洪承畴（1593年10月16日－1665年4月3日），字彦演，号亨九，福建泉州府南安县英都（今英都镇良山村）人。崇祯时官至兵部尚书、蓟辽总督，松锦之战败战后降清，成为清朝首位汉人大学士。为了巩固清朝的统治，政治上，洪建议清廷采纳许多明朝的典章制度，献计甚多，大多被清廷信纳，加以推行，完善清王朝的国家机器。文化上，洪承畴建议满洲统治集团也须弘扬儒家学术，尊信孔孟，“习汉文，晓汉语”，了解汉人礼俗，淡化满汉之间的差异，亦为满清统治汉人的统治基础。清兵入关以后，洪承畴的功劳极大，可以说除了多尔衮及范文程以外，再无他人。

Hong Chengchou (1593–1665), courtesy name Yanyan and art name Hengjiu, was a Chinese official who served under the Ming and Qing dynasties. He was born in present-day Liangshan Village, Yingdu Town, Nan'an County, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China. After obtaining the position of a jinshi (進士; successful candidate) in the imperial examination in 1616 during the reign of the Wanli Emperor, he joined the civil service of the Ming Empire and served as an official in Shaanxi. During the reign of the Chongzhen Emperor (r. 1627–1644), he was promoted to Minister of War and Viceroy of Suliao (薊遼; an area which included parts of present-day Shandong, Hebei and Tianjin). In 1642, he surrendered and defected to the Manchu-led Qing Empire after his defeat at the Battle of Songjin. He became one of the Qing Empire's leading Han Chinese scholar-politicians. While he was in office, he encouraged the Manchu rulers to adopt Han Chinese culture and provided advice to the Qing government on how to consolidate its control over the former territories of the fallen Ming Empire. Apart from Dorgon and Fan Wencheng (范文程), Hong Chengchou was regarded as one of the most influential politicians in the early Qing dynasty. However, he was also villainised by the Han Chinese for his defection to the Qing Empire and for his suppression of the Southern Ming dynasty (a short-lived state formed by remnants of the fallen Ming Empire).