A Study On Long Jianzhang, An Important Member Of The Communication Clique During The Early Republic Of China

Long Jianzhang was born in the prestigious family in Shunde,Guangdong.He relied on his family’s wealth and entered the political arena by donating his family’s wealth to government after he was admitted to the jury.He is good at managing interpersonal relationships,building a network of interpersonal relationships centered on geography,learning and career.He has been smooth sailing in his political career and became an important member of the communication clique.Long Jianzhang’s position in the postal department rose sharply,and his exemption from Chen Bi’s case,as well as his escape from punishment for leaving Guizhou,were benefited from the communication clique.In 1906,Long Jianzhang accompanied Duan Fang and Dai Hongci to go abroad to investigate Constitutional system,and entered the postal department after returning home.During his tenure,Long mainly dealt with railway administration.Long Jianzhang went to Guangdong to investigate the railway fraud and quell the protest wave about Guangdong railway nationalization,and tried to extend the official power to the Guangdong railroad company.His arrival was rejected and resisted by the gentry and merchants of Guangdong Province.Although the soft and hard methods he adopted in quelling the protest wave about Guangdong railway nationalization have some effect,these measures did not fundamentally solve the problem,and even became one of the factors that intensified the situation of the protest wave about Guangdong railway nationalization.At the beginning of the Republic of China,the official did not clarify the employment standards,and employment conflicts appeared frequently in the Ministry of Communications.Long relied on the forces of the communication clique enabled him to stay here as an old official.Long Jianzhang first served as Counselor of Ministry of Communications,and at the same time acted briefly as the Chief Secretary for Aviation.He later became the Chief Secretary for Electricity.During his tenure,Long vigorously rectified the telecommunications cause,participated in diplomatic relations of telecom post,organized academic groups,and developed related education.During Yuan Shikai’s preparations for the restoration of monarchy,Long Jianzhang was transferred to Guizhou Province and became one of Yuan Shikai’s forces in the local area.When the Chou-an Union was established,the first local official opposed was Long Jianzhang.After the opinion of Long was rejected,he turned to support the monarchy.After the independence of Yunnan,Long Jianzhang secretly generated a message to the central government and local officials,suggesting that a national assembly be held to re-discuss the state system,and encountered opposition from the Senate and local officials.At the same time,rumors about Guizhou and Long ’s disloyalty to Yuan Shikai continued to ferment,and Long Jianzhang immediately denied that he had sent a message to re-discuss the state.Long Jianzhang’s deeds in Guizhou can’t help but cause people to question: Why did Long Jianzhang have so many uncharacteristic moves? What is his true attitude towards imperialism? What impact did his statement have on the situation of the Nation Protection Campaign? In fact,the purpose of Long’s repeated attitude towards the monarchy at this time was to protect himself,but he actually had objections to the monarchy.The Yuan government was afraid of the pivotal position of Guizhou Province in its plan to attack Yunnan Province,and it was misleading by Long ’s position.Therefore,the Beijing government has always maintained a wait-and-see attitude towards Guizhou Province and Long Jianzhang.This approach provided a buffering opportunity for the independence of Guizhou Province in the future.Long Jianzhang and the communication clique are both glorious and destructive.The communication clique originated from the postal department in the late Qing Dynasty and grew up to the beginning of the early Republic.After the end of the Hongxian monarchy,it was suppressed by the new communication clique,and its power gradually weakened.Long Jianzhang was implicated and was excluded.In order to seek a comeback and restore the glory of the communication clique,Long fought for an important position in the Ministry of Communications,and as a deputy to clear the north and south,and sought to serve as the governor of Guangdong.After a hopeless comeback,Long returned to his hometown and devoted himself to public affairs.In Late Qing and Early Republican China,there were some middle-level figures who were active on the political stage.They are not first-class officials who hold great power,nor are unnamed generations without influence,but they have an important influence on the overall situation of history.Long Jianzhang is a typical character of them.He is a person who has experienced the transformation of modern Chinese society.He has appeared in many historical events in late Qing and early Republic period.Studying the person will help people understand the changes of the “age issues” in modern China more concretely.Long Jianzhang’s life reflects the rise and fall of the communication clique.Studying his related deeds can observe the complex ecology of factional politics during the Republic of China period.