Zhang Zhidong
Zhang Zhidong (
Chinese:张之洞;
Wade-Giles: Chang Ch'ih-Tung;
Courtesy Xiaoda 孝达; : Xiangtao 香涛, Xiangyan 香岩, Yigong 壹公, Wujing-Jushi 无竞居士, later Baobing 抱冰;
Posthumous name: Wenxiang 文襄) (
1837"
1909) was an eminent Chinese politician during the late
Qing Dynasty who advocated for controlled reform. Along with
Zeng Guofan,
Li Hongzhang and
Zuo Zongtang, he was one of the "Four Famous Officials of the Late Qing" (四大名臣). He served as the Governor of
Shanxi, the
Viceroy of Huguang,
Viceroy of Liangguang, the
Viceroy of Liangjiang, and the Minister of Military Affairs (军机大臣).
A native of
Nanpi,
Hebei, Zhang Zhidong earned a
Jinshi degree in 1863, and was elevated to the
Hanlin Academy in 1880. In
1881 he was appointed the Governor of Shanxi. The Empress Dowager promoted him to the
Viceroy of Huguang in August
1889.
Zhang Zhidong became involved in the
First Sino-Japanese War, although not on the frontlines. He initially advocated for foreign aid from European forces near
Tianjin in fighting Japan. In October 1894, he telegraphed
Li Hongzhang, the
Viceroy of Zhili, proposing the purchase of naval equipment, and loans from foreign banks. He further advocated this, and in addition the purchase of arms, alliance with European powers, and the "clear division of rewards and punishments" for troops, once the Japanese crossed the
Yalu River into China in late October, threatening the Manchurian provinces. In early
1895, the Japanese had began an assault on
Shandong, and Zhang telegraphed
Li Bingheng, the Governor, in an emergency that suggested fast civil recruitments, the building of strong forts, and the use of
land mines, to prevent further Japanese advance. He had also sent arms and munitions to aid the campaign.
Zhang held a strong opinion on the issue of
Taiwan, and in late February 1895, he made clear to the Court in Beijing his complete opposition to Taiwan being ceded to Japan. He further offered several methods to prevent such an event. Zhang suggested that huge loans be taken from Britain, who would in turn use its strong navy to protect Taiwan. In addition, Britain would be given mining rights on the island for "ten to twenty years". Developments in May, however, became disappointing to Zhang, as the Qing Court ordered all civil and military officials out of Taiwan. He counted on defence by the people of Taiwan themselves. A request for aid by the troops in Taiwan was refused by Zhang, facing an increasingly hopeless situation after
Keelung fell and
Taipei became the only stronghold remaining. On
October 19, 1895,
Liu Yongfu, the last of Qing generals in Taiwan, was defeated and withdrew to
Xiamen.
In 1898, Zhang's published his work
Quanxue Pian (劝学篇), opposing the
Hundred Days Reform. He suggested a method of conservative reform, and coined the famous phrase "Old ideas are the system on which new ideas can be applied" (旧学为"，新学为"). In 1900, he advocated for the crackdown of the
Boxers. When the
Eight-Nation Alliance entered Beijing, Zhang, along with
Li Hongzhang and others, participated in the "Defend the Southeast" (东南'保) plan. He quelled local revolts, and defeated the rebellion army of
Tang Caichang. He succeeded
Liu Kunyi as
Viceroy of Liangjiang in 1901, transferring to Nanjing, where he laid foundations for the modern
University of Nanjing. He was appointed the Minister of Military Affairs in 1906, and worked in Beijing for the Qing Court. He died from illness in 1909.
