Zhang Zhidong's Achievements and Characteristics in Westernization Movement

After Zhang Zhidong arrived in Guangzhou, he strengthened his defense and hit the coastal governor. The defense was tight. In June, the French army occupied Keelung, Taiwan Province, and Zhang Zhidong invited Tang, the official department minister, to go to Liu Yongfu to crusade against the French army. He said: "The only way to help Taiwan Province is to rush over, so please fight for it to shake the overall situation. He also said that it is the best policy to lead the enemy to the Vietnam War, and the more it is based on the real economy of Wei Liu. " The Qing court adopted Zhang Zhidong's suggestion and added Liu Yongfu as the prefect. Liu Yongfu led the Black Flag Army to fight bravely and made great achievements in the French army. However, because Xu in Guangxi and Xu in Yunnan failed to cooperate well in the anti-French war, the army fled, which made the Black Flag Army outnumbered and eventually failed. Tang and Xu were dismissed for investigation, and Zhang Zhidong was transferred to justice for recommending Xu improperly. In the first month of Guangxu 11th year (1885), the French army occupied Nanguan (now Friendship Pass), an important border town between China and Vietnam, and the situation was critical. Zhang Zhidong invited Feng Zicai, the former governor of Guangxi, and Wang Xiaoqi, the company commander, to come to Guangxi and stay in Nanguan. Feng Zicai, a 70-year-old veteran, led the army and fought bloody battles, defeating the French army and turning the whole war around. The cabinet of Ruferri in France fell. However, the Qing court was determined to win, and the peace was settled, and ordered the frontline troops to stop fighting and withdraw their troops. When the frontline soldiers heard the news, "they were all angry and painful." Zhang Zhidong was reprimanded by Li Hongzhang after another suspension of withdrawal.

During the Sino-French War, Zhang Zhidong raised money to transport machinery and gave Cenjun 2 million yuan, 2 million yuan, 400,000 yuan for Tang and Liu Yongfu, and 400,000 yuan for Taiwan Province. The court praised him for helping the army, regardless of territory. During this period, he founded the amphibious normal school in Guangdong, founded the gun factory, hired a navy division in Dazhi, used special funds to buy warships, set up a silk reeling bureau, set up a casting machine, a money casting bureau and a silver dollar bureau, and organized the layout of weaving and an iron factory. This is the beginning of his westernization career.

In the 12th year of Guangxu, Zhang Zhidong founded Guangya Bookstore and Guangya Academy in Guangzhou. When he was in Zhaoqing, the original Duan Xi Academy in Guangdong, he hired Liang Dingfen to preside over Duan Xi Academy. Later, Liang Dingfen led teachers and students to Guangya Academy. Zhang Zhidong also hired Zhu Yixin to give lectures at Guangya College. At that time, Liang Dingfen was found guilty of impeaching Li Hongzhang and was demoted for impeaching eunuch Li. Zhang Zhidong is not afraid of criticism and dares to appoint them, which shows his extraordinary tolerance.

In the 15th year of Guangxu (1889), Zhang Zhidong went to the imperial court and suggested to build a Luhan railway from Lugou Bridge to Hankou to connect the north and the south. He believes that the benefits of railways are the greatest, followed by recruitment and wage adjustment. He proposed that the Luhan Railway is "the hub of trunk roads and the starting base of feeder roads, and China is the best in Italy". The court allowed it to play, and the northern section of the plan was presided over by the governor of Zhili, and the southern section was presided over by the governor of Huguang. Both the northern and southern sections were built. So the Qing court transferred Zhang Zhidong to the governor of Huguang.

In the winter of the fifteenth year of Guangxu, Zhang Zhidong came to Hubei. He spent a lot of energy on military and civilian industries, first of all, the establishment of Hanyang Iron Works. Zhang Zhidong, a businessman, once played some jokes. He telegraphed Xue Fucheng, the ambassador to Britain, to buy the machine furnace of the steel mill. The boss of the Tissett factory in England replied, "To run a steel plant, we must first send iron, stone, coal and coke to the factory for testing, and then we will know what the texture of coal and iron is, and what steel can be smelted, that is, what furnace to use, which is a thousand miles away." Zhang Zhidong boasted, "Given the size of China, why not? Is it necessary to find coal and iron before buying a furnace? But according to British users, a penny is worth a penny. " British factory owners have to obey. Therefore, the machine furnace is located in Hanyang, Daye is iron, and Maanshan is coal. Maanshan pays equal attention to coal ash, so it is impossible to make coke, so we have to buy thousands of tons of coke from Germany. From the 16th to 22nd year of Guangxu (1890- 1896), it cost 5.6 million yuan, and it has not been refined into steel. Later, the coal from Pingxiang, Jiangxi Province was used, and the steel made was too brittle and easy to crack. Zhang Zhidong knew that the machine furnace he bought was acidic and could not be dephosphorized. Steel with too much phosphorus is brittle. So he borrowed 3 million yuan from Japan to change the original mechanical furnace into an alkaline furnace, thus producing high-quality Martin steel. In Xuantong Yuannian (1909), Ye Jingkui, the manager of Hanyeping Company, commented: "If Zhang Zhidong is established, the pioneers will go abroad for detailed investigation, which may be faster and save waste. But at that time, the atmosphere was obscure and it was stupid in North Korea. If there is no Zhang Zhidong, it is reckless, that is, it is afraid of smelting iron and coal. It is still unknown, and it is hard to say that it is a crime. " Hanyang Iron Works is an iron and steel complex. Guangxu 19th year (1893) started construction, including 10 steel works, iron works, iron works, two furnaces, 3,000 workers and 1000 coal miners. This is the first large-scale steel industry produced by capitalist machines in modern China, and it is also the largest steel plant in Asia. The construction of Japanese steel mills is several years later.

Zhang Zhidong also organized the layout of weaving in Hubei. In the 18th year of Guangxu (1892), he drove in Wuchang, with 30,000 spindles, 0/000 looms and 2,000 workers. The weaving layout is profitable. However, Zhang Zhidong used the profits of woven fabrics to make up for the losses of iron works and gun factories, which made woven fabrics always under the oppression of usury and could not develop.

Seeing that cotton yarn is widely sold, Zhang Zhidong decided to open two cotton mills. He called Xue Fucheng, the ambassador to Britain, and ordered machines from British businessmen. In the 23rd year of Guangxu (1897), Jianbei Factory, with more than 50,000 spindles, belonged to Hubei Spinning Bureau. The southern factory has never been built, and the machine stopped at the Shanghai pier, leaving it to the wind and rain. Later, Zhang Jian led it to run Nantong Sheng Da Cotton Mill. Hubei Spinning Bureau, Weaving Layout Bureau, Reeling Bureau and Hemp Making Bureau were subletted to Yingchang Company organized by Guangdong capitalists in the 28th year of Guangxu (1902).

Zhang Zhidong also founded brick-making, leather-making, paper-making, printing and other factories, as well as Hubei gun factory. He also paid attention to building water conservancy projects in Hubei, and built three dikes around the 25th year of Guangxu (1899). One is 30 miles from Hongguan to Qingshan River Embankment outside Vu Thang, Wuchang, and the other is Tiba in the south of the provincial capital, 52 miles from Baishazhou to Jinkou River Embankment, and Yu Nian to Zhixin River Embankment 10. The construction of these three dams has turned areas often threatened by floods into fertile fields and towns.

Zhang Zhidong arrived in Hubei, and in the 20th year of Guangxu (1894), he was transferred to the post of Governor of Liangjiang for more than one year. He attached great importance to education in Hubei and Jiangsu, and founded and reorganized many academies and schools. In Hubei, there are two lakes academy, Jingxin academy, agricultural school, craft school, military equipment self-improvement school, business school and so on. In Nanjing, there are talent reserve schools, railway schools, army schools and naval schools. He sent overseas students to study in Japan. In terms of learning subjects in schools and academies, he reformed according to the needs of society and added some new subjects. He also pays attention to training the army. During his tenure as Governor of Liangjiang, he trained the Jiangnan Self-Strengthening Army, with the number of 10000, and was stationed in Xuzhou. All the officers are Germans and trained in the western way. In the 22nd year of Guangxu (1896), he returned to the position of governor of Huguang and handed over the self-strengthening army to Liu Kunyi, governor of Liangjiang.

While actively establishing westernization enterprises, Zhang Zhidong brutally suppressed the people's anti-westernization struggle and peasant uprising.