The top scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, an industrialist, politician and educator in modern China, advocated "saving the country through industry". An early pioneer in the field of cotton textile in China, he founded Nantong University, Shanghai Ocean University, Hohai University, Shanghai Maritime University, Fudan University, Donghua University and Nanjing University.
Extended data:
In BC 123, Zhang Qian took the rank of a captain and followed the general Wei Qing to attack the Huns. Along the way, because they were familiar with the geographical situation of Xiongnu and knew the location of aquatic plants, the people in the Han Dynasty did not lack water and grass. Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty named him the Prince of Bo.
In BC 1 19, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions for the second time to strengthen the ties between the Han Dynasty and the countries in the Western Regions. Zhang Qian came to Wusun in the Western Regions with more than 300 people and a large amount of gold and silk goods. Then, he sent envoys to Dawan, Kangju, Da Yue, rest in peace and other countries. In 1 15 BC, Zhang Qian returned to Han Dynasty and served as a treasury. The following year, he passed away.
One year after Zhang Qian's death, his envoys came back one after another. Many countries sent envoys to the Han Dynasty to express their gratitude. Since then, the exchanges between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions have been very frequent, and plants such as grapes, alfalfa, pomegranate, walnuts and shallots produced in the Western Regions have gradually spread to the Central Plains, where they have been cultivated. Silk and other articles in the Han Dynasty were gradually exported to the Western Regions and spread to Europe through the Western Regions. The economic and cultural exchanges between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions further developed.
Reference source: Baidu Encyclopedia-Zhang Jian