After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Zhang Zhidong gradually formed a set of systematic modern educational thoughts and realized the importance of establishing a new academic system. After serving as the governor of Huguang, Zhang Zhidong founded a large-scale new education in Hubei-industrial education, normal education and national education. These new educational activities have made the idea of a strong country in education play an important role in promoting China's educational modernization.

First, Zhang Zhidong developed industrial education in Hubei to cooperate with the revitalization of industry. Among them, agricultural schools and technical schools have been established, and a number of talents needed by new agriculture and new industries have been trained. In Zhang Zhidong's conception of economic modernization, agriculture occupies an important position. In order to improve Hubei's agriculture, Zhang decided to establish an agricultural school to train agricultural talents. Agricultural school has become an effective school of industrial education in Hubei, and its graduates have also played a positive role in promoting the development of agricultural education in Hubei.

Second, establish Hubei industry. He believes that China scholars are limited by traditional concepts and disdain to learn "craftsmanship", while ordinary craftsmen have no cultural knowledge and lack talents with scientific theoretical knowledge, so they cannot explore the reasons for problems in production; The imported machines can't be reformed according to the actual situation, which is an important reason for the lack of talents and backward industry in China. Therefore, to develop new education, there must be two kinds of talents-engineers and technicians. In the 28th year of Guangxu (1902), Zhang moved the craft school to the former Jianghan Academy in order to build it into an institution of higher learning. Later, he was transferred to Cheng Song, which made certain achievements in the teaching of technical schools, and the trained students were able to manufacture all kinds of practical new machines.

Third, Zhang Zhidong attaches importance to basic normal education. He realized that the development of education lies in popularizing national education, and the foundation of education lies in popularizing primary schools. Popularizing primary schools requires a large number of qualified teachers, which is the premise of primary school development. It is found that primary and secondary school teachers in all countries are transferred from normal schools, so normal schools are places where education is established, which is of great significance. In the 28th year of Guangxu (1902), Zhang Zhidong founded Hubei Normal School in Wuchang to train primary and secondary school teachers. In the 29th year of Guangxu (1903), Zhang Zhidong, Governor of Liangjiang, invited Sanjiang Normal School, and selected 50 middle school students from the imperial examinations to teach self-cultivation, history, geography, literature, mathematics and gymnastics. If Chinese and Japanese teachers learn from each other, they can solve the problem of school teachers. Under the advocacy of Zhang Zhidong, the administrative system of normal education in Hubei has developed greatly, which has greatly promoted modern education in Hubei and brought up a large number of talents for the development of Hubei.

Contribution:

Educational thought

Zhang Zhidong's thought and practice of promoting learning and educating talents occupy a very important position in the modern educational history of China. Zhang Zhidong advocated "practical learning" to apply the world, and emphasized that reading through historical classics is the main content of learning. The specific measures are mainly to reform traditional educational institutions, represented by Jingxin Academy in Hubei and Zunjing Academy in Sichuan. Traditional educational institutions in Qing Dynasty were mainly academies and academies. After Ganjia, due to lack of funds and dereliction of duty of instructors, many local societies gradually stopped abolishing, and academies became the main educational institutions. However, most of these academies are only exam-oriented, have no teaching color and are out of touch with practical knowledge. To this end, Zhang Zhidong began to pay attention to guiding the academy to emphasize practical learning. 1869, he established Jingxin Academy in Wenchang Pavilion, Sandao Street, Wuchang, and selected its outstanding students to study in it. Most of them are classics, historical theories and essays, which flaunt practical learning and pay attention to practical application. Tongzhi for nine years (1870), when he left office and returned to Beijing, he was well received by Hubei scholars. Zhang Zhidong wrote a poem with emotion: "People say that it is the pleasure of being an official, but they don't know the pain of being an official. I am thirty-four, and my white hair is counted. " In the 13th year of Tongzhi (1873), Zhang Zhidong was appointed as the deputy examiner's palace after having obtained the provincial examination in Sichuan, and was appointed as a political scholar in Sichuan in September. After he entered Sichuan, he found that cheating in the imperial examination in Sichuan was serious, so he took measures to eliminate the accumulated disadvantages in the imperial examination and rectify the literati atmosphere. He believes that "if you want to rule the people of Sichuan, you must first rule the people of Sichuan."

Attach importance to western learning

While continuing to advocate the reform of traditional education, Zhang Zhidong began to realize the importance of "Western learning" and set out to pilot a new school based on "Western learning". The academy reform is represented by Hubei and Hunan academies, and the new school is represented by the craft school and the self-improvement school.

In the 16th year of Guangxu (1890), Zhang Zhidong founded Lianghu Academy in the former site of Jingxin Academy in Dusihu. There are 240 students in the college, Hunan 100, Hubei 65438, and 40 students in specific business. Four courses, Confucian classics, history, Neo-Confucianism and literature, are offered to train talents who are "famous officials and famous Confucianism". 1896, Zhang reformed the two lakes academy, imitating the western academy, giving lectures every day and checking the students' learning situation every day. The course is changed to four courses: Confucian classics, history and geography, and current affairs, and a dean is set up to explain the economy. Zhang Zhidong also pays more attention to the management of students' study and the control of their thoughts. 1902 the two lakes academy was changed to the two lakes college, which was divided into eight subjects and became a comprehensive college including literature, science and law. The number of students decreased from 240 to 120. At the beginning, it was promoted to Gaotang by outstanding students from Hubei, Hunan, Jingxin and Jianghan academies. Applicants must first make up the general course for one year, study in a junior college for three years, then study abroad for one year and graduate in five years. The two lakes academy evolved from a traditional academy to a new academy, and finally became a new school with the increase of western courses. 1898, when Zhang Zhidong changed the two academies into schools, he proposed that "the two academies should be divided, with Chinese (learning) as the body and western learning as the application, which not only avoided the mockery of shoddy work, but also avoided the drawbacks of deviance". But what students are really interested in is the course of "Western Learning". As a result, some students finally "deviant" and engaged in revolutionary activities.

Personal data:

Zhang Zhidong (1837- 1909), who is filial, Xiang Tao and the governor, is called "handsome", so everyone calls him "Zhang Xiangshuai". A famous minister in the late Qing Dynasty, a representative of the Westernization School in the Qing Dynasty, was born in Xingyi Prefecture, Guizhou Province, and his ancestral home was Nanpi, Zhili. Xianfeng two years (1852), 16 years old Shuntianfu altogether, Tongzhi two years (1863), 27-year-old third flower exploration champion, was awarded editing by imperial academy. He has served as a teacher, waiter, lecturer, bachelor of cabinet, governor of Shanxi, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, governor of Huguang and governor of Liangjiang (acting for many times).

Zhang Zhidong was the leader of the Qing school in his early years and later became the main representative of the Westernization School. In education, he founded Qiangzi School (now the predecessor of Wuhan University), Sanjiang Normal School (now the predecessor of Nanjing University), Hubei Agricultural School, Hubei Wuchang Mengyang College, Hubei Technology School, Ci 'en School (Nanpi No.1 Middle School) and Guangya Academy. Politically, it advocates that "middle school is the body and western learning is the use". In industry, Hanyang Iron Works, Daye Iron Mine and Hubei Gun Works have been established. When Eight-Nation Alliance invaded, Dagubao fell, and Zhang Zhidong, together with Liu Kunyi, the governor of Liangjiang, negotiated with the consul in Shanghai about "mutual insurance in the southeast" and suppressed the self-defense uprising of the reformists such as Tang, Gui Lin and Qin Lishan. In the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu (1908), he died the following year in order to take care of the life of the Jin Taizi Taibao. There are complete works of Zhang Wenxiang. Zhang Zhidong, Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang and Zuo are called "four famous ministers of ZTE in the late Qing Dynasty".