Discussion Of Zhang Zhidong And National DefenceConstruction Of The Late Qing Dynasty

As an important official in the late Qing Dynasty, Zhang Zhidong was engaged in foreign affair activities more than twenty years. He was always keen on modernization construction project in the national defense. Because of the fierce consciousness of participation in society and national defense, he successively raised many kinds of ideas, such as traditional border defense design producing appliances and training troops of the group of foreign affair, reform on military affair system in modern times, training military professional talents in modern times. Based on these ideas, he carried out a series of national defense construction.He strengthened material capital construction on national defense strongly, such as buying weapons, constructing gun emplacement, building a ship, making defense works, running industry, building a railway, and erecting wire. To an extent, it shortened the gap on the military technique between Chain and western countries, strengthened real strength in national defense, defended national security.Zhang Zhidong reformed traditional military system in an active way. Based on the system of XiangJun and HuaiJun, he organized and trained ShanXi Army and GuangSheng Army. According to German and Japan, he also organized and trained ZiQiangJun and HuBei XinJun after JiaWu War. It initiated modern reform of late Qing Dynasty's military system.Zhang Zhidong devoted himself to the train on modern military professional talents. By inviting foreign generals, dispatching returned students and running military schools, he developed large quantities of talents. This not only ensured the elementary talents need of military system reform in Huber, but also transported to all over the country. It brought about a significant motive effect on the military system reform in the late QingDynasty.Zhang Zhidong's national defense ideas and practices had profound effect on the political situation of the late Qing Dynasty.The material capital construction on national defense not only consolidated the defense the area under his administration, such as Liangguang, Huguang and Liangjiang, promoted the development in economics, science and technique, culture, and the emergence of the new classes. The organization and training of XinJun and the reform on military system developed a modern national defense army and established capable and efficient national defense structure. This did well to national security. The training of military talents made a batch of elites influenced by the west. They introduced the western ideas of militarism, science and democracy into China. This accelerated the metabolism of modern society.