Search

In the 1920s, Zhang Xiaoruo, the son of influential industrialist Zhang Jian, was appointed by the Republican government to visit and investigate the major industrial companies and sites in the United States, Europe, and Japan. A tour of this nature and scope was unprecedented in Chinese history. This article evaluates various sources to verify the following historical facts: Zhang's age at the time of this appointment, the number of assistants accompanying him on this tour, the number of countries he officially visited, the duration of the tour, and the time of his public lecture on his findings after he returned from the tour.

The article presents a comparative study of the automobile industries in Spain and Japan during the early 20th century. In particular, it studies the role of the state in these industries, comparing the underdevelopment of the Spanish industry with Japan's relative success. The article explains that the Spanish automobile industry did not achieve mass production before the Spanish Civil war, which began in 1936. It notes that factors contributing to underdevelopment in Spain included the small size of the domestic market for cars, relatively primitive technology, a lack of prime materials and intermediary products, and inadequate government support.