Zhang Yuanji

Zhang Yuanji

Zhang Yuanji (October 25, 1867 to August 14, 1959, aged 91), male, Xiaozhai, Ju Sheng, was born in Haiyan, Zhejiang Province. He was an outstanding publisher, educator and patriotic industrialist in modern China.

Born in a famous family, scholarly family. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, he was a Jinshi, a scholar in the Imperial Academy, and then a Zhangjing in the premier affairs Yamen. In 1902, Zhang Yuanji entered the commercial press and successively held the posts of director, manager, supervisor, chairman, etc. After liberation, he served as the curator of Shanghai Museum of culture and history and succeeded as the chairman of the commercial press. He died in Shanghai on August 14, 1959 at the age of 91.

Throughout his life, Comrade Zhang Yuanji has made outstanding contributions to the development of China's cultural publishing industry, the arrangement and publication of outstanding national cultural heritage. During the period when he presided over the Commercial Press, the commercial press developed from a book printing workshop to the most influential publishing enterprise in modern Chinese history; the new textbooks he organized and compiled were popular all over the country and had pioneering significance in the history of modern Chinese education; he launched a large number of foreign academic and literary masterpieces such as Yan Fu's translation of tianyanlun and Lin Shu's translation of Camellia girl He presided over the photocopying of the four part series, proofread and printed the twenty four histories of baianben and founded the Oriental library, which made great contributions to the preservation of national culture. His works include essays on school history, personality of the Chinese nation, etc.

Life of the characters

Zhang Yuanji, born in Haiyan, Zhejiang Province, was born in Guangdong on October 25, 1867 and died in Shanghai on August 14, 1959. Renchen of Guangxu (1892) was a Jinshi. Zhang Jing, the Yamen of state affairs, was once prime minister. During the reform movement of 1898, Emperor Xu was summoned and dismissed after the coup. In 1896, he and Chen Zhaochang founded Tongyi school to teach Western learning. In the winter of 1898, he was in charge of the translation academy of Nanyang public school (Jiaotong University). He paid attention to the significance of the topic selection of the translated books and changed the original book to the social science book. He later served as the premier of the public school and resigned in July 1902. In 1901, he invested in the commercial press and took charge of the compilation of the library. In 1903, he was the director of the compilation Institute of the library, the manager in 1916, and the supervisor from 1920 to 1926. He served as chairman of the board of directors until his death in 1926. In 1949, he was specially invited to attend the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference and was elected a member of the National Committee. Later, he was elected a deputy to the first National People's Congress.

During the period when he presided over the Commercial Press, he organized a large-scale collection of books by the compilation office and Hanfen building (later expanded into the Oriental Library), and created a private publishing house to set up full-time specialties and books and materials to ensure the quality of publications. He participated in the planning of the "latest textbook" has achieved great success, and the industry has followed suit. From 1915 to 1937, more than 50 public and private libraries at home and abroad were used to photocopy and publish three series of 610 kinds, including Sibu series, xuguyi series and Baihuo edition of twenty four histories, with nearly 20000 volumes. He paid attention to practicality in selecting books, paid attention to rare books in selecting mother books, and organized the facsimile lithography, which created a new stage in the reproduction and photocopying of ancient books.

On January 29, 1932, the Japanese targeted bombing of the commercial press. As a result, the publishing giant, which almost monopolized China's education publishing and accounted for 52% of the national publishing volume, lost 16.3 million yuan and destroyed more than 80% of its assets. At the same time, 450000 volumes of books collected by the Oriental Library of the commercial press were destroyed, most of which were rare and rare ancient books. At that time, 65 year old Zhang Yuanji was deeply hit: "lianri exploration and inspection general factory, it can be said that there is no one in a hundred, and Oriental library has no paper, which is the most sad."

His life has made great contributions to Chinese culture, publishing and book collection. We searched for ancient and modern books, acquired the books collected by Jiang family in Changzhou, Xu family in Kuaiji, Yi family in Taicang, and set up "Hanfen house" as the book collection office in the commercial press. Soon after, we collected most of the books collected by Sheng's "Yiyuan", Ding Richang's "Zhijing Zhai", and Miao Quansun's "Yifeng hall", accumulating more than 100000 volumes. It was named "Oriental library" in 1924 and opened to the public in 1926. Children's library was added in 1929. There are more than 518000 books in total, and more than 5000 kinds of maps and inscriptions. In song, yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were many rare books, and foreign magazines, newspapers and books were also very complete. The quality and scale of book collection ranked the first in all libraries in China at that time. Xi was bombed by the Japanese in 1932 during the battle of January 28. Only 500 boutiques have survived. Fearing that the book might be lost, he described them. After liberation, Gu Tinglong was asked to help sort out and print it, which was named Hanfen Lou Jin Yu Shu Lu. They are now in Beijing Library. The school printed a copy of the twenty four histories, photocopied the sequel of the four part series, compiled dozens of xuguyi series, and printed thousands of ancient books. His private collection of books is quite rich, and his ancestors have collected books. He collected Yiqin, especially Song Dynasty engraving. There is a library named "Sheyuan", which follows the name of the study of Zhang Qiling, the tenth ancestor of the late Ming Dynasty. Zhang weichi, the ninth ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, built the library for several generations. More than 3700 volumes of more than 1000 kinds of books were stored in Hezhong library for public reading. Pan Jingzheng of Shanghai Library has the catalogue of Haiyan Zhang's collection in garden. To commemorate his contribution to culture and book collection, Zhang Yuanji library was established in Haiyan in 1987.

"Hundreds of years old home is nothing more than the accumulation of virtue, the first good thing is reading." This is a couplet written by Zhang Yuanji in his later years. In a century of China, many people are looking for a way to make China rich and strong, but Zhang Yuanji chose publishing to promote education and "continue life" for the civilization of the Chinese nation. He loved books, searched books, collected books, compiled books and published books, which made up his whole life.

Set up a new school

The hundred day reform movement of 1898 was the last effort of the late Qing Dynasty to save itself and the last opportunity for innovation. But it failed. Those who participated in, supported and sympathized with the reform movement of 1898, those who were killed, and those who were dismissed. In the Imperial Academy at that time, Zhang Jian went to run a business and Cai Yuanpei went back to his hometown to teach. Zhang Yuanji, who was waiting to be sentenced to prison and killed, was spared by the help of Li Hongzhang. Li Hongzhang recommended him to Sheng Xuanhuai, so he came to Nanyang public school founded by Sheng Xuanhuai and became the dean of translation academy. Later, he became the president of Nanyang public school.

It may be that Li Hongzhang appreciated Zhang Yuanji's talent, but Li Hongzhang recommended him to Sheng Xuanhuai as the dean of Nanyang public school of translation. It was because Zhang Yuanji founded Tongyi school to cultivate Western talents when he was in Hanlin Academy.

At that time, Cai Yuanpei and Zhang Weiji believed that the imperial examination must be carried out together in the era of popularization of education in China. Therefore, he wants to set up Tongli school, which is to expand their knowledge of new learning in Beijing officials. He thinks that China is so poor and weak that it can't always stick to conventions. If it goes on like this, the country can't do it. It should introduce and learn some advanced western things. Emperor Guangxu summoned Zhang Yuanji on the fifth day of the reform movement of 1898. What he said was to set up new schools, train all kinds of talents and pay attention to translation.

Under the leadership of Zhang Yuanji, the translation academy published Yuan Fu translated by Yan Fu. This is the work of Adam Smith, a British scholar. Today, 100 years later, this book is still a classic of economics.

At that time, what Zhang Yuanji valued was the cultivation of talents. Like Cai Yuanpei and many other sages, he put the cultivation of talents first. They felt that the failure of the reform and reform was the lack of talents. Therefore, during his stay in Nanyang public school, Zhang Yuanji founded the Nanyang public school special class, which, according to Sheng Xuanhuai, is to cultivate "talents" for China's future. There was only one session of students in the special class, but there were Shao Lizi, Li Shutong, Xie Wuliang and others.

Librarian

However, three years later, Zhang Yuanji made a surprising decision: to resign from all the positions of Nanyang public school and join the commercial press.

At that time, the commercial press was just a manual printing workshop, founded by the typesetter Xia Ruifang. Zhang Yuanji gave up his prominent position in Nanyang public school and went to a small factory in a lane to cooperate with a small owner. When he turned around like this, many people were puzzled.

Half a century later, Zhang Yuanji, who had been bedridden for several years due to a stroke, wrote a poem with trembling hand, saying goodbye to his business colleagues: "Changming is willing to educate all his life, so we should make efforts to the book forest. This is a good field for cultivation and a good harvest for the army." From the poem, people read his life ideal and the fact that he consciously connected the commercial press with the modern reform of Chinese education.

Like many people at that time, Zhang Yuanji pinned China's hope on "opening up the wisdom of the people", believing that this was the only way for China's modernization. He felt that the scale of Nanyang public school was still very small, and those talents were far from enough. His idea began to shift from cultivating a group of talents to universal education for the people.

In his letter to Sheng Xuanhuai, he said that of China's 40000 people, only 400000 have received education. Educated people have learned a few Eight Legged essays, but they have hardly learned what they should know. In today's developing world, our country will die if it goes on like this.

Zhang Yuanji also realized that to open up the wisdom of the people, he had to publish good books and take "supporting education" as his duty. Therefore, he accepted Xia Ruifang's invitation. Zhang Yuanji, born in the Imperial Academy, is well versed in Chinese and Western learning. His status and reputation undoubtedly provide a bridge between business and the intellectual, political and educational circles.

Zhang Yuanji became the director of the compilation Office of the commercial press

Chinese PinYin : Zhang Yuan Ji