Life

Zhang Zhiwan was born into a prestigious local gentry family in Nanpi. His father Zhang Yuce served as a low rank official in Zhili.

Zhang's career as an official started after he passed the imperial examination as one of the three highest rank Jinshi. His first post, in the Hanlin Academy, was the compiler of chronicles. During the Taiping Rebellion, he worked as an advisor for the Qing court. Around the year of 1863, he defeated the peasants of Nian rebellion in Nanyang and Runan, at the time, he was under the military command of Sengge Rinchen. He was then moved to northern Jiangsu and was in charge of the defensives against Nian peasants until the end of the Nian rebellion.

Zhang Zhiwan held the post of viceroy of water transport between 1866 and 1870. In 1871, he served shortly as the viceroy of Minzhe before being promoted to the position of the minister of war.

In 1882, he was conferred the title of Secretary of Grand Secretariat. In 1884, he gained the access to the Grand Council and worked there for ten years. His colleague and superior in the council was Shiduo, Prince Li. Upon the touching off of the First Sino-Japanese War, he retired himself due to his old age. He died in the year of 1897, aged 87. The imperial court bestowed the posthumous name Wenda (文达) on him. The title he held before his death was the grand secretary of the Eastern Library.

Family

Zhiwan had two sons

• Zhang Jiayin (1822–1882)

• Zhang Ruiyin (1867–1922)

and four grandchildren.

• Zhang Chongfu, spouse of Li Fuzeng

• Zhang Yuanji

• Zhang Kuizheng

• Zhang Baohua

Great Grandson

• Zhang Jigao

生平

出身

张之万生于嘉庆十六年（1811年），道光十七年（1837年）丁酉科拔贡，十九年（1839年）以七品京官分刑部学习行走，二十年（1840年）考中庚子科举人，二十七年（1847年）中试丁未科一甲第一名进士（状元），授翰林院修撰。

仕途早期

道光二十九年（1849年），出任湖北乡试副考官。咸丰二年（1852年），出督河南学政。太平军北伐攻克归德，进逼开封，之万上言防剿事宜，多被采纳。不久，之万被召还京师，教授锺郡王读书。由侍读累迁内阁学士。同治元年（1862年），擢升礼部侍郎，兼署工部。

出任封疆

河南州县因「苛派擅杀」而被御史刘毓楠奏劾，朝廷命之万前往考察，证明属实，巡抚郑元善等人被处分，由之万代理巡抚职务。此后尽力镇压捻军。同治四年（1865年），改任河道总督。僧格林沁在曹州战死，之万也被牵连，革职留任。同治五年（1866年），移漕运总督。同治六年（1867年），淮军在扬州捕获捻军首领赖文光，东捻军被剿灭。之万被赐花翎、头品顶戴。同治七年（1868年），围剿西捻军得胜。同治九年（1870年），调任江苏巡抚（期间居于苏州拙政园，并在园中设立「八旗奉直会馆」），次年迁闽浙总督，同年即因母老乞求归养。

张调任江苏巡抚之前，曾跟江宁将军魁玉一起初步调查刺马案，作成结论认为案犯张汶祥是单独作案，没有主谋，且为自己和他人报仇。

起复军机

光绪八年（1882年），张之万被起用为兵部尚书，调刑部。光绪十年（1884年），入军机处，兼署吏部，充任上书房总师傅、协办大学士。光绪十五年（1889年），授体仁阁大学士，转东阁大学士。甲午战争事起，之万罢退。又二年，因病致仕。光绪二十二年（1897年）卒，赠太保，諡文达，入祀贤良祠。

家族

从弟张之洞，晚清洋务名臣。有三子：张嘉荫(字同叔）官大理评事，善书画。其女张崇符适李焜瀛,另一女张氏嫁李国杰; 张瑞荫（字兰浦），官刑部郎中、监察御史;另一子张同荫。 孙张奎正，张元骥 ，张星骥，张公驌等。

作品

著《张文达公遗集》，与许彭寿等编纂《治平宝鉴》。工诗词，善书画，山水画与戴熙齐名，有「南戴北张」之称。居住在拙政园时，画《吴园图十二册》（江苏按察使李鸿裔题诗，载李鸿裔《苏邻遗诗》）。

2012年2月，南皮县政府曾举办《纪念张之万诞辰200周年书画展》