Zuo Zongtang

Zuo Zongtang (or Tso Tsung-t'ang ) ( 1812 – 85 )
Chinese soldier and statesman. He rose to military prominence, assisting Zeng Guofan in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion and was appointed governor-general of Zhejiang province ( 1862 ). He supported the Self-Strengthening Movement , in 1877 recapturing Xinjiang from Yakub Beg, and making possible its incorporation as a Chinese province.