Great Failed Heroes (Zhang Jian and Early Modernization in Nantong Region)

Author: Yan Chijun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: Zhang Jian, hailed by Hu Shi as a "great failed hero," was once a new imperial scholar but betrayed the traditional path of "excelling in learning for officialdom" and instead embarked on the arduous journey of "saving the nation through industry," pioneering China's transition from small-scale agricultural economy to modern large-scale machine production. He was an outstanding figure, yet a tragic hero. Looking back at Zhang Jian and his Nantong endeavors, one cannot help but marvel: Great is this man! Great is this cause! However, people also cannot help but sigh at the ultimate outcome of his career. The of it all must be left for later modernizers to taste. This paper takes Zhang Jian's modernization ideas and the early modernization of the Nantong region as its research subjects, aiming to explore through this analysis why Zhang Jian became a "great failed hero" in the early modernization process of China. Drawing on the methodological experience of the three generations of modern development theorists, this paper observes Zhang Jian and his endeavors within the framework of "tradition-modernity," revealing the depth of his traditional Confucian roots and his lack of understanding of modern rationality. He pursued "Western application" yet hesitated at "Chinese essence." He attempted to graft the utilitarian forms of Europe and America onto the ethical society of the "Tang and Yu and the Three Dynasties," conceptualizing an ideal model for modernization in Nantong. He innovated according to the ethical principles of the sages; he combined the sage-like elite with officialdom and local gentry to form the forces of modernization, utterly unaware of the "liberated individual" and its mechanisms, ultimately allowing the forces pursuing traditional interests to hollow out his career. The ethical approach of his Nantong endeavors led him to adopt an aggressive and expansive form of radicalism, and in the paradox of his strategy, he ultimately fell into.