Zhang Yuquan - The First Generation of Female Architects in China

Author: Fei Lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: During the late Qing Dynasty, political corruption and national crisis led to a wave of study-abroad enthusiasm among Chinese intellectuals. They advocated "Chinese learning as the essence and Western learning as the application." Many educated individuals sent themselves or their children abroad to seek truth, and by 1904, over 3,000 people had studied overseas. Rong County, located in southern Sichuan, sent more than 30 students to Japan alone, including Wu Yuzhang, one of China's older revolutionary figures. This group of Rong County intellectuals, led by Wu Yuzhang, became the earliest generation to receive both traditional Confucian education and modern scientific and cultural education. They played pioneering roles in various fields of Chinese history.
According to Zhang Yuquan's recollection, her ancestral home was Rong County, Sichuan, while her original hometown was Xiaogan Township, Macheng, Hubei. The Zhang family settled in Rong County due to a beautiful marriage. In the late Ming Dynasty, peasant uprisings broke out, and in the 13th year of the Chongzhen reign, Zhang Xianzhong led his troops to break through and advance into Sichuan. During the chaos, many Sichuanese were killed, and later, the Qing government organized people from Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hubei, and other regions to migrate to Sichuan. The ancestors of the Zhang family also joined the influx and arrived in Rong County, located in southern Sichuan. Zhang Yuquan's grandfather, Zhang Zongli, and her maternal grandfather, the late Mr. Huang, were childhood friends from the same village, with a bond stronger than that of brothers. After marrying, the two traveled together during the Guangxu era to take the imperial examinations for the jinshi degree. On the day of departure, both their wives were pregnant, and they made a promise: if their children were of the same sex, they would be sworn siblings; if of different sexes, they would marry each other. The two traveled together, inseparable, practicing and preparing for the exams. However, unexpectedly, Zhang Zongli fell seriously ill midway and could no longer continue. He handed over his carefully prepared exam notes to his close friend, wishing him success in the examinations to honor their ancestors. Zhang Zongli soon passed away. Meanwhile, Mr. Huang passed the imperial examinations and became a jinshi.
At this time, Zhang Zongli's wife, Fu Xuanyun, had given birth to a son named Zhang Jianxian, who became Zhang Yuquan's father. Mr. Huang's wife had also given birth to a daughter named Huang Runfen, who became Zhang Yuquan's mother. Mr. Huang was the eldest son in his family, and his fourth brother, Huang Jue, and fifth brother, Huang Ying, also passed the imperial examinations one after another. The Huang family gradually prospered. Huang Ying had reformist ideas and later studied engineering abroad. Upon returning, he designed the steel-structured "Yellow River Bridge," bringing the Huang family fame in Rong County. In contrast, the Zhang family declined after Zhang Zongli's death, living a life of poverty thereafter.
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