“Make high vows, make middle fate, and enjoy low blessings; choose a high place to stand, find a flat place to live, and walk to a wide place.” This is an inscription by Zuo Zongtang, a Confucian general in the Qing Dynasty, in Wuxi, Jiangsu The poem "Mei Yuan" is also the family motto of the entire Zuo family. In just 24 words, it condenses a profound philosophy of life.

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Zuo Zongtang was born on November 10, 1812 (the seventh day of October in the 17th year of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty) in Zuojiayuan, Xiangyin County, Changsha Prefecture, Hunan Province. He is enlightened by nature and rarely loses his ambition. In 1816 (the 21st year of Jiaqing), he went to Changsha, the provincial capital, to study with his father. In 1827 (the seventh year of Daoguang), he took the Changsha Prefectural Examination and won the second place.

He not only studied Confucian classics, but also dabbled in the study of practical management of the world. He regarded those masterpieces involving Chinese history, geography, military, economy, water conservancy, etc. as treasures, which was very helpful for him when he later led troops to fight. , Policy and financial management have played a big role.

In 1830 (the tenth year of Daoguang), Zuo Zongtang entered Changsha Chengnan Academy to study, and visited He Changling, a famous pragmatic official and practical scholar in Changsha. He Changling "treated him like a national scholar." His younger brother, He Xiling, was Zuo Zongtang's teacher at that time. He Xiling was very fond of his disciple, saying that he was "extraordinarily capable of self-reliance, and you will definitely gain something from his studies." Later, the teacher and student even became in-laws.

In 1831 (the eleventh year of Daoguang), Zuo Zongtang entered the Xiangshui School Scripture Hall established in Changsha by Wu Rongguang, the governor of Hunan. He studied hard and achieved excellent results. He ranked first 7 times in this year's exams.