Zhang Zhidong’s evaluation
Zhang Zhidong, known as Zhang Xiangshuai, who calls himself the Old Man Baobing, is from Nanpi, the founder of Sanjiang Normal School, the predecessor of Nanjing University, and a Chinese higher education institution. The originator of normal schools and the founder of Chinese kindergartens (the first kindergarten hired three Japanese nannies). The founder of China's heavy industry. Zhang Zhidong was selected as a scholar at the age of 13, ranked first in the Shuntian Provincial Examination (Jie Yuan) at the age of 16, and ranked third (Tanhua) in the National Examination at the age of 26.
Zhang Zhidong was first known as Qingliu for his courage in admonition, and was known as the "horn". His fighting power was very fierce. Later he served as governor of Shanxi and academic officials in various places. Later he served as governor for a long time. After 1907, he served as bachelor and minister of military aircraft. He died in 1909 and was given the posthumous title "Wen Xiang".
Zhang Zhidong mainly did three things in his life: first, he established new education, second, he established industry, and third, he trained new troops.
Zhang Zhidong has two main businesses, one is to supervise the Luhan Railway (Lugou Bridge-Wuhan, the famous Beijing-Hankou Railway, do you remember, the Beijing-Hankou Railway strike during the Northern Expedition), the other is The first step was to build inland Wuhan into China's largest heavy industry base at the time.
Taking the construction of the Lu-Han Railway as an opportunity, Zhang Zhidong, in order to "strive for self-improvement and resist foreign aggression; to gain power and preserve middle schools", during his 18 years in power, he established industry, education, and training military, respond to business wars, encourage farmers and mulberry trees, create new cities, and vigorously promote the "Hubei New Deal".
With Wuhan as the center, he successively founded Hanyang Iron Works, Hubei Gun Factory, Daye Iron Mine, Hanyang Iron Works Machinery Factory, Rail Factory, Hubei Weaving Layout, Silk Reeling Bureau, and Spinning Co., Ltd. Bureau, hemp making bureau, tannery and other modern industrialized enterprises, ranking first in the country, with a total capital of about 11.3 million taels of silver. Hanyang Iron and Steel Works became the largest steel complex in Asia at that time, and formed the internal industrial structure of Hubei with heavy industry, especially military industry, as the leader. Wuhan also became the country's heavy industry base. Some influential domestic private enterprises have emerged one after another. Hubei's modern industrial system has been initially laid. Hubei's economy has thus entered a new stage of modernization and development. Hankou has transformed from a commercial center into one of the few international trading ports in the country.
After being transferred to the governorship of Huguang in 1889, he presided over the construction of heavy enterprises such as Hubei Hanyang Iron Works and Daye Iron Mine. Hanyang Iron Works was completed and put into operation in 1894, and steelmaking furnaces were opened. The iron smelting plant has 6 large factories including an iron foundry, a blacksmithing factory, a machine factory, a rail manufacturing factory and a wrought iron smelting factory, 4 small factories, two steel furnaces, 3,000 workers, and 40 foreign technicians. This is my country's first modern large-scale steel factory. Ironmaking requires raw materials and fuels such as iron sand and coal, so Zhang Zhidong sent German technicians to survey near Daye and found that the area was rich in iron ore, so he built China's first open-pit iron mine using modern technology - Daye Iron Mine. Zhang Zhidong successively ordered the development of Daye Sanshi Coal Mine, Taoist Fusu Coal Mine, Jiangxia Maanshan Coal Mine and Jiangxi Pingxiang Coal Mine (Anyuan Coal Mine, the holy place where Taizu made his fortune). In this way, with the ironmaking plant as the center, iron mining, coal mining and steelmaking were integrated, and the first steel complex in modern my country and the first in the Far East was created. Its completion marked the rise of China's modern steel industry and set a precedent for my country's heavy industry. In addition, Zhang Zhidong also founded my country's first comprehensive arms factory, Hanyang Arsenal. "Made in Hanyang" has since become famous all over the world (have you ever remembered that Hanyang rifles were used in the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War), and in China It played an important role in modern military construction and national defense.
The completion of the Luhan Railway was also the beginning of Zhang Zhidong's supervision of the Guangdong-Han and Sichuan-Han Railways.
During his supervision of Hubei, Wuhan, Hubei Province has indeed made great progress in commerce, industry, education, finance, transportation and other aspects, becoming an important landmark in the early modernization of Wuhan city. In addition, institutional innovation is the key to the success of the "Hubei New Deal". According to statistics, during Zhang Zhidong's supervision of Hubei, 36 new institutions of various types were established, 25% of which were established according to the instructions of the Qing court, and 75% were established according to Zhang Zhidong's instructions. It clearly marks Zhang Zhidong’s independence and innovation. The establishment of the new organization is not only a symbol of Zhang Zhidong's determination to innovate, but also an important means for Zhang Zhidong to implement the "New Deal".
The social productive forces, national bourgeoisie, new intellectuals, and revolutionary-leaning soldiers incubated by the "Hubei New Deal" eventually became the gravediggers of the feudal dynasty.
The new army runs new schools and vigorously introduces talents, especially international students. Zhang Zhidong has always been generous and courteous to international students.
Zhang Zhidong was enthusiastic about learning from Japan, and he sent hundreds of students to study in Japan. Although the trend was open at that time, there was still great resistance to going abroad. Zhang Zhidong strongly advocated sending several of his descendants to study in Japan. When students go abroad, they must see them off, and when they return home, there must be a banquet to greet them. There was a water bearer in the governor's office who heard that the person whom the governor was meeting today was a foreign student. The water bearer said: "This student is my son!"
Zhang Zhidong is extremely doting on his students, and all students In disputes or disputes with officials, Zhang Zhidong often favored the students. Note that at that time, 1/4 of the international students did not return home and 3/4 stayed in the country. You can imagine the atmosphere in Wuhan at that time! By the way, Zhang Zhidong is also the teacher of Yang Rui, one of the Six Gentlemen.
Zhang Zhidong founded the new army (do you remember the Double Tenth Day, Wuchang Uprising! Chu Wangtai!) On the eve of his return to Huguang, he played the fifth batch of the Jiangnan self-strengthening army guard front camp that the brigadier general had trained Hundreds of people were transferred to Hubei to "teach foreign exercises to create a more popular atmosphere."