Early life

Liu passed the imperial civil service examination in 1860 and obtained jinshi, the highest degree.

Career

After obtaining his degree, Liu Bingzhang began his career at the prestigious Hanlin Academy, but was soon sent to the battlefields to help stamp out the Taiping Rebellion. After that, he helped quash the Nian Rebellion. In 1875, he was appointed Governor (xunfu) of Jiangxi Province, but resigned in 1878 in order to return home and fulfill his filial duty for his elderly mother. In 1882, he was appointed Governor of Zhejiang Province, and was responsible for the defense of the Zhejiang coast. In this capacity, he fought in the Battle of Zhenhai against the French fleet. To commemorate the victory, the Chinese government built the Zhenhai Coastal Defense History Museum in Zhenhai, Ningbo in 1997.

He was awarded the position of Viceroy of Sichuan in 1886, and dealt with anti-missionary riots in Sichuan. The Christian missionaries complained that he was not effectively punishing the rioters, and under the pressure of Britain, the Qing court stripped Liu of his position in 1895. He died in 1905.

Legacy

To commemorate the Battle of Zhenhai, the Chinese government built the Zhenhai Coastal Defense History Museum in Zhenhai, Ningbo in 1997. In 2011, a memorial park was opened in his hometown Wanshan (万山镇), Lujiang County, Anhui Province, to honor his 185th birthday.

生平

咸豐十年（1860年）進士，選為庶吉士，授編修。同治元年（1862年）入淮軍赴上海。次年轉戰江蘇福山、太倉和浙江的嘉善等地，鎮壓太平軍；後又馳聘蘇、皖、魯、豫、鄂五省壓捻軍。授江蘇按察使、山西布政使（未到任）、江西布政使。光緒元年（1875年）任江西巡撫，光緒四年（1878年）以乞終養老母辭職回家農桑。

光緒八年（1882年）又被起用，任浙江巡撫，當法軍侵占越南，繼而侵犯東南沿海時，他于寧波設立海防營務處，加強統一調遣，布置沿海防務，沿岸築長牆、置地雷、封海口，以所有兵輪據險設防。光緒十一年（1885年）三月，法艦突入跤門，他命守備發巨炮，擊傷法船兩艘，法艦敗逃金塘山。幾天後，法艦又進犯虎蹲山北，再痛擊之，火炮擊中要艦，法將迷祿當即斃命，法艦倉惶馳逃，不敢再犯。但法軍賊心不死，後以小輪竄犯寶山口，他命守將選勇突起擊之，法軍傷亡慘重。鎮海之役，計擊沉法艦一艘，重創三艘，火輪、小船多隻，給侵略者以沉重的打擊。

重慶教案

光緒十二年（1886年），劉秉璋任四川總督，查辦遺留的「重慶教案」。因美、英教會強行占地建教堂，民眾反對，教會組織武裝殺傷30餘人，激起公憤反教會，焚毀教學，散發傳單，揭露美、英幫助日本侵略中國的罪行，使美、英教會更為不滿，關殺兒童和民眾。洋人踐踏中國主權，激起川西11縣民眾起來反教會。劉秉璋在查處中，處死殺人兇手和鬧事首領，未鎮壓群眾，美、英教士不滿，紛紛致電總署，要求懲辦秉璋，清廷迫於英、美、法公使要挾，將劉秉璋罷官歸里，光緒三十一年（1905年）病逝。逝後，由于兩江總督周馥的疏奏，清廷准其「複官，予優恤，建祠」。

家族

其子劉聲木、劉體智皆著名學者。