Abstract: Both Zeng Guofan and LI Hongzhang were figures occupying pivotal positions in modern Chinese history. Many hold that the latter was the former's favourite disciple,who completely accepted Zeng’s thoughts and was covered with Zeng's shadow. It was true that the two are common in many ways, but there were  still great differences be tween them,which lay in that Li had a better understanding of the foreign affairs and of the western techniques, that,though the two held the same views in diplomatic policies, their attitudes and starting points were different ,Li’s peace advocation was more constructive than Zeng's, and that Zeng had a strong and glamourous personality, whereas Li was talented but characterless. In short, their differences were relatively between slowness and quickness, between passiveness and activeness, and between narrow-mindedness and broad-mindedness.

Key words: Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, diplomacy, foreign affairs, personality