Introduction to industrialist Zhang Jian: Zhang Jian’s story briefly describes his life

Zhang Jian is a famous industrialist and educator in China. Ji Zhi, whose name is Si'an, is from Nantong, Jiangsu. The number one scholar of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. In his early years, he entered the screen of Huai Army General Wu Changqing. In 1895, Shengda Cotton Mill was established in Nantong. Later, Tonghai Reclamation and Animal Husbandry Company, Dada Steamship Company, Fuxin Flour Company, Zizhi Smelting Iron Company, Huaihai Industrial Bank, etc. Invested in Jiangsu Railway Company, Shengda Steamship Company, Zhenjiang Dazhao Electric Light Factory, etc. He also founded Tongzhou Normal School, Nantong Museum, Nugong Training Institute, etc. Call industry and education the basis of prosperity. Participated in the constitutional movement, established the Preparatory Constitutional Association in 1906, and served as vice president. In 1909, he was promoted to chairman of the Jiangsu Consultative Assembly. After the Revolution of 1911, he served as the chief industrial officer of the Nanjing Provisional Government. Later, the United Party was organized to support Yuan Shikai and fight against the Kuomintang. In 1913, he was appointed as the Director-General of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce of the Beiyang Government. When Yuan was about to become emperor, he resigned and returned to the south. Continue to establish industry and education in Nantong, and advocate respecting Confucius and reading scriptures. In 1925, Shengda Cotton Mill was taken over due to serious losses and died the next year. There are nine records by Zhang Jizi, a chronology compiled by Si Weng, etc. The complete works of Zhang Jian are now available. Zhang Jian was originally from Haimen, Jiangsu Province, and later lived in Nantong for a long time. Generally speaking, he is from Nantong. At the age of sixteen, he was admitted as a scholar and became a famous local intellectual. At the age of 23, as a clerk for Wu Changqing, a local official of the Qing Dynasty, he traveled across the country with Wu Changqing, increasing his knowledge and meeting many celebrities at that time. Big bureaucrats Weng Tong, Zhang Zhidong, Li Hongzhang and others all appreciated his knowledge. Zhang Zhidong and Li Hongzhang also wanted to hire him as their assistant, but at that time he was determined to be a successful candidate, so he politely declined the offer and worked hard for the imperial examination. However, there are too many people taking the imperial examination and the number of places is limited. Although he quickly passed the imperial examination, he failed several times in a row to pass the imperial examination. It wasn't until the 20th year of Guangxu's reign that he got his wish. He got the first place in the Jinshi examination and was the envied number one scholar. Naturally, he also got the official position of editor of the Hanlin Academy. This year, he is 42 years old. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, as the national crisis deepened, the struggle between the imperial party headed by Guangxu and the rear party headed by Cixi in the Qing government between the main battle and surrender became increasingly acute. Inspired by national indignation and patriotic enthusiasm, Zhang Jian actively participated in the rebellion, including Guangxu's teacher Weng Tong, and wrote a letter to impeach Li Hongzhang for the crime of compromise and surrender. However, because the Imperial Party itself lacked the strength and determination to resist to the end, their main campaign against Lee did not bear fruit. Under this situation, Zhang Jian's desire to be tired of the world became stronger and stronger. At this moment, he received news of his father's death, so in the name of safeguarding the system, he walked out of the vortex of the struggle between the emperor and the empress. Zhang Jian's signing greatly stimulated Zhang Jian. He returned to his homeland and retained this system. He wrote down the main contents of the peace treaty item by item in his diary, and pointed out that he paid enough attention to China, regardless of the gains and losses of the national system, to express his indignation. However, out of boredom and disappointment with the political struggle, Zhang Jian did not return to Beijing immediately, nor did he directly participate in the mass movement against the traitorous peace treaty and the cession of Taiwan Province. On the contrary, inspired by the ideas of the reformists, he embarked on the path of saving the country through industry and education. We went to Shanghai, Nanjing, Nantong, Haimen and other places to understand the situation. Seeing that there were many types of cotton in Nantong, the output was high, and the cotton cloth sold well, he decided to set up a cotton spinning factory in Nantong first, source materials locally, and sell them locally. However

But after the machine arrived, he had been transferred. The machine was purchased by the Jiangsu Provincial Department, but it was useless. Now the machine has been exposed to the sun and rain and has become rusty. Please ask them to transfer the machine to us! Liu Kunyi ordered Xuzhou Daogui Song Qing to be responsible for the price reduction sales. Guiqing valued these machines at 502,000 yuan and asked Zhang Jian to buy them. Zhang Jian said: We can or even cannot raise funds to buy land and build factories. How do we have so much money to buy machines? Later, after many discussions, it was decided that the price of the machine would be 502,000 yuan as formal shares, and the businessman would then raise 502,000 yuan as commercial shares to organize the factory. However, it took Zhang Jian nearly two years to raise 132,000 yuan. Zhang Jian tried every means to make money at the expense of huge losses. Finally, Shengda Cotton Mill was built in the 25th year of Guangxu. It is no accident that Zhang Jian became the Shengda Cotton Factory in Tongzhou. On the one hand, Tongzhou has many favorable geographical conditions, such as a good climate, suitable for cotton production, good quality, and yarn mills can use local materials; at the same time, Tongzhou only has one large cotton spinning factory, and wages are relatively low. On the other hand, due to Zhang Jian's close relationship with the feudal regime and the support of the governor of Liangjiang, he was invited to receive special preferential treatment such as official shares, official positions, and relief funds. Thanks to the above two favorable conditions, coupled with Zhang Jian's subjective efforts due to Shengda Spinners, the operation and management were relatively effective and the company developed rapidly, becoming the only successful spinnery factory in China before the European War. In the 23 years from 1899 to 1921, Shengda yarn mills grew from one to four, with a total profit of 16 million silver. In order to solve problems such as the transportation and marketing of raw materials and products, and the maintenance of machinery and equipment, Zhang Jian also founded Tonghai Reclamation and Animal Husbandry Company, Guangsheng Oil Factory, Dalong Oil Soap Factory, Zesheng Water Conservancy Company, Mass Transportation Company, Dadalunbu Company, Foreign exchange three-wheel company, ship lock company, capital pig iron factory, etc. There are more than 30 enterprises including Dachang Paper Factory, Tunnel Match Factory, and Dagong Rice Mill. In addition, the Huaihe Bank was established, and some service enterprises such as hotels, bathhouses, and restaurants were established.

In this way, a relatively complete enterprise system has been formed with Shengda Cotton Mill as the center, including industry, agriculture, finance, transportation, transportation, services and other industries. Although Shengda Group gradually declined after World War I and was eventually annexed by four major families, it still occupies a very important position in China's modern economic history. When Zhang Jian founded his industry, he also attached great importance to investment education. The early development of Shengda Group not only accumulated funds for Zhang Jian to set up education, but also put forward more urgent requirements for talent training. Therefore, in 1902, when Shengda Enterprise began to make profits, Zhang Jian began to establish new education and founded the first normal school in Tongzhou. In the next 20 years, he successively founded 370 primary schools, 6 middle schools and 10 universities, forming a continuous education system. At the same time, he also founded technical and vocational schools such as agricultural schools, textile schools, commercial schools, embroidery schools, and female workers' workshops. To meet the needs of local self-government, general education clubs, business lecture clubs, and survey workshops were established. Law schools and other popular education, in addition to a school for the blind and mute. In short, all general education, teacher education, vocational education, mass education, special education, etc. Almost everything that the capitalist countries had at that time was transplanted by Zhang Jian, and a relatively complete education network was basically established. In the process of establishing these educational undertakings, Zhang Jian ignored industrial difficulties and invested a lot of financial resources and energy, showing extraordinary courage and full patriotic enthusiasm. However, Zhang Jian's patriotic spirit of not being afraid of difficulties and having the courage to pioneer has undoubtedly set an example for future generations. When Zhang Jian founded the cotton mill, he suffered deeply from the corruption of upright officials. He once participated in the reform activities advocated by Kang and Liang, hoping to refresh the political landscape and clear obstacles for future establishment

In 1903, Zhang Jian visited During that period, I witnessed the rapid development of Japan's industry and education in the United States under the leadership of the U.S. government's incentives and aid policies. He further realized that the prosperity of Japan and the United States lies not only in the development of its industry and education, but also in the superiority of its political system. If China does not get rid of the root causes of its disease and change its political system in imitation of Japan, it will be unable to save the country's industry and education. However, on the issue of how to change the political system, Zhang Jian still opposed radical and violent revolutionary methods, and advocated enlightening the Qing government through gentle means such as petitions, and implementing a constitutional monarchy through top-down reforms. Under the guidance of the above thoughts, Zhang Jian's attitude towards politics gradually changed from negative to positive, and he became a supporter and promoter of the bourgeois constitutional movement in the late Qing Dynasty. As early as 1901, when the Qing government announced the New Deal, Zhang Jian, He Sihun, Tang Shouqian and others formulated the Treaty of Shimonoseki in an attempt to beg and persuade the Qing government to appoint Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong, the governor-general of the southeast, on the premise of recognizing Cixi's absolute authority. With the support of the Communist Party of China, reforms such as the establishment of the State Council, the suspension of donations, and the reform of the imperial examination were implemented. Although their so-called State Council was only an advisory body during the reform year, their reform plans were still not adopted because the so-called new administration of the Qing government was just a hoax to cover up the public. After the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, Sun Baodi and Hu, the envoys of the Qing government to various countries, jointly called for a change of dynasty and the implementation of constitutionalism on the grounds that constitutional Japan had defeated autocratic Russia. Some domestic governors also sought responses, and the constitutional movement had become an urgent trend. In order to win over the upper class of the bourgeoisie, the Qing government appointed Zhang Jian as a first-class advisor in March and granted him a third-grade title. Zhang Jian took the opportunity to discuss with Guangdian and Tang Shouqian and drafted a reform proposal for Zhang Zhidong and Wei Guangtao. At the same time, he organized the compilation and printing of books such as the Draft Constitutional Memorial of the Qing Dynasty, the Interpretation of the Constitution, and the Japanese Constitution. And distributed to all important people, even the Forbidden City in Beijing. During this period, Zhang Jian also actively contacted the governors of various provinces, hoping that they would take concerted action and jointly urge the Qing government to implement a constitutional monarchy. At the end of 1905, the bourgeois revolution intensified. In order to ease the situation, the Qing government was forced to accept the suggestions of Zhang Jian and others. First, five ministers including Zai Ze and Duan Fang were sent abroad to study constitutional government, and then in June of the following year they officially announced their preparations to imitate constitutional government. Encouraged by this, Zhang Saida, Tang Shouqian and more than 200 people from the business and academic circles in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces established a preparatory constitution-making association in Shanghai, expressing their support for the Qing government's preparations for constitution-making and asking the Qing government to speed up the pace of constitution-making. Beginning in the winter of 1907, Zhang Jian repeatedly contacted constitutionalists in various places, organized letters and visits, and requested the convening of a National Assembly. Under pressure, the Qing government had to announce in August 1908 that the preparatory period for the constitution would be nine years. At the same time, it formulated the so-called Japanese Parliamentary History, the Outline of the Imperial Constitution, and the Essentials of the House of Representatives Law and Election Law as perfunctory measures. Zhang Jian and others were very dissatisfied with the Qing government's lack of sincerity in establishing the constitution and demanded that the preparatory period for the establishment of the constitution be shortened. In 1911, the National Assembly was convened, and a responsible cabinet was immediately established. All advisory bureaus were electrified, and people were sent to travel to various provinces to organize joint petitions. In January 1910, representatives of the provincial advisory bureaus gathered in Beijing and submitted a joint petition to the Metropolitan Procuratorate, requesting that the performance be changed to a new career. The Qing government refused and the first petition failed. Therefore, Zhang Qian joined 10 petition groups and went to Beijing to petition again in June 1910. The Qing government rejected the petition group's second petition and failed. Zhang

Zhang Jian saw their repeated petitions and was disappointed with the Qing government, but he did not want to overthrow the Qing government on his own. Zhang Jian also actively presided over and participated in the local autonomy and railway rights recovery activities in Jiangsu Province. However, because these activities were divorced from the mainstream of the people, the democratic revolution in the United States had no results.

After the Wuchang Uprising broke out, Zhang Jian did not want to see the Qing government's demise, but he also wanted to provide the final rescue for the Qing government. First, he ran to Nanjing and asked General Jiangning and Governor Zhang of Liangjiang to send troops to assist Hubei. Then he rushed to Suzhou to draft a list of constitutional matters for Jiangsu Governor Cheng Dequan year by year, and persuaded the Qing government to make concessions in order to win people's support and quell the uprising. However, as uprisings occurred one after another in various places, even some officials, gentry and constitutionalists, such as Cheng Dequan and Tang Shouqian, also left the Qing government. Zhang Jian began to realize that the Qing government had lost people's support, so he turned to support the Republic of China. Zhang Jian's transformation from constitutionalism to political doctrine was a huge progress, and he also did some positive work for the development of the Revolution of 1911. On November 6, he sent a telegram to dissuade Yuan Shikai from attacking Hubei. On November 8, he wrote a letter to persuade He Zhang to give up armed resistance and contacted the people of Shanghai. The American army helped Tongzhou peacefully recover. In order to urge Yuan Shikai to turn to pacifism, Zhang Jian and Cheng Dequan also talked to Jin Yuan, hoping that he would learn from Washington, the great pacifist in the United States, and stop being ignorant and loyal to the Qing court. When the Jiangsu-Zhejiang coalition encountered Zhang Xun's stubborn resistance, Zhang Jian actively made suggestions and generously donated money to support the Jiangsu-Zhejiang coalition. With Zhang Jian's help, the coalition finally recaptured Nanjing on December 1 and unified Jiangsu Province. However, the United States' attitude towards revolution has not changed. He hated and feared revolution. It is hoped that the country will end the turmoil as soon as possible and restore peace. Seeing that the provisional government was in the hands of the revolutionaries, Zhang Jian pinned his hope of restoring unity and order on Yuan Shikai. Therefore, although Sun Yat-sen appointed him as the Director-General of Industry, he not only did not take up the post, but instead adopted the attitude of disbanding the provisional government. During the peace talks between the North and the South, the Zhang Jian area was particularly large, and Yuan Shikai planned to run away and spread the news; on the other hand, he spread compromising remarks within the revolutionary camp and urged Yuan to make concessions. After Yuan Shikai usurped the country, Zhang Jian contacted other constitutionalists to establish the Communist Party of China in May 1912 to help Yuan Shikai consolidate his power. Then, on the basis of Mao Zedong and the Party, he joined Liang Qichao. In October, the American Democratic Party and Yuan established the Progressive Party, and Mao Zedong jointly fought against the Kuomintang. In March 1913, Kuomintang leader Song was killed by an American agent named Yuan Shikai. As a mediator, Zhang Jian lobbied Huang Xing and others, strongly advocating legal settlement, and resolutely opposed the southern revolutionary forces' pursuit of Yuan. When the second revolution broke out, Zhang Jian blamed the revolutionaries for the war, declared that he supported Yuan's political stance against Sun, and became a pawn used by Yuan Shikai. After Yuan Shikai suppressed the second revolution, he was asked to be appointed as the Director-General of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce. Yuan Meimei's move was nothing more than an attempt to win over people's prestige with the help of Zhang Jian, but Zhang Jian was greatly encouraged. After making some concessions, he took office on October 16, and then issued a series of proclamations including a memorial to reorganize the cabinet and announce the constitution. He proposed the so-called cotton-iron doctrine, which advocated relying on the support and support of national power to vigorously develop the cotton textile industry and the steel industry. And use this as the center to promote the development of the entire industry and commerce. To this end, he first reformed the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce by streamlining the organization and tightening staffing to improve work efficiency. At the same time, he also attached great importance to the law and presided over the formulation of some laws and regulations such as the Industrial and Commercial Rights Protection Law, the Mining Law, and the Articles of Association. To protect and revitalize industry and commerce. thorium

However, due to conflicts between the United States and other countries, as well as opposition from domestic public opinion, most of the loan contracts signed by Zhang Jian were not actually performed, and his plan to develop industry could not be implemented under China's social conditions at the time. implementation. Under this circumstance, Zhang Jian witnessed Yuan Shikai's current political darkness, the warlord melee, the destruction of people's livelihood and business, and gradually became disappointed with Yuan Shikai's regime. In addition, Yuan Shikai couldn't wait to proclaim himself emperor, and Zhang Jian didn't want to accompany Yuan Shikai to death. In March and August 1915, he resigned from his position as general manager of agriculture and commerce and director of the National Water Conservancy Bureau, and returned to his hometown to open his own factory. After World War I, with the resurgence of imperialist aggression against China and the intensification of warlord wars, Chinese and American national industry and commerce became increasingly depressed, and the always profitable Shengda Cotton Mill also suffered losses. In 1925, three cotton mills run by Zhang Jian were taken over by a banking group with creditors in the United States because of their high debt. Zhang Jian was very disappointed and his thoughts became more and more conservative. He opposed the revolution and died in 1926.