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1840-1860 Chángdé County of the Hunan Province of China

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1840-1860 Chángdé County of the Hunan Province of China

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Jun Yixiu was born in 1840 in Chángdé County of the Hunan Province of China. His family at this time were of peasantry status within the Qing dynasty. His parents however, wanted better for him. In 1855 when Changsha was captured by the Taiping rebels his father encouraged him to take the army incentive of joining the local military that had formed by local gentry and nobles in exchange for some money which he was able to purchase land with. He became of gentry status in 1864 and from there went on to pursue a career in civil service within Changde.

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Tensions had been rising since Opium trade routes opened in Hunan province making their way up to Changsha and even along the Yangze river. Local gentry had tried to raise funds for militia purposes as rebellion continued breaking out. However, many had nothing to offer. As more and more people leave to fight, flee, or become involved in the sale or smuggling of Opium, fields dried up and silver saw a shortage; famine and violence became more common.
The Taiping rebellion however, enabled many, Jun included, to gain gentry status through local military incentives. Local gentry and nobles recruited many members by offering an entry way to gentry status for themselves if they provide their service. For Jun, the salary that he saved from service helped his parents buy a small patch of land next to their already existing farm and they began selling more agricultural produce. However, sales were still low as the economy was trying to recover from years of war, natural disaster, and turmoil. It was enough however for the family to regain stability and as the economy evened out it eventually enabled him to pursue a low-ranking civil service job in Changde.

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1865 Personal events (taken from assignment 2 and revised)

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1865 Personal events (taken from assignment 2 and revised)

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"In 1865 my parents arranged a marriage to someone from also from Chángdé. In 1867 we had a son. I vow that he never has to see such violence in his own lifetime. With hope I can continue to provide for my family enough that he can pursue his education and carry on the gentry status unlike myself who was awarded this opportunity only by chance of being recruited into the Hunan local militia. Though my loyalties are strong were strong with the local militia and their aims, my priority was doing the best for my family. We needed to protect our city- something the Qing was unable to do for us after years of violence, disaster, and isolation."

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As the Boxer Rebellion broke out divisions furthered. Many local peasants in places like Hunan were fighting under the mantra, "support the Qing, destroy the foreigners". There was a defined anti-foreign sentiment that transcended any notion at the time of prioritizing "the nation". Social disorder was becoming increasingly prevalent especially as the government proved to many that it could not protect the people against foreign and imperial threats and thus many  were losing faith in confucianism. This also came at a time were foreign missionaries were exerting a greater presence (ex: the build up and eventual outbreak of the boxer rebellion). The Opium Wars left lasting economic impacts that furthered these tensions. A self-strengthening/modernization movement consequently came underway. Confucian values were restored and became increasingly conservative. Military advancements and investments were emphasized, followed by the nationalization of the transportation industry, and the broadening of industrial capacity.

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For Jun and his family these were conditions that informed their lives. Due to his role as a local government official, Jun was frequently called to Changsha, the capital of Hunan, to attempt to mediate conflicts that would arise. As a gentry he was more in favor of reform in the beginning as revolution held so many uncertainties, especially for his particular position. In fact, his position as a mediator of conflict, and being so adjacent to the impact of foreign powers working in a major city, made him somewhat understanding of
anti-foreign and anti-imperialist uprisings that took place at times. He further saw the connection between the emperors weakening credibility amongst the people and the influence these foreign powers had in perpetuating that.
(taken from wk3s padlet) Having fought in the Taiping Rebellion himself and been so near conflict for so long Jun is under the belief that "There has already been so much war and destruction we don’t need anymore. We don’t need revolution, but reform. Especially in the military. This will allow more young people to seek civil service jobs like myself when I was young, and protect our shores from foreign forces like Japan, France, and Germany. "
As the Qing attempted to modernize/reform and further industrialize however, Jun and other gentry's became increasingly alienated from the government. Nationalizing many projects prevented many valuable investment opportunities and made them feel overlooked by the Qing. Industrialization did present alternative opportunities though, especially local projects in Hunan that he eagerly took part in, investing capital. Being for reform presented many contradictions and his focus was more so on the immediate, local ways he could invest capital as a means to protecting his family rather than whole heartedly supporting revolutionary or reformist movements.

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In 1875 Jun had his first (and only surviving) son- Zhang. He hoped for his son to follow in his footsteps, taking up a civil service position. "My own son is soon to take the examination for the second time. He is to follow in my footsteps and enter the civil service; hopefully it is somewhere closer to the city which would enable me to retire soon so I can help tend to finances, property, and the rest of the family. The city is where the higher-ranking jobs are. He could do work beyond relaying local peasants' complaints of the Qing to government officials." (taken from padlet post 3) As his resentment towards the Qing and his position grew he increasingly looked at his son to secure the gentry legacy of the family allowing Jun to step back and see to his recent investments, tend to property he owns, and take care of his family. Though he had growing dissatisfaction he saw the rising opportunities for investment and vacancies of power attainable for his son if he were to pass the examination.

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After passing the Civil Service examination (before its being abolished in 1905) Zhang and his new wife moved from Changde to Changsha in order to be closer to his work. He had gotten a higher ranking government position in Changsha overseeing a local assembly. The rest of his family followed not wanting to stay behind, especially as rebellion and revolution still loomed. Jun's investments had given way to a buissness which he thought could further do better closer to trade routes. Conflict between gentry and Qing forces were breaking out in some provinces in the lead up to the 1911 revolution. The Qing had nationalized railways that provincial gentry had built included Zhang's father Jun. This had caused great discontent for Zhang who began to see more reason for revolution and the overthrow of the Qing who had continuously deserted gentry in the last two decades after it was they who invested so heavily in these projects. When revolution began to come underway he secured the families finances not knowing what would be of their status and his job with a transition of power.

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Jun's business has been doing well since World War 1 came to an end in Europe. Since the fall of the Qing he has been investing in and facilitating the sales of agricultural products and the munitions industry. Many foreign powers had been in need of such things during and post the great war. Zhang's job had moved the family directly into Changsha where he thought we would be both safer from the warlords and closer to the ports and hub of businesses. But he was getting nervous  as the Northern region of Hunan had seen scarce rain, and they feared harvest shortages in seasons to come (famine would ultimately endure). This was potentially be bad for business. Loans were  tight with interest rates as much as 8-9 percent a month compounded. Anti-Japanese boycotts had also caused difficulties at times with the business though his earlier investments still brought financial security amongst the family. The city was highly militarized given the political and social climate. Since The May 4th movement tensions have been higher amongst the people and the military. They would try to incite fear amongst people walking by to minimize the threat of revolt and protest that seemingly threatened to appear at any moment- people wanted change. In 1916 Jun had died leaving the families finances in Zhang's hands. In 1900 he had had his first child of his own and in 1904 another. They were becoming of age where they started taking meetings and learning about the family business along with their studies.

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Wanting his sons to pass on the families financial and political power (within their locality) Zhang sent his sons to school abroad in Japan. There they began to learn about revolutionary ideologies and new possibilities for their country.