Biography of Zhang Zhidong

Author: Feng Tianyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1991-12-01
Features: This book consists of two parts and fifteen chapters, totaling 300,000 words. It takes the extraordinary political career of Zhang Zhidong, who "was deeply involved in the affairs of the court and the frontier for forty years," as the longitude, and his academic, economic, military, diplomatic, educational, and cultural thoughts as the latitude. With the establishment of Western-style industries and the advocacy of the theory of "Chinese essence and Western application" as the focus, it comprehensively clarifies the evolution and development of the thoughts of this "transitional" historical figure who lived at the intersection of ancient and modern, Chinese and Western times. It profoundly reveals the contradictions in his thoughts, personality, and actions, highlights the characteristics of his life journey that combined the roles of a Confucian scholar and an able official, as well as the integration of innovation and conservatism, and evaluates his specific position in the history of modern Chinese culture.