There are more legends than historical facts about the relationship between Hu Xueyan and Zuo Zongtang|unfortunately, a variety of speculations about their relations have turned out be the historical verdict. It has been widely accepted that Zuo Zongtang is Hu Xueyan’s political patron and Hu Xueyan is Zuo Zongtang’s financial sponsor. Is that the case? It will be quite helpful to make an objective evaluation on them and analyze the relationship between government and business through the conclusive historical data which may shed light on their relations.  There is no denying the fact that Hu’s political honors throughout his life benefited from Zuo’s recommendation and support, but as a matter of fact, Zuo Zongtang was not Hu Xueyan’s political patron. Their friendly relations merely focused on the issue of Westernization, Conquest of the West, and charities, which complies with the historical trend and benefits the social cause. Zuo Zongtang had recommended Hu Xueyan several times not out of his selfishness but out of his ambition to initiate a Westernization Movement, to raise funds for the purchase of arms and ammunition for the Conquest of the West, and for charity and social relief with the assistance of Hu Xueyan. Hu was nominated as a candidate for vice governor under the leadership of Zuo Zongtang all the time. According to the system of Qing Dynasty, it was the obligation of both the inspectors and governors to recommend officials. Time and again Zuo Zongtang’s recommendation for awarding Hu was to fulfill his obligation rather than indicate their special relations. In fact, other governors had also recommended Hu in addition to Zuo Zongtang. Officers such as Governor-general Li Hongzhang, Inspector Mei Qizaoand of Zhejiang Province, and Inspector Tan Zhonglin had all recommended Hu Xueyan. Take the yellow mandarin jacket for example, prior to Hu Xueyan, Zuo Zongtang had already awarded a yellow mandarin jacket to those high-ranking officers who had rendered great services, so Hu Xueyan was not an exception. Hu assisted Zuo in the affairs of Westernization, Conquest of the West, and charities, which was to realize his own ambitions and make the successful transition from a businessman to a social man. There was no personal attachment in authority between them. Then why would Zuo Zongtang put Hu Xueya in such an important position? This could be accounted for by his own need for administrative affairs and achievements, which was conducive to the nation and provided an opportunity for Hu to serve the country as well. The reason why Zuo Zongtang could pacify the Northwest, and recapture Xinjiang was due to Hu’s contribution, since at that time Hu presided over Shanghai Transport Bureau and raised funds for military expenditure and purchased arms and ammunition. As Hu enjoyed high prestige among foreign tradesmen, fund-raising for the Conquest of the West had to count on Hu’s support. Zuo relied on Hu’s support, for Hu was zealous for public interests in regard to social relief. Their friendship started with their coping with the aftermath in Hangzhou. Hu was generous to the charity work advocated by Zuo. Furthermore, Hu’s charity work was not merely a response to Zuo’s call, but actually his own conscious action. There are so many legends about the relationship between Hu Xueyan and Zuo Zongtang, but none of then have historical evidences. The so-called personal association was less than expected. Instead, their relationship had undergone some changes. Compared with other periods, they were close during the Conquest of the West, but later on they became alienated. Zuo even did not rescue Hu during the Guimo Financial Crisis. If Zuo, as governor and trusted by Empress Dowager Cixi, had come to Hu’s rescue, his fate would have been different. When it came to their friendship, Zuo seemed to hold the bottom line. In a word, their relations are anything but money-for-power deals.