A bronze statue of Zhang Jian stands at the entrance of the Tonghai Kenmu Company site. [Photo/WeChat account: ntwgx6]

The Tonghai Kenmu Company site in Qidong is drawing visitors after CCTV broadcast Jianghai Chaosheng, or Zhang Jian — The Legendary Entrepreneur, a 40-episode drama about Zhang Jian (1853-1926).

The site, which opened to the public in 2022 following a restoration launched in 2021 to mark the company's 120th anniversary, was designated a national 4A-level scenic area in late 2023. It covers nearly 60,000 square meters and recreates an architectural complex from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the Republic of China era (1911-49).

The compound is divided into three sections. The first is an administrative zone with offices and conference facilities. The second restores Zhang's office and living quarters. The third is an exhibition hall that uses documents, artifacts and multimedia displays to trace the company's history and Zhang's broader vision for modernization. A 3.6-meter bronze statue of Zhang stands at the entrance.

Zhang founded Tonghai Kenmu in 1901 on tidal flats along the Yellow Sea. Using a Western-style shareholding structure, the company built seawalls, drainage canals, and irrigation networks, reclaiming more than 80,000 mu (5,333.33 hectares) of saline land for cotton cultivation.

Wang Weimin, the drama's director, said the aim was to bring Zhang's story to younger audiences. "Many people are traveling from other places just to see the scenes from the television series," Wang said during a promotional tour in Nantong in August. "It allows more people to know about Zhang Jian and understand his entrepreneurial spirit."

For Qidong, the site reflects Zhang's belief in "industry as father, education as mother". Officials say the drama has helped draw a wider public to that legacy and visits have risen steadily since the drama premiered in July.