A section of a seawall built about a century ago under the direction of Zhang Jian (1853-1926), a modern Chinese entrepreneur, politician and educator, still stands along the coast east of Lyusi Port in Qidong, Nantong.

A view of the seawall in Qidong. [Photo/WeChat account: qidongfabu]

The seawall dates back to 1901, when Zhang established the Tonghai Land Reclamation Company in Haifu town to reclaim tidal flats, develop farmland and grow cotton.

Building embankments was a key step in protecting the reclaimed land from tidal surges. In the early stages, the company mobilized workers to build earthen embankments across the tidal flats. Yet in 1905, a major tide swept through and destroyed much of what had been built.

Zhang then turned to concrete technology, which was advanced at the time. Reinforced concrete structures were installed along key sections of the seawall to reduce the force of incoming waves. The project strengthened the embankment's resistance against tidal forces and helped ensure the success of the land reclamation effort. Today, this enduring structure is now known as the Zhang Gong Seawall.

The seawall was designated a Nantong municipal cultural relic protection site in 2004. In 2016, the Lyusi Port Economic Development Zone built a cultural park at the site, complete with a statue of Zhang, a cultural corridor and a waterside walkway. The site received further recognition in November 2021, when it was included in Jiangsu's first provincial list of water