Exhibition honors late Qing Dynasty philosopher and revolutionary

Zhang Taiyan (1869-1936), a philosopher and revolutionary, made great contributions to Chinese philosophy and revolution during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and Republic of China (1912-49).

To mark the 155th anniversary of his birth, the West Lake Museum is hosting an exhibition to give visitors an insight into the luminary's life through 93 historical archives on loan from libraries, museums and the Zhang Taiyan Memorial Hall.

An activist as well as a scholar, Zhang wrote many political works criticizing the feudal Qing Dynasty royal court in the Subao, or Jiangsu Newspaper, in 1903, and was jailed for three years. The exhibition displays the Subao copies that printed his articles attacking the Qing Dynasty.

After his release, he became the chief editor of Min Bao, a newspaper that strongly criticized corruption throughout the Qing Empire. He is said to have coined the phrase "Zhonghua Minguo," Chinese for the Republic of China.

Zhang's revolutionary career began from the "Hundred Days' Reform," which included cultural, political and educational reform movement in 1898. Though supported by reform-minded people, it was short-lived.

However, he didn't give up. Later he joined the Guangfuhui (光复会, Restoration Society) along with other revolutionists, continuing anti-Qing Dynasty activity.

Zhang became a staunch revolutionary and a close comrade of Sun Yat-sen, the first provisional president of the Republic of China and considered the "father of modern China." After the success of the 1911 Revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and brought Sun to power, Zhang became the president's adviser.

Lu Xun, a leading figure in 20th-century Chinese literature, called Zhang "a learned revolutionary" because of his persistence in revolution and great achievement in Chinese philosophy. Organizers also use "a learned revolutionary" as the theme of the exhibition to encapsulate Zhang's extraordinary life.

As a solid supporter of Chinese traditional philosophy, Zhang inherited the Qianjia School (乾嘉学派) which formed in the late Qing Dynasty, and developed his own school called Zhangxue, or the Zhang School. In late life, he built an academy in Suzhou in Jiangsu Province to spread his thoughts and cultivated a group of preeminent students, including Xu Fu, Yao Dianzhong and Shen Yanguo.

Meanwhile, the Hundred Schools of Thought – a collection of philosophers and intellectual traditions that flourished in China from the 6th century BC to 221 BC, profoundly influenced Zhang's thinking. He absorbed the essence from millennia-old Chinese philosophy, and then melded it into his own concepts, which made him one of the leading philosophers of his time.

The Zhang School was also affected by Buddhism. Zhang showed contemporary intellectuals that ancient Chinese ideas could be brought back to life through the Yogacara Buddhism dialectic.

When the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out, Zhang urged scholars to inspire patriotism and fighting spirit. Some of these documents and manuscripts are on display.

Zhang and his wife were buried at the intersection of Su Causeway and Nanshan Road beside the West Lake. The Zhangs' former residence is in Cangqian Town in Yuhang District.

The mansion is considered emblematic of Qing Dynasty wooden structures, as it features carved windows, engraved beams and sculptured furniture. It consists of four houses connected by a covered walkway.

The first house was a grocery store during the Qing Dynasty. The second had been converted into an exhibition hall showing Zhang's work. He and his brother lived in the other two houses. The three oldest houses were built by Zhang's great grandfather in the middle of the 19th century, while the last one (his brother's residence) was built in the early years of the Republic of China.

Elaborately carved wood furniture can be seen throughout the four houses. Today, the mansion has been listed as a national-level protected building by virtue of its historical and architectural values.

If you go

"A Learned Revolutionary"

Date: Through September 20 (closed on Tuesdays), 9am-5pm

Address: 89 Nanshan Rd

南山路89号