Site of the Former Zhenxin Cotton Mill

Site of the Former Zhenxin Cotton Mill

The Site of the Former Zhenxin Cotton Mill is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

The Zhenxin Cotton Mill, also known as Wuxi No. 4 Cotton Mill or Wuxi Simian Textile Co., Ltd., is located in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China. Established in 1906, it was a textile factory from China’s modern to contemporary periods. Its former site lies at the southern end of Jiankang Road on the south bank of the ancient Grand Canal and is a protected cultural heritage site of Jiangsu Province.

Historical Development

In the summer of the 31st year of the Guangxu reign (1905), Rong Ruixin hosted a banquet for business and industrial figures at Shousheng’an on Beijing Road in Shanghai. During the event, Rong Desheng presented a proposal to establish a cotton mill in Wuxi, which was supported by Ye Shenzhai, Zhang Shijun, Bao Xianchang, Xu Ziyi, and others. The group suggested the name “Zhenxin” for the new mill. The initiators included the aforementioned individuals along with the Rong brothers, who collectively raised 300,000 yuan. Each of the seven founders (Rong Zongjing, Rong Desheng, Rong Ruixin, Zhang Shijun, Zhang Yunbo, Ye Shenzhai, and Xu Ziyi) subscribed for 30,000 yuan, with the rest being raised separately. Eventually, 270,800 yuan was collected, and 28 mu of land was used as the foundation. Orders were placed with Ri Sheng Foreign Firm for British Dobsen brand spinning machines. Construction began in February of the following year. On March 21, 1907, the mill commenced operations under the management of Manager Zhang Yunbo and Deputy Manager Xu Ziyi, with Rong Ruixin as the major shareholder.

Due to poor management, the Zhenxin Cotton Mill soon began to incur losses. With the support of Zhang Shijun, Ye Shenzhai, and others, Rong Desheng took charge of the mill, quickly selling off inventory to repay debts and effectively taking over production management. In the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (1908), Rong Zongjing suffered massive losses due to the collapse of Yudaxiang from speculative failures, compounded by years of losses at the Maixin Flour Mill. The Rong brothers were forced to shut down Guangsheng Bank and focus entirely on maintaining Maixin and Zhenxin. In the first year of the Xuantong reign (1909), disputes between shareholders in Shanghai and Wuxi led to the withdrawal of Shanghai shareholders from Zhenxin, with their shares absorbed by Wuxi shareholders. Aside from Rong Ruixin and the Rong brothers incorporating some of those shares, Tang Shuichen also participated in the absorption. At the same time, the mill’s leadership changed with Rong Zongjing as chairman and Rong Desheng as general manager. Profits at the factory began to rise, and the “Qiuhe Brand” cotton yarn once competed with the “Blue Fish Brand” in the Shanghai market. In the second year of the Xuantong reign (1910), Rong Ruixin suffered huge investment losses due to the rubber stock crisis, and the Rong family barely managed to keep Zhenxin afloat. The Xinhai Revolution of the third year of the Xuantong reign (1911) caused a credit crunch, leading to a cash flow crisis at Zhenxin.

In 1914, with the outbreak of World War I and the anti-Japanese goods movement during the May Fourth Movement, the Zhenxin Cotton Mill entered a period of peak operation. Rong Desheng proposed establishing branch factories in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Zhengzhou, but the proposal was opposed by other directors. In anger, Rong Desheng swapped his shares in Zhenxin with Rong Ruixin’s shares in Maixin and withdrew from Zhenxin. In 1935, under the dumping pressure of Japanese-owned mills, the factory was forced to halt operations. In 1937, unable to repay debts, the Zhenxin Cotton Mill was placed under trusteeship by the Bank of Shanghai and renamed Gongji Zhenxin Textile Mill, gradually resuming production. In November 1937, invading Japanese forces captured Wuxi and burned down most of the factory buildings, equipment, and yarn fabrics. In March 1938, the Japanese army seized the factory and resumed production. After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, the mill was rebuilt in November 1945. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Zhenxin Cotton Mill was renamed Wuxi No. 4 Cotton Mill. In 1998, Qingfeng Group acquired Wuxi Dyeing Factory and Wuxi Wu Mian through restructuring, and merged with Wuxi Tianyuan Hemp & Cotton Textile Factory and Wuxi Si Mian. On December 31 of the same year, the company was renamed Wuxi Simian Textile Co., Ltd.

Preservation

The site preserves structures built before 1949, including the Spinning Department Building A and Weaving Workshop covering a total of 4,200 square meters with steel-concrete structures; a 3,400-square-meter warehouse with brick-wood structure; as well as facilities such as a baling room and boiler room. In 2006, the People’s Government of Jiangsu Province designated the former site of the Zhenxin Cotton Mill as a Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Jiangsu Provincial Cultural Heritage Protection Units