By Chen Long

Wuhan and Chicago both play important roles in their respective countries and they share many similarities—with both being a central city in a central region, and a transportation hub as well.

The development of Wuhan's transportation was initiated and promoted by Zhang Zhidong, who served as Viceroy of the Huguang area (i.e. Governor-General of Hubei and Hunan Provinces and the Surrounding Areas) in the late Qing Dynasty. He was not tall in stature and modest in manners, but his solemnity and self-respect stood out from his plain official gown. Before taking office in Hubei, he submitted a memorial to Emperor Guangxu (1871-1908) in which he zealously proposed the construction of a railway from Beijing to Wuhan. After several rounds of debate with the conservatives in the court, Zhang won the support of the emperor and his proposal was eventually accepted. On October 12, 1889, he was transferred from Guangzhou to Wuhan to supervise the Beijing-Wuhan railway project.

Building railways was one of the measures Zhang took for reviving the state, for he believed that railways had the power of connecting all the classes nationwide, including scholars, farmers, workers, businessmen and soldiers, so that all walks of life could move around freely. After China's defeat in the Opium War of 1840-1842, the Qing government had to cede the island of Hong Kong to Britain and was forced to open five cities as free treaty ports, which included Shanghai and Ningbo, and China paid reparations of 21 million silver taels. Since then,

other foreign powers got their way one after another, forcing the Qing government to sign unequal treaties so that China gradually lost its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Thus, some Chinese officials and scholars started to seek ways of strengthening China by learning from powerful countries.

In 1906, Jing-Han Railway was opened to traffic with a total length of 1,200 km. And it remained the most important railroad connecting the north and south of China for the entire 20th century.

While building railways, Zhang also promoted the expansion of Hubei's waterways centered in Wuhan. Furthermore, the “Stunning” from the US shipping company sailed into Hankou port and Osaka Commercial Lines Corporation opened two direct lines, Hankou-Kobe and Hankou-Osaka, which enabled Hankou to enjoy the reputation of being an international port. Thus, Wuhan emerged as a metropolis “leading to the ocean and communicating with the world.”

The iron industry in China relied heavily on imports, so the manufacturing of military weapons was hampered. In his letter to the Emperor, Zhang called for the establishment of steel plants in Hubei. In 1893, the Hanyang Steel Plant was set up. Soon, the “Hanyang-made” rifle was produced and was in service for the Chinese army for 50 years after.

During his administration in Hubei, he was devoted to fostering a private-sector economy which resulted in a boom of over 100 privatelyowned corporations ranging from mining, machinery manufacturing, and oil processing, to industries covering matches, tobacco, and cotton etc. Wuhan's annual trade volume hit 130 million silver taels, surpassing Tianjin and Guangdong to rank second only to Shanghai in China.

In the summer of 1907, Zhang, after 18 years' administration in Hubei, was transferred back to Beijing to serve as prime minister of State Security. He was 71 years old then, and passed away two years later.

Zhang's life was a good example of an official in the history of modern China who endeavored to find a way to rejuvenate China. Since the Opium War, Chinese people have been longing for the prosperity and rejuvenation of a nation as well as the improvement of people' well being.

(Translation: Wang Wen)

张之洞治鄂

文/陈龙

中国武汉和美国芝加哥有很多相似之处。它们都是各自国家中部的一个中心城市，也是全国的交通枢纽。

奠定武汉交通地位的人，是清朝的湖广总督张之洞。他是个子矮而简约的人，但质朴的衣服散发出庄严的气质。来湖北之前，张之洞上奏光绪皇帝，力陈修建从武汉到北京的铁路。和一些保守大臣进行一番辩论后，张之洞的建议被皇帝采纳，1889年10月12日，他从广州调任武汉，督办京汉铁路工程。

修铁路是张之洞找到的一条强国之道。他说有了铁路，中国的“士农工商兵”就可以快速运转起来，纵横四海。因为1840年英国发动了一场鸦片贸易战争，中国战败，割让香港岛给英国，开放上海、宁波等五处为通商口岸，并赔款2100万两百白银。之后陆续有西方国家强迫中国签订不平等条约，中国逐渐丧失了领土和主权的完整。中国一些官员和知识分子便开始向战胜国学习，寻找使国家强起来的办法。

1906年，京汉铁路贯通了，全长1200公里。在一个世纪里，这条铁路成为中国最重要的南北交通干线。

铁路之外，张之洞还以武汉为中心延伸湖北的水运交通。随着美国轮船公司“惊异号”开进汉口，日本大阪商船会社开通了汉口至神户、大阪的直达航线，使汉口港成为国际港口。武汉成了一个“外通海洋，辐射世界”的开放城市。

当时中国军工用铁依靠进口，枪炮制造受制于人。张之洞给皇帝写信要求修建炼铁厂。1893年，汉阳铁厂建成，他们生产的“汉阳造”步枪被中国军队使用了50多年。

在湖北主政期间，张之洞还致力于发展民营商业，使武汉的民营工业企业达到了100多家，涉及采矿、机器制造、榨油、火柴、卷烟和棉纺等30多个行业。武汉年贸易额达到1亿3000万两白银，超过天津和广东，成为当时中国仅次于上海的第二大城市。

1907年夏天，在湖北为官18年的张之洞回到北京任军机大臣，那年他已经71岁，到京两年后便去世了。

张之洞的一生是中国近代官员的一个缩影，他在苦求“富国之妙术”。鸦片战争之后的中国人有一个梦想，就是希望国家富强，民族振兴，人民幸福。