Campaigners › Naval Commanders
Chen Huacheng
Qing commander from Tong'an who led the Fujian fleet and then the Jiangnan forces, and was killed by a cannon shot while defending Wusong against the British in 1842
In a harbour at dawn, many wooden junks with pale battened sails lie moored in rows on still blue water; bales sit on the stone quay in the foreground, a small boat with two people crosses the water, and a tower stands on a far island under a rising sun.
Also known as Zi Lianfeng · Shi Zhongmin
Chen Huacheng, courtesy name Lianfeng, came from Tong'an in Fujian and rose from the ranks through long service in the coastal fleet, winning promotion for hunting pirates. He was made deputy general at Penghu in 1821 and in 1830 naval commander-in-chief of Fujian, based at Xiamen. After the Opium War broke out in 1840 he was transferred to command the Jiangnan forces at the Wusong estuary, where he repaired the forts and lived in tents with his men. When the British fleet attacked Wusong in June 1842 and the troops of the governor-general Niu Jian withdrew, Chen stayed at the western battery directing the guns until a shot killed him. The court named him Zhongmin, paid for his funeral, and had shrines built for him at Wusong and in his home county.
Life and times
Dates 1776 CE–1842 CE