The river is surging, rushing eastward; the river is mighty, nourishing civilization. The Paper's "Cultural China Tour｜Cultural Yangtze River" starts from Shanghai, goes up the river, walks along the Yangtze River, and tours the cultural veins of the Yangtze River. This issue goes to the hometown of Zhang Jian (1853-1926), a modern industrialist and educator.
The Yangtze River rushes to the estuary, where the river and the sea wrestle with each other, the tides rise and fall, and the silt carried along is deposited to form continents or islands. This is the case in Chongming and the Haimen riverside area across the river.
Most of the newly-emerged sandbars in Haimen were immigrated from Jiangnan, especially Chongming. They cleared the grass and reclaimed the land to make fields, which was extremely difficult. One of the sandbars was named "Changle". In the early years of Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, there were only a few fishing fires here. By the Guangxu period, it had become a huge town "where cotton cloth was shipped to nine provinces" - Haimen Changle Town. This is closely related to the fact that Zhang Jian (1853-1926), the top scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, modern industrialist and educator, who was born here and started his journey of "saving the country through industry" from his hometown.
Yangtze River Sandbank
Zhang Jian (1853-1926), the top scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, a modern industrialist and educator
Zhang Jian was born in a commoner's family in Changle. He won the top spot in the imperial examination in 1894. Later, he witnessed the bleak reality of the late Qing Dynasty. In order to save the nation from extinction, he wanted to create a path of "saving the country through industry and developing the country through education". He devoted himself to "local self-government" and used his hometown of Nantong and Changle as examples for the whole country. He became an early pioneer in China's cotton textile industry. He founded more than 20 enterprises and more than 370 schools in his lifetime. His contribution to modern Nantong was particularly great, so much so that he was called "one man and one city", or simply "Zhang Nantong".
Today, Changle Town not only preserves historical and cultural heritage such as Zhang Jian's former residence, Yishen Winery, and Zhangban Street, but also has a number of characteristic cultural landscapes related to Zhang Jian, such as the Zhang Jian Memorial Hall, Yishen Wine Culture Museum, and Zhuangyuan Street.
1. Zhang Gong’s Hometown Temple
At the east end of Zhuangyuan Street in Changle Town, Haimen, in the drizzle, Zhang Gong’s Hometown Temple stands silently in a green garden.
This is an antique building, rebuilt more than ten years ago, with slightly mottled walls, moss-covered tiles, and a few pine and cypress trees standing in the courtyard. The original site of Zhanggong's Hometown Temple was a back hall of Guandi Temple built during the Qianlong period. In 1936, ten years after Zhang Jian's death, Zhang Jian's students Jiang Qian, Huang Zuqian and others initiated the construction of Zhanggong Temple by Haimen villagers. Jiang Qian wrote a poem for this purpose: "Inscription on Zhang Suo'an's First Teacher Changle's Hometown Temple":
Mo Gong is the first to realize the world's affairs, and he shoulders the heavy responsibilities of the world.
After his death, he and Guan Gong protected the Dharma together, and the Confucianism and Buddhism were connected for thousands of years.
Today, the original temple has long been destroyed, but in the rebuilt Zhang Gong Hometown Temple, there is still a half-broken stele in front of the door, and the mottled handwriting can still make out a piece of old history.
Entering the main hall of the ancestral hall, the bronze statue of Zhang Jian is impressive. He is wearing a western-style coat, has a tall and sturdy figure, a gaunt face, and his beard and eyebrows are full of worry and determination. That is the determination of him to abandon the empty title of the top scholar at the age of 42 and devote himself to industry to save the country, which reminds people of the sentence "A scholar must be broad-minded and resolute". Above the statue is a plaque with the words "Heavenly People First Awaken" written by Zhang Jian's disciple Jiang Qian. Behind the statue is what seems to be an enlarged diary, including the tour of Yushan Mountain and the boat trip on the river. Among them, there is the sentence "Looking at Langshan from afar, it disappears in the clouds on the river", which reads a distant feeling.
Bronze statue of Zhang Jian
A careful reading of Zhang Jian's calligraphy reveals that it is derived from the official style, but also goes beyond it, integrating Ouyang Xun's and Yan's styles, revealing his own unique charm, and a unique kind of elegance and grace.
I don't like Zhang Jian's calligraphy of couplets very much, but his letters and diaries reveal his temperament. His brushwork and interest show the influence of Su Shi and He Shaoji. Traces of these can be seen in the round, strong and rough texture of the lines and the tilting changes of the characters. He also admired Bao Shichen's poems "An Wu came out late and was unique and exquisite" and "Strong, insightful and down-to-earth". As a scholar and literati who was well-read and concerned about the country and the people, his calligraphy is a natural expression of his knowledge, cultivation, mind and temperament. What is revealed between the lines is the pragmatism and perseverance of a practical person.
Letter from Zhang Jian to his son
Next to the statue is the calligraphy of his grandson Mr. Zhang Xuwu, which is thick and simple but shows his original interest. As a descendant of a famous family, he should not be underestimated. The content is: "The ancestor wrote this in the Zhang family temple and the Wu family ancillary temple: Thanks to Wu, Zhang survived, and Wu is worshipped to repay Wu. In ancient times, people paid respect and expressed affection, which was a courtesy. But I, the first ancestor, dare not forget my ancestors and disgrace them. Today, I work hard in the fields and offer sacrifices, and I am still a farmer. Xuwu wrote this."
Calligraphy of Zhang Xuwu, grandson of Zhang Jian
The so-called "Thanks to Wu for the survival of Zhang" refers to the "Zhang Family Temple and Wu Family Attached Temple", which was built in the 22nd year of the Guangxu period (1896). At that time, Zhang Jian's grandfather Zhang Chaoyan was taken in and married into the family of Wu Shengkui, a native of Dongtai. Later, the father-in-law and son-in-law fell out. Zhang Chaoyan moved to Xiting and Wu Shengkui moved to Changle. After Wu Shengkui passed away, Zhang Jian's father Zhang Pengnian moved to Changle to take care of his grandmother and inherit the Wu family's property. Zhang Jian was named Wu Changtai when he was born, and Wu Qiyuan when he was studying in a private school. At the age of 16, he changed his name to Zhang Yucai when he pretended to be a native of Rugao to take the exam. At the age of 24, he returned to his native place and resumed his surname Zhang and name Zhang Jian. Therefore, the Wu Family Ancestral Temple was attached to the Zhang Family Temple to remember the kindness of the Wu family.
Next to it are relevant documents and records of Zhang Jian's great-grandfather Wu Shengkui, grandfather Zhang Chaoyan, father Zhang Pengnian, etc. They were all rural farmers and small businesses. There is a saying about the rise and fall of Changle Town: "Three loads of money will make Changle prosperous, and two fires will make Changle decline." The so-called "three loads" are three small-scale load owners, the sugar load owner, the wonton load owner, and the peddler, all of whom became rich through hard work. Among them, the sugar load owner is Zhang Jian's father Zhang Pengnian. He loved reading when he was young. In addition to farming, he also carried a sugar load to collect waste. He carried two loads on his shoulders and held a shaking drum. The "dong dong" sound all the way attracted children to buy candy. When cutting candy, he inserted the knife board into the sugar cake and hit the knife board with an iron sheet. You can hear a crisp "dang!" and a piece of candy is cut - these records make it difficult for people not to recall the joy and expectation of facing the sugar load in their childhood.
What’s interesting is that after Zhang Jian became the top scorer in the imperial examination, a rumor started to spread in Changle area: “Dang dang dang, dang dang dang, raise a top scorer.”
(II) The relationship between two generations of top scholars and their students
Outside the Zhanggong Hometown Temple, there is an ancient ginkgo tree standing tall, with a trunk as hard as iron and a crown like clouds. It is about 260 years old and was originally planted when the Guandi Temple was built during the Qianlong period.
There is a guardrail around the tree, with thousands of red ribbons wrapped around it. Next to it is a dragon gate stone and a lottery column with the words "Number One in the Imperial Examination" hung with densely packed red ribbons. Facing a genuine number one scholar who was born locally, students preparing for the middle school entrance examination and the college entrance examination will of course come to pay their respects to him, to understand his personality charm and hard work, and to aspire to emulate him. This is of course a good thing.
The ancient ginkgo tree outside Zhang Gong's hometown temple and the "Top Scholar and Top Scholar" lottery column
Zhang Jian's road to becoming the top scholar was full of hardships and difficulties, almost like a legend. After he passed the examination for a scholar, he repeatedly failed the provincial examinations and experienced various difficulties such as being blackmailed for impersonating his nationality. Later, he was helped and solved by Sun Jinyun, a Nantong official who appreciated him, and became his staff member. He then transferred to the Huai Army general Wu Changqing as a staff member. After the "Immo Mutiny" in Korea in 1882, Zhang Jian followed Wu Changqing to lead his troops into Korea to curb Japan's expansionist ambitions. He published articles such as "A Memorial on Korean Affairs", "A Brief Account of Immo Affairs", and "Six Strategies for Post-war Reconstruction", which saw through Japan's ambitions and advocated tough measures against it, shocking the government and the public. Many of his views were consistent with those of the pro-war faction Weng Tonghe (the top scholar in the Xianfeng Dynasty). In addition, his ancestral home was Changshu, so he was considered a fellow villager of Weng, so he was highly appreciated and respected, and was said to be "a hegemonic talent".
Later, Zhang Jian took part in five imperial examinations. In each examination, Weng Tonghe asked the examiners to pay attention to Zhang Jian. However, by some coincidence, it was not until the special examination in 1894, which was Zhang Jian's fifth and last examination. Weng Tonghe did his best to help him to enter the top 60. In the re-examination, his eleventh place was changed to tenth place. After taking part in the palace examination, he personally recommended him to Emperor Guangxu, saying: "Zhang Jian is a famous scholar in Jiangnan and a filial son." He eventually helped him become the number one scholar, and he was appointed as an editor in the Hanlin Academy, becoming an official civil servant close to Emperor Guangxu. Zhang Jian was 41 years old that year.
Weng Tonghe
Zhang Jian's Strategy for the Palace Examination
It can be said that Weng Tonghe was the most important noble person in Zhang Jian's life. Zhang Jian also knew that Weng Tonghe promoted him because he and Weng shared the same ideals and could help him achieve his ambition to serve the country. Later, he became Weng Tonghe's important counselor, the most trusted student, and a close friend regardless of age difference.
After the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Weng advocated reform and strengthening the country, and in the 24th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1898), he drafted the "Edict on National Affairs", which marked the beginning of the Hundred Days' Reform. However, only four days later, he was ordered to resign and return home.
Zhang Jian wrote a poem "Farewell to Mr. Songchan Returning to Yushan" to persuade his teacher to return to his hometown in the south of the Yangtze River:
Lanling was once highly respected in the Han court, and his guardianship and danger were discussed throughout the country.
I secretly gave up my lonely thoughts and ended up being slandered by many people, so I went to repay the great kindness with a minor sin.
Mr. Qingshan has just cut his clothes, and the scholar with white hair has no garden.
We are so happy to meet in the misty south of the Yangtze River. We should meet again as planned seven years ago.
No one expected that in order to stand with his mentor, Zhang Jian later chose to give up his official position and go into business, returning to his hometown to found the Dasheng Cotton Mill and establishing education, among other ways to save the country through industry. The Zhang Jian Memorial Hall still has a huge iron-black object, which is the cotton carding machine used by the Dasheng Cotton Mill founded by Zhang Jian. The mottled rust marks remind us of the Jiangbian Cotton Mill when it was first opened, with thousands of spindles spinning.
After the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898, Weng Tonghe was dismissed from his post and placed under house arrest, never to be employed again. Zhang Jian still had deep feelings for Weng, and they exchanged letters and gave him silver and gifts during festivals. One year before Weng Tonghe passed away (1903), he wrote a poem to Zhang Jian, lamenting that Weng's great talent was difficult to display:
Zhang Jizi’s life was based on loyalty and filial piety, poetry and books.
Every time I eat, I am always worried about the country, and I get up without saying a word.
A great talent can be restrained, and the ultimate plan will never be pedantic.
A river divides the north and the south, I pity you carrying the hoe alone.
——In fact, isn’t this also a sigh for himself?
In the 30th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1904), Weng Tonghe composed a couplet on his deathbed: "If I had heard the truth in the morning, I would have been willing to die in the evening. From now on, I know how to escape from my husband's fate." He left a will to have Zhang Jian write it in ink.
Seventeen years later, Zhang Jian, who was in his seventies, crossed the river to visit the tomb. Touching the stele, he recalled the secret words between the teacher and the student on the sickbed, and burst into tears. He composed a poem "Visiting the Tomb of Zen Master Song at Yushan" to praise his character, which included: "The sad words on the sickbed, are forever valued by the mountains and hills; he defended his teacher till his death, forgetting the humiliation of being an editor... How could he forget the expectations? The words still bear the trust. The places where I feel calmly are all lingering in my heart. Thinking of the posture when he stood in the court, the pine wind is still rustling."
In 1921, Zhang Jian crossed the river to visit Weng Tonghe's tomb
Later, he built the Wangyu Tower on the top of Ma'anshan Mountain on the Yangtze River in Nantong. Wangyu means Yushan Mountain in Changshu on the opposite bank, and he was looking at his mentor Weng Tonghe.
On the first floor of Wangyu Tower, the "Spring and Autumn of Writing" still hangs the famous couplet written by Weng Tonghe to congratulate Dasheng Cotton Mill: "The cardinal's movement is in heaven and earth, and the clothes and quilts he has provided are all over the southeast." On the second floor, the "Eternal Gratitude of Teachers" displays numerous letters, witnessing that Zhang Jian always reflected his teacher's expectations on his way to save the country through industry.
Wangyu Tower on the top of Ma'an Mountain beside the Yangtze River in Nantong
Zhang Jian once wrote "Postscript to the Plaque of Yu Tower", which fully expressed the profound meaning of building the tower: "I built this tower when I returned home. From time to time, I climbed up and looked out, feeling saddened by the waves of people in the sea and moved by the righteousness of my teacher. I hardly know where to shed tears. I named it Yu Tower to commemorate it forever and to show it to future generations." Ouyang Xiu once said about the friendship of gentlemen: "What they uphold is morality, what they practice is loyalty and trustworthiness, and what they cherish is reputation and integrity. With these, they cultivate themselves, and they share the same path and benefit each other; with these, they serve the country, and they share the same heart and help each other."
The two generations of top scholars, Weng and Zhang, respected each other, shared the same views, worked together and had the ambition to serve the country during the turbulent late Qing Dynasty. However, they both became what the saying goes, "failed heroes". How can one not sigh!
(III) “Haimen enclave” among Jianghuai dialects
This was my first visit to Haimen, but for some reason I felt a sense of familiarity. This was because of another great undertaking promoted by Zhang Jian - reclamation of the Yellow Sea mudflats.
Dafeng, Sheyang, Dongtai and other coastal areas are traditional Jianghuai dialect areas, but in fact, a group of people who speak Haimen dialect (Wu dialect) have always lived there, and some have even lived there for more than four or five generations. These people are the descendants of Haimen immigrants who followed Zhang Jian to reclaim wasteland - and my family is one of them. Therefore, when I read the old photos of land reclamation displayed in the Zhang Jian Memorial Hall, the feeling in my heart is completely different.
The coastal areas of Nantong and Yancheng were once important salt fields in Huainan. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the tidal flats have been expanding and widening.
After the Dasheng Cotton Mill was first built in 1899, Zhang Jian suddenly became worried amid the roar of the machines: although the cotton in Tongzhou was good, "the price of new cotton would be squeezed easily", and if foreign merchants controlled the cotton supply, the life of the spinning mill would be in jeopardy. Zhang Jian, who was deeply worried, recalled that when he organized militia in the 21st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, he saw that the wasteland at the junction of Tongzhou and Haikou stretched for 120,000 mu, and the salt-removed land turned out to be a good solution to the problem - "abandoning the stoves and reclaiming the land will not only ensure the people's livelihood, but also strengthen the foundation of the spinning mill."
Dasheng Cotton Mill was built in 1899
Zhang Jian's road to reclamation and animal husbandry therefore began in Lushi. At that time, the coastal areas of Lushi were barren and full of salt and alkali, overgrown with weeds, and looked barren. Zhang Jian, together with a group of knowledgeable people, raised shares to establish Tonghai Reclamation and Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd., and started large-scale reclamation along the coast: building embankments to block tides, opening rivers to divert water, improving soil, planting reeds, raising cattle and sheep... During this period, the business was difficult, and he experienced property rights disputes, tidal waves destroyed embankments, and shareholders wanted to withdraw... By 1911, after ten years of reclamation, 90,000 mu of saline land had finally turned into cotton fields, and the streets of Haifu Town were well-established, with "neat shops and a variety of goods."
When Tonghai Reclamation and Animal Husbandry Company was first established
The Reclamation and Animal Husbandry Company reclaimed abandoned stoves on the tidal flats
Farming scene of Xintong Reclamation Company founded by Zhang Jian's disciples
Zhang Jian's reclamation and animal husbandry business did not stop at Lushi, but advanced northward along the coastline: in 1917, Dafeng Company was established, and Zhou Fujiu, a salt merchant from Caoyanchang, donated land as a shareholder. One million and one hundred thousand acres of land were enclosed and more than one hundred thousand people were immigrated; in 1918, Huacheng Company was established, Qianqiu Port was built in Sheyang, Henan, and cotton seeds bred in the experimental field were spread to various counties; in 1920, Yuhua Company was established, and tractors were used for the first time to reclaim wasteland. The sound of machines in the Western-style cotton ginning factory lasted all night.
Over the past 30 years, more than 70 companies have reclaimed 5 million mu of land, spending 30 million silver dollars. The land that once "boiled the sea for salt" eventually became the "Huainan cotton warehouse" with "crossroads and fields and houses facing each other". By 1930, more than 200,000 immigrants had come to the Yancheng reclamation area, 60% of whom were from Haimen. Today, about 30% to 40% of the people in Dafeng and Sheyang still speak Wu dialect, so much so that they are called "Haimen enclaves".
Map of Tongtai Salt Reclamation Companies during the Republic of China Period
4. Not a failed hero
Zhang Jian pioneered the development of tidal flats in modern times by "gentry-led business management" and established a development paradigm by "running an enterprise is like running a society": every reclamation area must have a school, post office, and clinic, and Haifu Town has "autonomous offices, parks, and sports fields". Mr. Wu Liangyong therefore praised this "construction of an organic connection between urban and rural areas", which is the source of the spirit of "China's first modern city".
In 1924, the war in Jiangsu and Zhejiang extended to the mouth of the Yangtze River, and the capital chain of Zhang Jian's Dasheng Cotton Mill was broken; the following year, a banking group took over the industry, and the 70-year-old Zhang Jian "remained with only the honorary title of chairman."
On August 24, 1926, Zhang Jian, 73, died suddenly in his Nantong Haonan Villa. When the news came out, the whole of Nantong was in grief, and 100,000 citizens spontaneously wrapped their arms in black gauze and watched the hearse slowly heading west. When the purple satin-covered coffin passed by, the people along the way, who were "like a wall", held their breath and shed tears.
Zhang Jian's funeral in Nantong after his death in Nantong Haonan Villa
Mr. Hu Shi once said about Zhang Jian: "Mr. Zhang Jizheng is a great failed hero in modern history. He was great because he independently opened up countless new paths, served as a pioneer for thirty years, supported millions of people, benefited the local area, and influenced the whole country; he failed because he opened up too many paths and undertook too great a cause, so he had to die with many unfulfilled aspirations."
This evaluation also points to Zhang Jian's plight in his later years: Dasheng Cotton Mill was in debt of 7.84 million taels of silver, and the three major factories were taken over by a banking group. His life's work seemed to have gone to waste. In the 1920s, when warlords were fighting and foreign capital was squeezing in, Hu Shi witnessed the collective decline of national industries and inevitably regarded Zhang Jian as a tragic symbol.
However, judging success or failure by the change of control of enterprises is actually a narrow view of Zhang Jian. The "Nantong Model" he created is essentially an experiment in local self-government with industry as its blood, education as its nerves, and charity as its skin: Zhang Jian implanted the ideal of "the world is for the public" in the "Book of Rites: Li Yun" into Nantong: he established a large number of schools, built museums to enlighten the people, set up nursing homes to help the poor and the lonely, built parks to benefit the people, and even pioneered the creation of a disabled home to accommodate disabled workers. When farmers elsewhere were displaced, Nantong had already realized the classical ideal of "the widowed, the lonely, the disabled and the sick are all provided for."
On the door of Zhang Jian’s tomb there is a couplet written by himself: "This is how I have completed my life, and my body will accompany the spirits of the five mountains", which reveals his regret-free state of mind.
In modern Chinese history, the Rong brothers, Lu Zuofu, Fan Xudong and other successors were all inspired by his "villageism" and continued the torch of saving the country through industry. The tremendous development of Nantong in the past century and its connection with Shanghai are inseparable from Zhang Jian.
Zhang Jian (second from left) in his later years with his family and managers of the reclamation company
Overlooking the Yangtze River from Langshan Mountain in Nantong
“When God created human beings, they were no different from plants and trees. If they can leave behind one or two useful deeds, they will live together with the plants and trees and will not decay together with them.” Zhang Jian’s personally written maxim is still in Changle. Such a person can do more than just “not decay together with the plants and trees” and can actually be called immortal.
Weng Tonghe was not wrong.
June 2025
