中国最早的地学研究团体

光绪三十一年(1905),奉袁世凯之命，建立了北洋高等女学堂，校址在河北西窑洼(今河北区西箭道小学旧址)。光绪三十三年(1907)秋，张相文应直隶提学使兼学堂监督傅增湘之聘，来天津北洋高等女学堂任教务长(旋任堂长) ,兼授地理课程。同年，又被北京大学聘为地理讲师。
张相文(1866～1933),字蔚西，号沌谷。江苏泗阳人。自幼聪颖好学，人称“神童” ,弱冠之年试补博士弟子员，名列第二。后殚心新学，尤喜中外舆地科学。光绪二十五年(1899),入上海南洋公学师范专攻史地，同时，兼任留学院的国文、地理课教员。曾经编著初等、中等地理教科书。此后又到淮安、广州等地教书。
光绪三十四年(1908),也就是他来天津北洋女子高等学堂的第二年，编撰完成了中国第一部普通自然地理著作——《地文学》。其内容分为： 星界、陆界、水界、气界、生物界5篇。有的学者认为： 《地文学》 “把无机自然和有机自然联系起来，这在世界地学史上显然是一个重要的创举” 。
清宣统元年(1909)八月十五日，张相文还在北洋官立第一蒙养院(旧址在新开河畔),创立了中国最早的地理学术团体——中国地学会。到会会员50余人。直隶提学使傅增湘出席成立大会，并被推任总理。张相文被选为会长，白毓昆任编辑部部长。宣统二年(1910)一月，张相文主持中国地学会还创办了中国最早的地理专业学术期刊《地学杂志》。《地文学》、中国地学会、《地学杂志》,是中国近代地理萌芽时期极为重要的标志性成果，使中国地理学从传统的纯经验的描述，开始走向以探讨地理事物和现象的因果关系及发展规律为主的近代地理学，并为这个转变奠定了基础。民国初年，中国地学会迁至北京。
宣统三年(1911),张相文参加了白毓昆等领导的滦州起义的准备工作。为了举行京津起义，动摇清室的根本之地，以便支持南方革命的目标，张相文亲自拟定了一个 “北方革命计划” 。按此计划，白毓昆亲去滦州，发动清廷新军第二十镇起义； 而张相文急速南下，到达上海，要求同盟会领袖黄兴派兵北伐。后因滦州起义失败，白毓昆壮烈牺牲，张相文远避上海，专事研究学问。

·张相文

In 1905 (the 31th year of Emperor Guangxu),TianjinBeiyang Women Advanced School was set up. In autumnof 1907 (the 33rd year of Emperor Guangxu),invited byFu Zenghui,Zhili Education Governor,Zhang Xiangwencame to Tianjin and was employed as the dean inTianjin Beiyang Women Advanced School (now in theoriginal address of Xijiandao Primary School in HebeiDistrict). He also taught geography. In the same year,hewas employed also as the geography teacher of BeijingUniversity.
Zhang Xiangwen (1866-1933),styled Weixi andalso known by his literary name Dungu,had beenbright since his childhood and had been known for his "prodigy". He got No. 2 in the examination of doctoratewhen he was twenty. Later he was dedicated to westernlearning,especially geographical science. In 1899 (the25th year of Emperor Guangxu),he was admitted toShanghai Nanyang Public Normal School,specializingin history and geography. He was also the teacher ofChinese and geography in Foreign Study Academy. Hecompiled primary and middle level geography textbooks.He had also been teaching in Huai`an and Guangzhou.
In 1908 (the 34th year of Emperor Guangxu),thesecond year when he came to Tianjin Beiyang WomenAdvance School,he compiled the first general geographyworks in China,Physiography. The book includes fiveparts respectively about star,land,water,atmosphereand biology. Some scholars praised that Physiographycombined inorganic nature with organic nature andit was an important pioneering work in the history ofphysiography in the world.
In August 15,1909 (the first year of EmperorXuantong),Zhang Xiangwen founded the earliestgeography academic body-China Geography Academy,the founding ceremony of which was held in BeiyangPublic Kindergarten I (now located near the banks ofXinkai River). More than 50 members of it attended theceremony,including chief education governor of ZhiliProvince,Fu Zengxiang who was elected the nominalpresident; Zhang Xiangwen was elected as chairman andBai Minkun as editing manager.
In January 1910 (the second year of EmperorXuantong),Zhang Xiangwen,with his ChinaGeography Academy,founded the earliest geographyjournal in China,Geography Journal. The compilingof Physiography,the founding of China GeographyAcademy and Geography Journal symbolized greatachievements in geography in the beginning of modernChina. They also symbolized that geography studyin China transformed from traditional experimentaldescription to modern geography study that mainlyexplored the causal relationship between geographicsubstance and their outward phenomena as well as theirrules of development. In a word,all of these eventspaved the way for this transformation. In the first year ofthe Republic of People,China Geography Union movedto Beijing.
In 1911 (the 3rd year of Emperor Xuantong),Zhang Xiangwen participated in the preparations ofLuanzhou Rising led by Bai Minkun. He drew upthe Revolution Plan of North China to support therevolution in South China and to initiate Beijing andTianjin Revolt. Conforming to this plan,Bai Minkunwent to Luanzhou to encourage the New Army stationedat No.20 Town to initiate uprising,and Zhang Xiangwenimmediately went to Shanghai to ask the leader ofChina Federal Association,Huangxing,for northernexpedition. However,Luanzhou Rising failed and BaiMinkun died gloriously. Zhang Xiangwen had to retreatto Shanghai to do his research.

·中国地学会地学杂志