Zhang Zhenfang, courtesy name Xin'an and nickname Zhipu, was born in Yanlou Village, Xiangcheng, Henan Province on December 28, the second year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1863). His ancestors moved from Hongdong, Shanxi to Hongqiao (old city) in Xiangcheng in the early Ming Dynasty. After several generations of bleak management, their savings became increasingly abundant. His ancestors were engaged in farming and reading. They built a library in Hongyang and collected thousands of volumes of classics and history. Zhang Zhenfang's grandfather was named Zhang Zhiyuan, whose courtesy name was Jingzhai. He was well-read in poetry and books. He was among the best in the boy examination and had a promising career. But the county magistrate spread the news, intending to ask for bribes. The Zhang family has always been "seeking benevolence to defeat oneself, and being ashamed to be the chief of the city", so he has no intention of pursuing an official career. His father, Zhang Ruizhen, also named Enzhou and Yuyan, studied hard for half his life. "After forty years of hard work, one breaks the wall and climbs the dragon late." He won the Guangxu Jiawu Ke (1894) rural examination in his 50s. Zhang Zhenfang's mother, Liu Jingzhai, was the aunt of Liu Yongqing, the Minister of War and the Governor of Water Transport. Parents are their children's first teachers, and brothers Zhang Zhenfang grew up in strict tutoring.
When Zhang Zhenfang was a child, as soon as he could speak, his two elders dictated the "Three Character Classic" and then the "Four Character Jianlue". After a little longer, I will start to explain the meaning, so that people can recite Xinwei orally. He entered school at the age of eight and studied poetry and books diligently. My father often reads with me in the study. Whenever Zhang Zhenfang read history and related to matters of loyalty, filial piety, love and trustworthiness, his father would always shout: "You can do this, and you are worthy of being a son and a human being." Later, whenever Zhang Zhenfang read classic poems and poems, his father would not only sit quietly and listen , and if there is a slight ambiguity or imbalance in the tone of voice, I will immediately correct it; if I find a misreading, I will severely reprimand it; after class, I will have to write separate essays and hand them in the next morning. In his daily studies, his father set strict academic rules for him, such as getting up when hearing a chicken and memorizing homework silently. When Zhang Zhenfang recited poems, he was not allowed to light a lamp and was only allowed to burn two incense sticks. This is to allow him to concentrate his mind and slowly develop the habit of studying diligently and memorizing. His professional teacher, Yu Lian'e, taught him well and cooperated with his father's guidance, which enabled Zhang Zhenfang to achieve early success in his studies. When he was young, he was famous in his hometown for his good eight-part essay.
In the 10th year of Guangxu (1884), Zhang Zhenfang was admitted to the Linsheng Examination.
Guangxu Renchen (1892) was promoted to Jinshi at the age of 29. Initially, he was assigned to the Ministry of Household Affairs as a sixth-grade Beijing official, and he worked there for eight years.
In the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu (1900), the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing. Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu hurriedly searched westward for Chang'an. Not long after Zhang Zhenfang returned to Beijing after mourning, on the night when the capital fell, he, together with ordinary officials from the Military Aircraft Department, the Ministry of Rites, and the Secretary of the Cabinet, all changed into plain clothes and prepared to go out of Xizhimen to chase the emperor. When they went west for more than ten miles, they saw the refugees returning one after another, claiming that there were stragglers blocking the way and looting, and some of them had been looted. This road was blocked, so Zhang Zhenfang diverted to Xiangcheng. After organizing the transportation, he then traveled from Henan to Shaanxi, traveling day and night. After going through many hardships, he chased Luan Jia all the way to Tongguan. He was appointed as the Secretary of Shaanxi Province to serve the two palaces.
In the 27th year of Guangxu (1901), the "Xinchou Treaty" was signed. The two palaces returned from Xi'an to Luan, and then went east around Henan and entered Zhili. When Yuan Shikai, then governor of Shandong, arrived in Beijing, Zhang Zhenfang met with Yuan Shikai. Yuan urged Zhang to transfer to other places and promised to stay in Lu. Zhang weighed the opportunity and made no light promise. After the two palaces returned to Beijing, they were rewarded with a fourth-grade title and still served as farmers.
Li Hongzhang died of illness in the twenty-eighth year of Guangxu (1902). Yuan Shikai was promoted to governor of Zhili and minister of Beiyang, and Zhang Zhenfang began to rise. He was first appointed as the General Office of the Silver Coin Bureau, the General Office of the Zhili Commission, and the Tianjin Hejian Military Preparation Road. He was also promoted to the Changlu Salt Transport Envoy. Zhang Zhenfang conscientiously performed his duties, eliminated accumulated abuses, and added 2.56 million taels to the national treasury. He also negotiated with the British ambassador to make the Kailuan Coal Mine, which was dominated by the British, a joint venture between China and the West. Therefore, it was promoted to the second-grade Jingtang.
In the 33rd year of Guangxu (1907), Yuan Shikai was impeached by the censor, and he resigned from eight positions including Minister of Military Training. The Qing court promoted Yuan to the rank of Minister of Military Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs, secretly seizing Yuan's military power. The post of Governor-General of Zhili was appointed by Zhang Zhenfang (from the first rank), so he became the last Governor-General of Zhili in the Manchu Qing Dynasty.
In the spring of the 33rd year of Guangxu (1907), Zhang Zhenfang donated 60,000 taels of silver to his hometown and opened Baizhongpu Normal School, six years earlier than Henan University.
In the first year of Xuantong (1909), Henan Province was hit by disaster.
Xiangcheng is low-lying and prone to waterlogging, and famines are even more severe. Zhang Zhenfang donated 4,000 yuan in silver for disaster relief, half to Xiangcheng and half to other disaster-stricken areas in Henan Province. In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), the Bailang Uprising in western Henan was fiercely fought, almost threatening Yuan Shikai's hometown of Xiangcheng. Yuan Shikai hurriedly sent Army Chief Duan Qirui to inspect Henan.
In March 1912, Yuan Shikai took office as the interim president of the Republic of China and appointed Zhang Zhenfang as the governor and civil affairs minister of Henan. From this, Zhang's family became prosperous, and his residence became "Zhang Shuai's Mansion" with a flagpole raised, stone lions guarding the door, civil servants dismounting in sedan chairs, and military attachés dismounting their horses. Zhang Zhenfang adhered to Yuan's wishes, fully restored the old feudal order in Henan, and banned the revolutionary Kuomintang. After Song Jiaoren was assassinated, the Henan revolutionaries held a memorial service for Song Jiaoren. The editor of the revolutionary party newspaper "Minli Daily" wrote a deputy elegiac saying: "There is no Napoleon in my eyes. Yi Gong died first; if I meet Zhang Zhenwu underground, He said I would come soon." He was hunted down by Zhang Zhenfang. At the same time, in order to suppress the second revolution, he established the "Military and Police Federation". They immediately surrounded the "Minli Daily" office and arrested and killed Luo Ruiqing, the editorial director and four other people. For a time, white terror enveloped the provincial capital Kaifeng, and innocent citizens also suffered. Ren Zhiming wrote a poem to pay homage to him: "The lives of people in the imperial village are as cheap as hemp, and the unjust blood soaks the blue sand for three years. I want to summon the souls but they can't come, and the fishy wind blows half the sky red." What people in Xiangcheng hate the most and can't forgive Zhang Zhenfang the most is his murder. Zhu Danbi, a fellow student from his hometown, a student who was sent to the superior normal school by himself, an old alliance member, and a provincial councilor. Zhu once organized the Huaishang Army to fight against the Qing Army in southeastern Henan. He was as credited as Martyr Yan Zigu in the struggle to overthrow the imperial system and defend the Communist Party of China. Under the White Terror in Kaifeng, Zhu Danbi planned to blow up the gunpowder depot in Kaifeng and then sneaked back to Xiangcheng. Unexpectedly, his whereabouts were exposed. Zhang Zhenfang ordered the Military and Police Federation to send more than 20 cavalry to pursue him. On August 21 of the lunar calendar in 1913, Zhu Danbi was killed in Laoxiang. He died at Chengxi Guanxiaochang and was later recognized as a second revolutionary martyr by Feng Yuxiang (Governor of Yu).
In February of the third year of the Republic of China (1914), Yuan dismissed Zhang Zhenfang from his post in the name of "having no way to suppress the bandits and killing young people indiscriminately", and Duan Qirui concurrently served as the governor of Yu.
In the fourth year of the Republic of China (1915), Zhang Zhenfang presided over the Salt Bank, a joint venture between government and businessmen, to resist foreign investment. Zhang Xun, the former Admiral of Jiangnan under the Qing government, the Governor of Jiangsu under Yuan Shikai's government, and the patrol envoy to the Yangtze River, always yearned for the imperial system. His troops continued to wear the Qing Dynasty's braided hair, known as the "Braided Army", and he called himself the "Braided Commander".
After Yuan Shikai's death in June of the fifth year of the Republic of China (1916), Zhang Xun not only formed his own warlord faction, but also established the "Thirteen Provinces and Districts Federation" (Government Corps) in Xuzhou to plan restoration . At this time, there were overt and covert struggles within the Beiyang government. In 1917, Duan Qirui was dismissed as prime minister by Li Yuanhong, and he wanted to use Zhang Xun's power to expel Li Yuanhong. So Zhang Xun led 5,000 soldiers to Beijing in the name of mediation to force Li to resign. Restoration forces from various factions also flocked to the Beijing and Tianjin areas. On July 1 of that year, Puyi, the deposed emperor of the Qing Dynasty, announced his restoration and granted numerous official titles and titles. Zhang Zhenfang was named minister of state affairs and minister of the branch. After 12 days, the restoration failed completely due to opposition from the people across the country. Zhang Zhenfang was arrested for civil disorder, tried under the jurisdiction of Dali Yuan, and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, Zhang Zhenfang has great supernatural powers, and those who advocated for him often had powerful forces (such as Duan Zhigui, commander of the East Route Army). After many accommodations, his son Zhang Boju donated 400,000 yuan in Zhang Zhenfang's name. Two days after he was sentenced, He was released on medical parole on the grounds of illness and sent back to Tianjin. He was released after three months in prison. After Zhang Zhenfang was released from prison, he spent a lot of time living in Tianjin, where he served as chairman of the Salt Bank and did not get involved in politics. He sometimes returned to Xiangcheng for a short stay.
In 1920, he served as chairman of Northern Bank.
In 1928, he gave up politics and entered business and served as chairman of the Salt Bank.
Died in 1933 at the age of 70 and was buried in Wanyao Village in the southeastern suburbs of Tianjin.
He is the author of a volume of "Poems" handed down to the world. Zhang Zhenfang had a wife and concubines, and his two children died early. In the 22nd year of Guangxu (1896), his younger brother Jinfang's son Jiaqi (Boju) was his stepson. 1. In 1901, Yuan Shikai played the "Shandong School Matters and Trial Regulations" when he returned to the two palaces in Hui Luan, which played a catalytic role in the establishment of a new three-level school in our country. Zhang Zhenfang immediately put it into practice. First, he donated money to establish a superior normal school in Baoding to cultivate new talents for a powerful country.
Zhang Zhenfang wants to cultivate talents for his hometown. All students from the districts and counties under the jurisdiction of Chenzhou (Huaiyang) (Huaiyang, Xihua, Xiangcheng, Shenqiu, Taikang, Fugou, Shangshui) who go to Baoshi to go to school will be provided with food, accommodation and All study expenses were borne by Zhang Zhenfang. There are 10 students in Xiangcheng County in each semester. After graduation, some of them joined the army, some worked in politics, and most of them worked in teaching, making contributions to the revolutionary construction of democratic democracy and peace. Zhu Danbi, the martyr who died in the second revolution, is an outstanding representative among them.
2. In the spring of the 33rd year of Guangxu (1907), Zhang Zhenfang donated 60,000 taels of silver to his hometown of Xiangcheng and opened the Baizhongpu Normal School in Baizhongpu (now Yongfeng Township). Henan University was still six years early.
3. Zhang Zhenfang also likes charity and is often a popular speaker in the village. In the first year of Xuantong (1909), Henan Province was hit by disaster. Xiangcheng was low-lying and prone to waterlogging, and droughts continued. This year, the famine became more severe. Zhang Zhenfang donated 4,000 yuan in silver dollars for disaster relief, half to Xiangcheng and half to other disaster-stricken areas in Henan Province. When Zhang Zhenfang was in charge of Henan, his first teacher Xia Yunwu (also known as Xuanchen, Gongsheng), known as "Xia Laoxuan", went north to Kaifeng to find Zhang Zhenfang because he could not raise enough funds to build the Banqiao on the Cao River. Lao Xuan walked for three days and found the Governor's Mansion. The guard saw that his face was dusty and his clothes were disheveled. He would not let him in or inform him. Lao Xuan had no choice but to show his "sign": "I am the mentor of Governor Zhang." After the guard reported, The ceremony door was opened wide, and the governor personally welcomed the teacher into the commander's mansion. During the greetings, Zhang Zhenfang understood the purpose of the teacher's visit and remained silent. Lao Xuan stayed for a few days and was entertained with wine and meat, but he couldn't stay any longer, so he told Zhang Zhenfang: "The folks are repairing Banqiao and asked me to ask for help. You are neither long nor round, and you are not in the middle. Today Make it clear so that I can go back." Zhang Zhenfang told the teacher with a smile on his face that you would send someone back the same day you came to repair Banqiao. I wanted the teacher to stay for a few more days, so I never made it clear. After Xia Laoxuan returned the item, he found that the money had been delivered early, so he praised Zhang Zhenfang for respecting his teacher when he met everyone. Zhang Zhenfang's grand opening to welcome Laoxuan became a favorite story in the neighborhood.
4. In the third year of Xuantong (1911), Yuan Gongcheng was working on compiling the "Xiangcheng County Chronicle". He was short of people and money. When Zhang Zhenfang was in office as the governor of Zhili, he was very concerned and paid for all the expenses for compiling the chronicle. , and hired Yang Zhongtang (also known as Lingge, a native of Shangshui County) and Shi Jingshun (a native of Suixian County) from eastern Henan as the main writers. In order to avoid the interference of the chronicle compilation in Xiangcheng, the apricot garden of Huang Xingqiao in Zhoukou was used as the residence for compiling the chronicle, and as the chronicle book Write the preface personally. Zhicheng is the "Xiangcheng County Chronicle" in the third year of Xuantong, which is one of the few precious historical records of Xiangcheng.
5. During the Republic of China, the main office building of Xiangshan Salesian Hospital was built with a donation of 400,000 yuan (now the archives office of Xiangshan Park Management Office), so it was named after the donor Zhang Zhenfang - Zhenfang Building.