30 Facts About Zhang Zhidong

Zhang Zhidong was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Qing dynasty.

Zhang Zhidong took a leading role in the abolition of the Imperial examination system in 1905.

Zhang Zhidong's pseudonyms were Xiangyan, Hugong, Wujing Jushi and Baobing.

Zhang Zhidong was then admitted to the Hanlin Academy as a before taking up other positions, including, and.

Zhang Zhidong demanded for Chonghou's execution and urged the Qing government to stand up to Russia and declare the treaty invalid.

Zhang Zhidong became involved in the First Sino-Japanese War, although not on the frontline.

Zhang Zhidong initially advocated foreign aid from European forces near Tianjin in fighting the Japanese.

In early 1895, the Japanese had begun an assault on Shandong, and Zhang Zhidong telegraphed the governor Li Bingheng in an emergency that suggested fast civil recruitments, the building of strong forts, and the use of landmines, to prevent further Japanese advance.

Zhang Zhidong had sent arms and munitions to aid the campaign.

Zhang Zhidong held on a strong opinion on the issue of ceding Taiwan to the Japanese, per the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki that ended the First Sino-Japanese War.

Zhang Zhidong suggested that they take huge loans from the British, who would in turn send their navy to defend Taiwan from the Japanese.

Zhang Zhidong refused to provide aid to the remaining Qing forces in Taiwan, especially after the fall of Keelung and with Taipei as the sole remaining Qing stronghold in Taiwan.

When Zhang Zhidong created the Guangdong Military Academy, known as Guangdong Naval and Military Officers Academy, and the Guangdong Victorious Army, he set physical admission standards high and hired German officers as instructors to address the weaknesses of the Chinese troops.

Specifically, in modernizing the troops in Guangdong, Zhang Zhidong made newly trained troops to be "the nucleus" of newer troops, passing the training unit to unit.

Zhang Zhidong established the Hubei Military Academy in 1896, where he employed instructors from the Guangdong Academy.

In 1896, acting under an imperial decree, Zhang Zhidong moved to Wuchang to serve as the Viceroy of Huguang, an area comprising Hubei and Hunan provinces.

Zhang Zhidong drew on his experience in Nanjing to modernize the military forces under his command in Huguang.

In Wuchang, Zhang Zhidong effectively trained and equipped modern units of sappers, engineers, cavalry, police, artillery and infantry.

Zhang Zhidong assured the foreigners during negotiations that he would do nothing to help the central government.

Zhang Zhidong had a strong grasp of the progress of reforms as he had more temporary confidants and informants from other regions.

Zhang Zhidong insisted on a method of relatively conservative reform, summarized in his phrase "Chinese Learning as Substance, Western Learning for Application".

In Exhortation to Study, Zhang Zhidong brought up reform methodology of implementing new schools at the expense of Buddhist and Taoist monasteries.

Zhang Zhidong was supportive of Kang's vision of scholarly learning, but rejects Kang's proposal of Confucian religion.

Zhang Zhidong succeeded Liu Kunyi as Viceroy of Liangjiang in 1901, and moved to Nanjing, where he laid the foundations for the modern University of Nanjing.

Zhang Zhidong espoused Japanese educational system and principles, and announced his plan to hire 12 Japanese teachers in a communication with Moriyoshi Nagaoka before the establishment of the college.

Zhang Zhidong quelled local revolts and defeated the rebel army of Tang Caichang.

Zhang Zhidong was appointed the Minister of Military Affairs in 1906, and worked in Beijing for the central government.

Zhang Zhidong was aware that a change in Chinese affairs was necessary, and at the same time realized that the Chinese officials and people clung with unyielding tenacity to their traditional ideas and institutions and penned his ideas in a book: China's only hope: An Appeal.

Zhang Zhidong had 13 sons, including Zhang Yanqing and Zhang Renli.

Zhang Zhidong died of illness in 1909 in Beijing at the age of 72.