张謇是清末民初江苏最具影响力的绅士,与清末两次“江北分省”事件关系十分密切,但前后立场却从首倡转成强烈反对。出现如此反差的原因就在于张謇已由通海地方的士绅领袖发展成为具有全国性影响的政治家,从整个中国的角度去看江苏地方问题。同时,张謇立场的转换也是近代以来绅权在国家政治生活中地位迅速抬升的缩影。 Zhang Jian was the most influential gentleman in Jiangsu during the late Qing dynasty and the early Republic of China. He was closely related to the two incidents of “Jiangbei sub-province” in the late Qing Dynasty, but his position shifted from advocacy to strong opposition. The reason for such a contrast is that Zhang Kui has evolved from a gentry leader in the Tonghai area into a politically influential countryman who looks at the issue of Jiangsu from the perspective of China as a whole. At the same time, the transformation of Zhang’s position is also the epitome of the rapid rise of gentry power in the political life of the country in modern times.