯，不過一年，天下朝覲，謳歌皆集於我矣。』」。

遺物

1921年，鄭孝胥為悼念乃木希典而作詩。詩碑現存于青島博物館。博物館將碑體斜立，以示當局對鄭和乃木的反感。

家庭與其他

• 鄭孝胥是一位工於楷書的書法家，交通銀行由他題字。

• 滿洲航空的社長鄭垂為鄭孝胥長子

• 鄭孝胥次子鄭禹之子鄭廣淵與溥儀的二妹韞龢結婚。