Tomb of Zhang Jian

Tomb of Zhang Jian

The Tomb of Zhang Jian is a cultural heritage protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Tomb of Zhang Jian is located in the Se Garden on the southern outskirts of Nantong City and was originally called the Se Gong Tomb.

Zhang Jian, courtesy name Jizhi and alias Se’an, was a native of Nantong. In the 20th year of the Guangxu reign (1894), he achieved the top rank in the Imperial Examination’s Jiawu Imperial Favor Examination and was appointed as a Hanlin Academician Draftsman. The following year, he founded the Dasheng Cotton Mill in Nantong. Thereafter, he successively launched enterprises such as the Tonghai Reclamation and Animal Husbandry Company, the Shanghai Dadah Foreign River Wharf and Dock Company, the Tianshenggang Wharf and Dock Company, the Guangsheng Oil Mill, and the Zisheng Iron Smelting Plant. Starting from the 28th year of the Guangxu reign (1902), Zhang Jian also initiated several cultural and educational projects locally. He personally founded the Tongzhou Normal School, the Girls’ Normal School, the School for the Blind and Deaf, the Theater Arts School, the Women’s Vocational Training Institute, the Museum Garden, the Nantong Library, and the Gengsu Theater. He also established over ten vocational schools, notably those specializing in textiles, agriculture, and medicine, which merged into Nantong University in 1920. Outside Nantong, schools proposed or funded by Zhang Jian include the Wusong Merchant Marine School, the Yangzhou Lianghuai Primary and Secondary Schools and Normal School, the Nanjing Higher Normal School, the Wusong China Public School, and the Shanghai Fudan Academy. In the 3rd year of the Xuantong reign (1911), he was appointed President of the Central Education Association by the Ministry of Education. In the 1st year of the Xuantong reign (1909), he served as the Speaker of the Jiangsu Advisory Council, becoming a leading figure of the constitutionalist movement in China. After the Xinhai Revolution, he expressed “support” for the republic and served as the Minister of Industry in the Provisional Government of Nanjing. In 1915, when Yuan Shikai promoted the imperial system, Zhang Jian returned to his hometown and continued to develop industry, education, and “local self-governance” in the Nantong area. His published works include “The Nine Records of Zhang Jizi,” “The Diary of Zhang Jian,” and “The Self-Compiled Chronicle of Se’an.”

Zhang Jian passed away in 1926 at the age of 74. His tomb, the Se Garden, covers an area of 100 acres, featuring lush trees, clear waters, and a serene environment. The tomb is situated in the central northern part of the cemetery, with the entrance to the southeast being a quadrangle-style ancestral hall of the Zhang family. In 1958, the cemetery was converted into the Nanshou Park. In 1966, the tomb of Zhang Jian was damaged, and both the memorial archway and the bronze statue of Zhang Jian were demolished. They were rebuilt in 1983.

The reconstructed Tomb of Zhang Jian is made of concrete and remains a square burial mound facing south. The mound is elevated 0.5 meters above ground level, surrounded by railings and lined with tall dragon cypress trees. The sarcophagus is located in the center of the mound, rectangular in shape, about 1.5 meters high, with a square pedestal-shaped stele placed behind it, standing 1.83 meters tall. The front of the stele is inscribed with “Tomb of Mr. Zhang Jian of Nantong,” while the back is inlaid with a bronze plaque engraved with a eulogy to the statue of Se’an. Above it stands a recast full-body bronze statue of Zhang Jian, 2.02 meters tall, and the memorial archway has also been restored. Approximately 10 meters to the left of the mound is the tomb of his son, Zhang Xiaoru.

In recent years, Nanshou Park has gradually expanded eastward, northward, and southwestward. In addition to the Daiyin Book House built in the 1950s, new facilities have been added, including the Hundred Flowers Garden, the Fish Joy Corridor, the Biyun Pavilion, and the Huancui Reflecting Mountain Tower. Including the pre-existing structures, the total area now reaches 157 acres.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units