On Zhang Jian's Main Economic Thought And Practice

Zhang Jian (1853-1926), named Jizhi,, the title was Se 'an. His native place was Nantong City. He was born in the rich small merchant family in Haimen village of Jiangsu province on July 1, 1853. Zhang Jian was a famous Chinese industrialist in the modern times and also main represents of the constitutionalism motion. He was intelligent by natural endowments, read books and history fully, and fond of studying industriously since childhood. He passed the entrance examination of Xiucai at 15-year-old; He worked for Sun Yunjin and Wu Changqing successively as a high official's house guest and adviser at 20-year-old.; He participated in Enke metropolitan examination, got the first place, which was called Zhuang Yuan, and he passed the entrance examination of second provincial examinations when being 32-year-old, in1894 he was awarded to study in Hanlin Academy. He knew sufferings of people very well in traveling curtain life through his 27 years career of examination. Zhang Jian's lifetime crossed the end of Qing dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China. The first half of his life was spent in reading book, taking part in examinations and floating everywhere, which was more than forty years together; the latter half of his life establish industry composing in reply career entering politics having over thirty years. This one times exactly was spent in government and setting up his own business, which was more than thirty years together. China faced the internal and external troubles and the old and new way of thinking blended at times. The Chino-Japanese war broke out in 1895, the Qing government corrupted imbecilely, foreign affairs sent Representative Li Hongzhang to compromise to beg for peace, concluded and signed "the Treaty of Shimonoseki", ceded territory and paid indemnities. The western capitalist nations took advantage of this chance to export commodity toward and attempted to invest in our country directly. These attacked and blocked the development of national capitalistic economy tremendously. Zhang Jian gave up the traditional career and thought which was working in government decidedly, came back to his hometown, Nantong in Jiangsu, and started his career of saving country through enterprises at this critical moment. He initiated a series of modern enterprises successively in fields such as Nantong City, Haimen City, and had formed the important life centering on big life cotton mills association of enterprises. Meanwhile, he established a batch of educational and cultural business in Nantong City, which made Nantong City go into the early phase of modernize earlier. Because of his efforts Zhang Jian became the famous industrialist and the educationist at the modern times.The economy thought of Zhang Jian has sufficiently embodied features of the times. His economy thought and practice not only have produced effect Chinese society at that time , but also has very big opening and enlightening to today significance. Some of his thought is also parallel forward positions from today's point of view. Particularity because of the particular times Zhang Jian belonged to, it's very difficult but extremely meaningful to study Zhang Jian economy thought. Especially in the period of building and perfecting market economic system and developing non-state-operated economy energetically, it is worth paying close attention to these study significance.The thesis is allotted in six major part to explain the main economy thought of Zhang Jian in detailed. The first chapter introduces Zhang Jian's life of legends and historical setting he belonged to. The Second chapter introduces Zhang Jian's economic thought which is saving the nation by engaging in industry which is the soul of Zhang Jian's economy thought. This chapter expatiates Zhang Jian's thought about "Depending on the agriculture, industry and commence" and "cotton iron doctrine" which advocates we should take cotton and textile industry and steel industry as centre, because these two industries can drive entire national economy to develop. The third chapter combines the industry and education. After the thought of saving the nation by engaging in industry, Zhang Jian put up another important thought which is saving the nation through developing education and discusses the dialectical relationship between these two thoughts. Zhang Jian sets forth the effect of industry and education as the position of father and mother vividly: education is father and industry is mother. This is an evolution of economic thought. The fourth chapter discusses Zhang Jian's "local autonomy" thought; the fifth chapter discusses the characteristic of Zhang Jian's economic thought-people oriented thought. In developing process of Zhang Jian's economic thought, people oriented thought is very essential and impotant part in his entire economics thought system. The sixth chapter discusses the historical improvements and limitations of Zhang Jian's economic thought, and appraises Zhang Jian and his economic thought objectively from a historical point.