Members of Zhang Jian Research Center discuss with each other. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Experts, scholars, and representatives from various sectors gathered in Nantong, Jiangsu province, on Jan 9 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Zhang Jian Research Center.

In 1984, the Zhang Jian Research Center was founded in Nantong, serving as the first academic group in the country focusing on the study of Zhang Jian (1853-1926), an entrepreneur, politician, and educator in Nantong.

From its inception, the research center set four precise tasks: collecting, organizing, and publishing archival materials related to Zhang and the enterprises he founded; revising and publishing The History of Dasheng System Enterprises; editing and publishing The Complete Works of Zhang Jian; and organizing the first Zhang Jian International Academic Symposium.

Over the course of the past forty years, the research center has successively published two editions of The Complete Works of Zhang Jian along with more than 40 types of historical documents related to Zhang. These contributions offer a substantial foundation for academic research on Zhang throughout the country.

In terms of academic research activities, the center has led eight international academic symposiums, organized over 30 thematic research activities, and conducted comprehensive discussions on various aspects of Zhang's thoughts and practices, laying a solid foundation for the construction of Zhang Jian's studies.

Looking ahead, Zhang Xiaoping, chairman of the center, believes that establishing Zhang Jian studies as a prominent discipline serving Chinese modernization and developing Nantong into an academic hub for Zhang Jian research will be challenging. Only by maintaining the original intention and academic style of research work and persisting in the mission of building "Zhang Jian studies" can the goal of revitalizing the atmosphere and enhancing the brand of Zhang Jian research be achieved.