Zhang Jian: Champion Industrialist

In Chinese history,

Zhang Jian is a member of Changle Town, Haimen County, Nantong City, Jiangsu.

He was born in a wealthy peasant family, his grandfather was illiterate, and his father was not very literate, but smart Zhang Jian was diligent in his studies since he was young. He was said to be able to recite the thousand character words without any words at the age of 5.

One day, the teacher saw someone riding a white horse outside the door. He asked the students to join the couplet.

Zhang Jian's third brother is "the son leads the blue cow embankment upwards", but Zhang Jian is "I step on the golden Ao to come to sea".

The teacher was overjoyed and said that he had a great ambition and will certainly make great progress in the future.

But Zhang Jian did not succeed in taking the imperial examinations. He was a scholar at the age of 16. He didn't take the exam until he was 33. After that, he went to the imperial examinations for the 4 time.

In a fit of anger, he smashed the exam equipment and vowed not to take the imperial examinations again.

In the spring of 1894, because of the 60 birthday of the Empress Dowager Ci Xi, the Qing government made an exception to the imperial examinations. Zhang Jian was forced by his father and uncle to take the exam again. I did not expect this time to get the appreciation of the examiner Weng Tong.

However, in June of this year, the Sino Japanese War of 1894 and 1895 broke out.

Zhang Jian, full of indignation, and Weng Tong and others, actively advocated the resolute resistance against imperialist aggression.

He wrote the memorials to the emperor again and again, attacking Li Hongzhang's betrayal and capitulation.

In the fierce struggle, Zhang Jian's father died of illness. In accordance with the ethics at that time, he had to return to his hometown to mourn for mourning for 3 years.

Zhang Jian hurriedly left the capital city.

In February of second, the Sino Japanese war ended in China's defeat. China had to sign a treaty of Shimonoseki with Japan.

When the news spread to Nantong, Zhang Jian was more disappointed with the corrupt Manchu Dynasty.

He deeply felt that to make China "not poor and not weak" and not to be bullied by foreigners, it is imperative to carry out political reform and make monarchy in Parliament. Two, we must vigorously develop industries so as to enrich the country and enrich the country.

He believed that a wise minded man should face up to reality and devote himself to industry in order to save the country from danger.

So he refused to return to Beijing to become a government official and determined to set up factories in his hometown.

In his resignation to the Hanlin academy, he explicitly stated: "willing to be a fraction of useful things, do not want to live in eight lives and nine lives shameful officials!"

Zhang Zhidong, governor of the two rivers at that time, was also an ardent advocate of industry. He had had contacts with Zhang Jian and had plans to set up factories in Suzhou and Nantong.

He saw Zhang Jian as the champion of Xinke and enthusiastic about industry. He appointed Zhang Jian to organize a cotton mill in Nantong.

This coincides with Zhang's idea.

Because Binjiang is located in Nantong, with convenient pportation, suitable climate and long frost free period, it is a traditional cotton producing area.

The cotton here is not only high yield, but also white, long and elastic, and is famous for its "sand flower" very early.

At the same time, the local farmers have the traditional technology of spinning and weaving. The "Tongzhou big cloth" woven by them is exported to the Northeast market and is very popular. Therefore, the demand for machine spinning is growing.

In addition, from the situation at that time, the funds needed for textile production were less than that of other industries, and the production cycle was short.

These favorable conditions, coupled with official support, have prompted Zhang Jian to go all out to fight.

In June 1895, Zhang Jian went to Jiangning and settled with Zhang Zhidong about the factory. He went back to Nantong to talk to the local rich and wealthy families and relatives and friends. At the same time, some people agreed, and promised to give money in a powerful way.

Things are beginning to come to light.

In the spring of second, Zhang Cheung invited local cloth merchants Shen Xiejun, Chen Weiyong, Liu Guixin, Shanghai comprador, Kuo Maozhi, Pan Heqin, and Shanghai gentry merchants Fan Shixun to come home to discuss the matter of raising funds and subscribing shares.

We agreed to take 100 yuan as a share, and separately identified the number of shares that they were responsible for raising, and established the initial board of directors.

These 6 people are known as "the six directors of Shanghai and Shanghai" in the early stage of the cotton mill.

On the same day, they also surveyed the site of the site, and selected the Tang family house 15 miles north of Nantong as the site of the site, and determined that the factory was called "Dasheng cotton mill".

The banner of Dasheng cotton mill came out first, and it was also spectacular at the beginning.

Everyone saw that the leading factory was a champion scholar. He felt fresh and felt steadfast, so the stock investors were quite enthusiastic.

In particular, farmers in the Tangjia area heard that the land could be used for shares, so they sold shares in the land and saved many factory purchases.

Zhang Jian also wrote letters in person, acquainted with factories, and attracted many shareholders.

In this way, the funds needed to build the factory should be enough; however, the funds needed to purchase the machine are completely untouched.

Zhang Jian had to go to the governor of Liangjiang again.

Zhang Zhidong was pferred to the governor of the two lakes at that time.

Liu Kunyi's attitude was very enthusiastic, but when it comes to money, he also expressed embarrassment. First let Zhang Jian beat his flag to borrow it. Later, he simply asked Zhang Jian to go to Hubei to find Zhang Zhidong.

Zhang Zhidong finally actively supported Zhang Jian. He bought a set of machines for foreign trade in order to run a cotton mill in Hubei. At this time, he decided that if the factory of Nantong Dasheng cotton mill was first completed, he would give the machine first to the large cotton mill.

After several twists and turns, the factory building of Dasheng cotton mill was finally built, and the textile machinery was also pported to the factory.

In April 14, 1899, the Dasheng cotton mill officially started and spun the first strand of cotton yarn.

Facing the deafening machine, Zhang Jian, the general manager, was filled with tears.

People who are excited about watching strange things are not surprised.

They knew that for the 5 years of the mill, Zhang Jian did not know how much he had suffered and suffered many hardships.

Until a few days ago, there were still three or four people in the factory who said, "when the chimney is high, when will it smoke? When the machine is ringing, when will it spun yarn?" now that the chimney smokes and the machine is out of yarn, can Zhang Jian be happy to shed tears? {page_break}

The directors also congratulated each other cheerfully.

Zhang Jian took advantage of this opportunity to convene everyone to discuss the appointment of factory regulations.

He said, "although the first kick has been kicked out, there is no rule for formal production."

State owned laws, family rules, such a large factory, no factory appointment, how to take charge of the director? This is the key to the success of the business. "But these people have no experience in running a factory, nor do they know how the plant should be ordered.

Fortunately, Zhang Jian had already prepared his own plan, from the responsibilities of the general director, the sub director, the workshop deacon, to the management of the workshop, the accounting offices and the various stacks, as well as the assessment standards, the reward and punishment grades, and one piece of the article was right and clear.

The directors listened with sincerity and agreed to follow Zhang Jian's way.

In order to promote the new atmosphere and break the stereotypes, Zhang Jian also stipulates: "the deacons in the factory generally say," Sir, "they should not follow the old title.

"At the end of the nineteenth Century, Zhang Jian could formulate such a relatively complete and innovative management system, which should be very knowledgeable.

The implementation of these measures has played a good role in improving the management of enterprises, forming a new enterprise atmosphere and enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises.

However, no one had thought that the machine in Dasheng mill had only been ringing for half a month and then stopped suddenly.

Zhang Jian quickly inquired, only to know that the money to buy cotton was used up, and the factory had to stop working and wait for supplies.

A few days ago, the director of the fund management had reflected to Zhang Qian that the fund was not enough to turn around. Zhang Jian was busy doing the Affiliated School of the cotton mill, hoping to train his own workers who could master the foreign machinery early, so he forgot about it.

He announced with guilt that he had to remember himself once, and immediately thought of ways to sell the spun yarn on the one hand and buy some cotton to maintain production at the same time, and decided to go to Shanghai again to borrow money as a turnover fund for the factory.

Zhang Jian went to Shanghai for two months, but he didn't even borrow a cent.

He sent a telegram to the old shareholders for help, and there was no reply.

He was so anxious that his mouth was bubbling, his eyes were swollen, and his last travelling expenses were exhausted. When he had no choice, he had to advertise in the newspaper and sell the word on the four road for 3 days, raising the fare of his home.

With his reputation as a champion scholar and a good word, many people came to his name.

It was no problem to go home, but he lingered along the Huangpu River for a long time: empty handed, and the funds badly needed in the factory. Later, friends in Shanghai gave him the idea that he could rent the factory to others first, and then he would take it back in a few years.

Zhang Jian had to accept this method.

But after a few wealthy businessmen came to the bottom of their rents, they openly indicated that they could give Zhang Jian a lot of personal benefits as long as Zhang Jian agreed.

Zhang Jian listened to his anger and replied forcefully, "what kind of person do you think Zhang Jian is? Is I also a cargo, can I buy it?" hum, you also despise my Zhang Jian!

Zhang Jian returned to Nantong, relying on selling yarn to buy cotton, struggling to support production in the factory.

Fortunately, in recent months, the price of cotton yarn is good, and the selling price has increased several times.

The continuous expansion of the funds of the cotton mill not only guarantees the normal production of the factory, but also has a slight surplus.

Dasheng cotton mill finally passed this financial crisis.

This year, as the yarn price rose, the Dasheng mill made a profit of more than 20 million silver.

The sad look on Zhang Jian's face finally disappeared.

On this day, Zhang Jian took the cotton yarn produced by the cotton mill and went to Nanjing to see Liu Kun, the governor of the two rivers.

The cotton yarn is tied up with red silk cloth.

Zhang Jian said with a smile, "this is the cotton yarn produced by our big cotton mill, which is a memorial to the governor.

"

Liu Kunyi took the cotton yarn and said, "OK, OK, I'll accept it!" people used to call this cotton yarn called "yarn" and weave cloth to be called foreign cloth. Now we can produce it ourselves.

It's all up to you to fight for it. I want to write you a great deal. "

Zhang Jian said, "bitterness is bitter, but this is what I ask for" no one else.

Besides, for the sake of national economy and people's livelihood, I feel very happy even though I have a little bitterness.

There is a sentence that Zhang Jian did not say, that is, to raise money for the purchase of cotton, his wife sold jewelry, and for five or six years, his family had never used a penny in the factory.

Difficulties and setbacks have exercised Zhang's will and encouraged him to move towards more ambitious goals.

He thought that the cotton mill could not be spun for cotton and cotton needed to pay for the purchase. With the selling of cotton yarn, the price of cotton was also rising every day. What's more, Japanese manufacturers also came to buy cotton here.

If we can have our own cotton fields, can we not be tied down by the cotton market?

Thinking of this place, Zhang Jian resolutely decided to establish a reclamation company, pform the wasteland along the coast into cotton fields, and grow cotton by himself.

After consulting with several old friends, he came to Nanjing again to visit Liu Kun, governor of the two rivers. He asked them to set aside a deserted beach for farming and animal husbandry, so as to form a system of industry, agriculture and animal husbandry.

Liu Kunyi immediately expressed support for Zhang Jian to write a memorial to the court in his name.

The memorial was quickly approved by the court. In September 1900, Tonghai animal husbandry and husbandry company officially began preparations.

In March of second, the constitution of Ken livestock company was finally determined by seven draft.

At this time, the business of Dasheng cotton mill was also very tight. Zhang Jian had to hand over his start-up business to his student Jiang Jian min.

Some farmers who had no land or less farmland heard that Zhang had set up a farming and husbandry company, and they had been able to manage and pay the wages. They went to Shanghai to sign up, and the unemployed vagrants recruited by Zhang Jian to the village had two thousand or three thousand people at once.

They built embankments on the beach to prevent the sea from flooding.

More than a month later, a stone the Great Wall appeared on the beach. After the labor of autumn and winter, green grass appeared all over the reclamation area in the spring of 1902.

In some large alkaline areas, the workers divert water from the canal to improve the soil quality.

When summer came, pasture and reed grew up, and the workers brought some cattle and sheep to feed.

Autumn is coming, the flowers are yellow, and the cattle and sheep are fat and big.

Just as people were delighted with success, unexpected disasters struck.

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One night, there was a big storm on the sea.

Huge waves rush towards Shanghai, and the stone dams break down, and the reeds and pastures are drowned, and the calf lamb is swept away.

A year's hard work has turned into a bubble in the twinkling of an eye.

Zhang Jian rushed out of the works Department of the Ken and Mu company and ran towards the seawall against the gale and waves. He shouted, "where are the workers?

The workers saw that Zhang Yuan Yuan, who had already turned to the seawall for no reason at all, began to think he was crazy. But soon, they were moved by Zhang Jian's spirit and kept up with the seawall.

"To repair dams and not let the tide go ashore!" Zhang Jian, giving orders at the same time, took the lead and jumped out into the sea to carry stones.

But Zhang Jian, after all, was a weak scholar. When he came, he beat him to the ground.

The workmen hurriedly came to help him. Zhang Jian shook his hand and said, "go and move the stones!" the workers had to rush to move the stone barrier dam. Zhang Jian also struggled to move forward in the water.

At last, this gap was filled. Zhang Jiancai left here and went forward to see the danger elsewhere.

After several years of reclamation and construction, Tonghai animal husbandry and husbandry company has begun to take shape.

The wasteland of that year now has more than 90 thousand mu into good farmland, with an annual output of up to forty thousand or fifty thousand tons of cotton.

They carved the embankments and built houses and halls between the banks.

Stores have warehouses, vegetables have gardens, and tenants have rows of dormitories.

Shopping is also very convenient, not far from the dormitory is the market.

There is a road and a bridge, and the traffic is very convenient.

In particular, the annual harvest of the mountain of cotton, so that raw material supply of Dasheng cotton mill has been a reliable guarantee.

The peasants who had not been out often came to think that they had really entered the Peach Garden.

This is indeed unprecedented in China's land.

Zhang Jian often said that if a person runs a county, he must have a provincial vision; if he manages a province, he must have a vision of a country; and if he manages a country, he must have a vision of the world.

This kind of thought runs through his whole process of starting a business from beginning to end.

He has never been content with his existing business and has been expanding his career.

In 1904, he made use of the profits of the Dasheng mill and the investment of the newcomer stock to invest 63 million silver, 24 thousand Masu Sa, and the machine and equipment used to be upgraded gradually.

In this way, by 1913, Dasheng industrial group already owned 200 000 silver and 67 thousand spindles.

In addition to the establishment of reclamation and husbandry companies, Zhang Jian also promoted the development of other industries with the cotton textile industry as the center.

In 1906, in order to solve the difficulties in the maintenance of textile machinery and equipment, Zhang Jian set up an iron smelting mill, including Guangsheng oil company, Dalong soap company, Lu four salt industry company, Zhenjiang pencil company, Shanghai dada steamship company, Jiang Zhe fishery company, and so on. On the eve of the first World War, Zhang Jian had set up twenty or thirty kinds of enterprises, forming an enterprise group whose core is light textile industry, and a new national capital group that is the champion in the southeast coastal area.

Besides setting up industry, Zhang Jian's most important thing in his life is to run education.

Because he believes that education is also an important means to save the nation and the people. If the country wants to be prosperous and powerful, the people will have to acquire knowledge. Therefore, China must vigorously develop the cause of education.

He has set up Dasheng cotton mill staff training school, textile school, railway school, Wusong merchant shipping school and so on, and has trained various talents for the industry in the southeast coastal area.

Zhang Jian, founded in 1902 by Tongzhou normal school, is the first normal school in the history of our country.

Since then, he has established women's normal schools, primary schools in Chengxiang, kindergartens, schools for the blind and dumb.

In 1920, he merged the three specialized schools of textile, medicine and agriculture into a comprehensive Nantong University.

At the same time, he also founded China's first museum, Nantong Museum, and library, meteorological observatory, hospitals, parks and so on, making Nantong a more developed city.

When the first World War broke out in 1914, imperialism was busy fighting, temporarily relaxed its economic aggression against China, and the development of China's national industry and Commerce entered a golden age. Zhang Jian's career also reached its peak at this time.

In 1917, the profit of the Dasheng cotton mill amounted to 76 million silver, and in 1919 it made 263 million silver.

By 1922, when Zhang Jian was 70 years old, the four textile factories of Dasheng group had 900 capital silver and 155 thousand spindles, accounting for 7% of the total number of national capital spindles.

At the same time, in salt, reclamation and pasture, he has set up 20 salt reclamation companies, becoming the giant of southeast industrial circles.