Eschewing the traditional literati pursuits of writing poetry and calligraphy, Xue proposed that the government should promote pragmatism application of new technology and knowledge in strengthening China.

During his tenure as the Qing government's ambassador to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Italy, he wrote a diary describing his diplomatic activities and his impressions of European countries.

Apart from documenting records of historical events such as the Taiping Rebellion, he also wrote essays on local legends, the macabre and the supernatural.

His father Xue Xiang was a notable writer and essayist and after passing the provincial civil service exam, became a teacher in the government academy at Zhenjiang.

His mother and grandmother were both from the prominent literati Gu (顾) family of Wuxi, of which other notable members include scientist and polymath Y. H.

To their dismay, the brothers found that an uncle, aunt and numerous cousins were killed or committed suicide to avoid capture by the Taiping rebels.

The Taiping rebels took Xue's older brother into custody, but unaware of his true identity as a Qing official's son, released him in due course.

Travelling incognito and with great trepidations through Taiping held territory, the brothers crossed the Yangtze River and eventually located their mother and siblings to the north in the town of Baoying near the city of Yangzhou.

The Emperor escaped from the capital but the Qing government was forced to sign another unequal treaty to appease the Western powers.

He also wrote and published stories about ghosts and the supernatural as well as anecdotes of curious local events and folklores that he had heard or read about in his childhood.

Xue, aged 37, submitted his proposal (with help from Governor Ding Baozhen, employer of his younger brother) – advocating focus on diplomacy and knowledge of international laws in negotiation, establishing civil service exams to test candidates on knowledge of the Western world, sending scholars for further studies abroad, building and developing a modern navy.

Xue advised Li Hongzhang on the serious consequences that could ensue if defense of China's coast rested in foreign hands.

In July 1882, in what was known as the Imo Incident in Joseon Korea, then still a traditional Chinese protectorate, units of the Korean military revolted in Seoul.

In part, the flare-up of violence may have been caused by provocative policies and conduct by Japanese military advisors training the new Special Skills Force.

The pro-Japanese Regent Daewongun, accused of fomenting the disturbance and its violence, was arrested by Chinese troops and taken to China where he spent three years in custody and only returned to Korea in 1885.

Xue ordered the Battle of Zhenhai to be mined, moved cannons to better-camouflaged locations, and ensured that the French could not recruit locals who knew how to navigate the coastal terrain.

Consequently, in February 1885, under diplomatic pressure from China, Britain invoked provisions of the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 and closed Hong Kong and other Far Eastern ports to French warships.

During his tenure in Ningbo, Xue Fucheng donated his annual salary for the restoration of Tianyi Ge, the oldest existing library in China originally built in the Ming dynasty but which had fallen into disrepair.

While in Europe, he wrote a letter home to his son and stipulated: "all my descendants, whether male or female, should begin their education no later than the age of seven and study Western technology and the English language".

While in Europe, Xue engaged in substantive trade negotiations with Britain on the question of the China-Burmese border as well as the establishment of consulates in Southeast Asia to protect the rights of Chinese citizens.