Zhang Zhidong (Chinese:张之洞; Wade-Giles: Chang Ch'ih-Tung; Courtesy Xiaoda 孝达; Pseudonyms: Xiangtao 香涛, Xiangyan 香岩, Yigong 壹公, Wujing-Jushi 无竞居士, later Baobing 抱冰; Posthumous name: Wenxiang 文襄) (1837—1909) was an eminent Chinese politician during the late Qing Dynasty who advocated for controlled reform. Along with Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, he was one of the "Four Famous Officials of the Late Qing" (四大名臣). He served as the Governor of Shanxi, the Viceroy of Huguang, Viceroy of Liangguang, the Viceroy of Liangjiang, and the Minister of Military Affairs (军机大臣). Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... Cha can also refer to a Latin American dance, also called the Cha-cha-cha. ... A Chinese courtesy name, sometimes also known as a style name, was a pseudonym that was used in place of a given name by educated Chinese up until the 20th century. ... A posthumous name (諡號/謚號 Pinyin: shì hào; Romaji: shigō/tsuigō; Revised Romanization of Korean: siho) is a honorary name given to royalty in some cultures posthumously, that is, after the persons death. ... 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Qing Dynasty (Manchu: daicing gurun; Chinese: 清朝; pinyin: qÄ«ng cháo; Wade-Giles: ching chao), sometimes known as the Manchu Dynasty, was founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China expanded into China proper and the surrounding territories of Inner Asia, establishing... Zēng Guófán (曾國藩; Wade-Giles: Tseng Kuo-fan, Courtesy name Bóhán 伯函, Hao: Díshēng 滌生) (November 21, 1811 – March 12, 1872) was an eminent Han Chinese official of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. ... Li Hongzhang (Chinese: 李鴻章; pinyin: Lǐ Hóngzhāng, Wade-Giles: Li Hung-chang) (February 15, 1823 - November 7, 1901) was a general who ended several major rebellions, and a leading statesman of the late Chinese Qing Empire. ... Portrait of General Tso, by Piassetsky, 1875 ZuÇ’ Zōngtáng (左宗棠) (November 10, 1812-September 5, 1885), spelled Tso Tsung-tang in Wade-Giles and known simply as General Tso to Westerners, was a gifted Chinese military leader born in Wenjialong, north of Changsha in Hunan province, during the... Shanxi (Chinese: 山西; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal System Pinyin: Shansi) is a northern province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

A native of Nanpi, Hebei, Zhang Zhidong earned a Jinshi degree in 1863, and was elevated to the Hanlin Academy in 1880. In 1881 he was appointed the Governor of Shanxi. The Empress Dowager promoted him to the Viceroy of Huguang in August 1889. Not to be confused with the unrelated province of Hubei Hebei (Chinese: 河北; pinyin: Hébĕi; Wade-Giles: Ho-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hopeh), is a northern province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The imperial examinations (科舉, kējǔ) in dynastic China determined positions in the civil service, which had promoted upward mobility among the people for centuries. ... The Hanlin Academy (翰林院) was founded in China in the 8th century. ... 1881 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1889 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Zhang Zhidong became involved in the First Sino-Japanese War, although not on the frontlines. He initially advocated for foreign aid from European forces near Tianjin in fighting Japan. In October 1894, he telegraphed Li Hongzhang, the Viceroy of Zhili, proposing the purchase of naval equipment, and loans from foreign banks. He further advocated this, and in addition the purchase of arms, alliance with European powers, and the "clear division of rewards and punishments" for troops, once the Japanese crossed the Yalu River into China in late October, threatening the Manchurian provinces. In early 1895, the Japanese had began an assault on Shandong, and Zhang telegraphed Li Bingheng, the Governor, in an emergency that suggested fast civil recruitments, the building of strong forts, and the use of land mines, to prevent further Japanese advance. He had also sent arms and munitions to aid the campaign. Japan and Qing China fought the First Sino-Japanese War (or the Qing-Japanese War or Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895)), primarily over control of Korea. ... Location within China Tianjin is also the name of an asteroid, see 2209 Tianjin Tianjin (Chinese: 天津; pinyin: ; Postal System Pinyin: Tientsin; literally Heavenly Ford) is a harbour municipality in China on the Hai He River (from Beijing) and Bohai Gulf of the Yellow Sea (Pacific Ocean). ... Li Hongzhang (Chinese: 李鴻章; pinyin: Lǐ Hóngzhāng, Wade-Giles: Li Hung-chang) (February 15, 1823 - November 7, 1901) was a general who ended several major rebellions, and a leading statesman of the late Chinese Qing Empire. ... The Yalu (Amnok) River is a river on the border between China and North Korea. ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Shandong (Simplified Chinese: 山东; Traditional Chinese: 山東; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-tung) is a coastal province of eastern Peoples Republic of China. ... A landmine is a type of mine which is placed onto or into the ground and explodes when triggered by a vehicle or person. ...

Zhang held a strong opinion on the issue of Taiwan, and in late February 1895, he made clear to the Court in Beijing his complete opposition to Taiwan being ceded to Japan. He further offered several methods to prevent such an event. Zhang suggested that huge loans be taken from Britain, who would in turn use its strong navy to protect Taiwan. In addition, Britain would be given mining rights on the island for "ten to twenty years". Developments in May, however, became disappointing to Zhang, as the Qing Court ordered all civil and military officials out of Taiwan. He counted on defence by the people of Taiwan themselves. A request for aid by the troops in Taiwan was refused by Zhang, facing an increasingly hopeless situation after Keelung fell and Taipei became the only stronghold remaining. On October 19, 1895, Liu Yongfu, the last of Qing generals in Taiwan, was defeated and withdrew to Xiamen. Keelung (基隆 Pinyin: Jīlóng, Wade-Giles: Chi-lung) is a county-level city of Taiwan Province, Republic of China. ... City nickname: the City of Azaleas Capital District Xinyi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 16 of 25 271. ... October 19 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Xiamen (Simplified Chinese: 厦门; Traditional Chinese: 廈門; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsiamen) is a coastal sub-provincial city in Fujian Province, southern China. ...

In 1898, Zhang's published his work Quanxue Pian (劝学篇), opposing the Hundred Days Reform. He suggested a method of conservative reform, and coined the famous phrase "Old ideas are the system on which new ideas can be applied" (旧学为体，新学为用). In 1900, he advocated for the crackdown of the Boxers. When the Eight-Nation Alliance entered Beijing, Zhang, along with Li Hongzhang and others, participated in the "Defend the Southeast" (东南互保) plan. He quelled local revolts, and defeated the rebellion army of Tang Caichang. He succeeded Liu Kunyi as Viceroy of Liangjiang in 1901, transferring to Nanjing, where he laid foundations for the modern University of Nanjing. He was appointed the Minister of Military Affairs in 1906, and worked in Beijing for the Qing Court. He died from illness in 1909. 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Hundred Days Reform (戊戌变法 or 百日維新) was a 103-day reform from June 11 to September 21, 1898. ... Boxer forces in Tianjin The Boxer Rebellion (Traditional Chinese: 義和團起義; Simplified Chinese: 义和团起义; pinyin: ; Righteous Harmony Society Uprising) was an uprising against Western commercial and political influence in China during the final years of the 19th century. ... The alliance between Japan and the other 7 nations (Britain, America, Germany, France, Russia, Austria and Italy) during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. ... Li Hongzhang (Chinese: 李鴻章; pinyin: Lǐ Hóngzhāng, Wade-Giles: Li Hung-chang) (February 15, 1823 - November 7, 1901) was a general who ended several major rebellions, and a leading statesman of the late Chinese Qing Empire. ... Nanjing University (南京大学, 南京大學, Pinyin: Nánjīng Dàxué; colloquially 南大, Pinyin Nándà) is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the world and became the first modern Chinese university in the early 1920s. ...