Chapter 64 Send overseas students to learn shipbuilding

Shanghai's Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau and Fuzhou Shipping Bureau were two shipyards in China in the 1870s.Although the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau produced small ships, the main products were guns and ammunition, and ships were just by-products. Fuzhou Shipping Bureau, also known as Fujian Shipping Bureau and Mawei Shipping Bureau (now Fuzhou Mawei Shipyard), was founded in 1866 by Zuo Zongtang, governor of Fujian and Zhejiang in the late Qing Dynasty. It is the most important warship production base in modern China. Li Hongzhang praised it It is the ancestor of the mountain.Later, under the painstaking management of the successor Minister of Shipping, Shen Baozhen, the Shipping Administration became the largest shipyard in the Far East at that time.Known as the cradle of the navy, Fuzhou Shipbuilding Bureau not only manufactures various ships, but also has a shipbuilding school attached to it, which specializes in cultivating talents for manufacturing and driving ships.The Fuzhou Shipbuilding Bureau was originally founded by Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, but he was soon transferred to the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. Its initial development was mainly completed by his successor Shen Baozhen.

Shen Baozhen (1820︱1879), styled Youdan, also styled Hanyu, was born in Houguan, Fujian (now Fuzhou).The son-in-law of Lin Zexu, a famous feudal official who resisted aggression in the Qing Dynasty.In 1861, Zeng Guofan invited him to the Anqing Daying Camp and entrusted him with important use.Soon, he was recommended to be the governor of Jiangxi. He relied on the generals of the Hunan Army Wang Debiao and Xi Baotian to suppress the Taiping Army.In 1867, he succeeded Zuo Zongtang as the Minister of Shipping of Fujian Province and presided over the Fuzhou Shipping Bureau.At that time, during the Westernization Period, Zuo Zongtang founded a shipyard in Mawei, Fuzhou, Fujian, and was transferred to Shaanxi and Gansu to serve as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu before it could start construction.Before leaving, Zuo Zongtang went to the Shu and said: Shen Baozhen could not take up his post.Therefore, as soon as Shen Baozhen took office, he built a dock and a machine factory, and set up an art children's school.Twenty ships were formed, distributed in various seaports.

Shen Baozhen knows that to strengthen the army with science and technology, it is necessary to cultivate talents.He pointed out that the root of the shipyard lies in the school.To this end, he first established a shipping school in Fujian, the Qiushi Tangyi Bureau, to train his own naval officers and learn modern Western shipbuilding technology.It first opened the French school (former school), offering courses in French, basic mathematics, analytic geometry, calculus, physics, mechanics, ship hull manufacturing, and steam engine manufacturing.The top students were sent to France for further study.The back school is the driving school, also known as the English school, which aims to train pilots and naval captains at sea; the main specialty is driving, and later added the specialty of marine engineering.There are courses in English, geography, nautical astronomy, and nautical theory, and those who are excellent in their studies are sent to study in the UK.The above schools have successively hired more than 20 foreign teachers with high salaries to teach full-time or part-time at the Shipbuilding School, and about 40 foreign technicians and craftsmen.The quantity and quality are the highest in the Westernization Movement.However, according to Shen Baozhen's strategy, these foreigners must be paid high salaries.For example, the monthly salary of the ship administrator, Ri Yige, and the deputy supervisor, De Kebei, is 1,000 taels of silver, while Shen Baozhen himself is paid 600 taels of silver.So, the price is still quite high.

Secondly, they know that cultivating light in China is tantamount to building a car behind closed doors.As a result, Shen Baozhen promoted China's first wave of studying abroad (Navy). Before and after the completion of the first five-year plan, the ruling and opposition parties called for a halt.In January 1872, the diehard faction represented by Song Jin, a cabinet bachelor, launched an attack, and Shangshu demanded that the Fujian Shipping Bureau and the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau be suspended.Shen Baozhen fought back together with Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang.Zuo Zongtang Shangshuli Chen must continue to build ships.He believes that this move is an unacceptable move for the coastal region. This fact is an indispensable thing for the country, and it must not be done by failure.Shen Baozhen defended the shipping administration that he had lived and died for, and despite Ding You's mourning, he followed Zuo Zongtang and went to Shushu to defend on May 7, 1872.Prince Gong Yixin expressed his support, and on August 2, he submitted the "Maritime Affairs Matters Cannot Be Stopped", which was decreed and discussed on the same day, hereby!Public opinion against the cessation of shipbuilding succeeded.

Shen Baozhen continued his unfinished business and actively promoted studying abroad.Later, due to the Japanese invasion of Taiwan, the plan was shelved for a period of time.It was not until the beginning of 1877 that Shen Baozhen formally proposed the regulations for sending bright students to study abroad.On March 31 of that year, the plan was formally implemented. The first group of overseas students, led by Li Fengbao, the Chinese supervisor, and Ri Yige, the foreign supervisor, went to the West from Hong Kong to study in the French cruise ship. This group of international students is mainly the first batch of graduates of the Shipbuilding Academy, with a small number of second batch of graduates. A total of 38 students went to Britain, France, the United States, Spain and other countries to study.

Naval students are destined to experience ups and downs, and things are still not going well after they arrive in the UK.According to the regulations of the British Royal Naval Academy, the proportion of foreign students should not exceed 20%, so twelve Chinese students cannot all enter the school at one time.After repeated negotiations by Guo Songtao, the minister in the UK, the British Admiralty reluctantly agreed to relax the standards.However, the British Royal Naval Academy also stipulates that the school courses are divided into six months and nine months. No matter which one, the application must be submitted before September 1. Only after passing the English test can they enter the school on October 1.The time to arrive in the UK is in May, and there is still time before the exam date stipulated by the British government.At that time, the English proficiency of these international students was very poor. In order to pass the exam, they first chose to study language.Naval students quickly put themselves into learning voraciously.They visited British shipbuilding factories and naval schools, and personally boarded ships to practice skills such as fortification, war preparation, laying mines, and firing guns.Diligence soon paid off, and the international students were integrated into the life and study of the British Navy. Except for a braid under the navy cap behind their heads, there was almost no difference between them and the British Navy students.

It is the greatest dream of these naval students to enter the world-renowned Royal Naval Academy Greenwich in the UK to continue their studies.However, due to restrictions on the number of places and English proficiency, only half of the first batch of 12 students passed the entrance examination, entered the school on October 1 of that year, and graduated with honors in June of the following year.Among the six, Yan Fu was the best at learning English. Li Fengbao asked Britain to allow Yan Fu to stay in school for further studies so that he could return to China as a teacher in the future.The remaining five were sent to the British fleet for internship and returned to China after the internship period expired.Among the reports of Chinese supervisor Li Fengbao, Liu Buchan, Lin Taizeng, Jiang Chaoying and Yan Fu were the most outstanding.

Except for the death of Liang Bingnian, Wei Han, He Xinchuan and others returned to foreign countries in advance due to domestic needs and illnesses, the rest of the first batch of international students returned to China after finishing their studies in 1880.Among the overseas students, there were Liu Buchan, Lin Taizeng, Ye Zugui, Sa Zhenbing and others who later became admirals of the navy.Fourteen years later, they took part in the Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War. Among the ten ships participating in the war, nine from the school served as supervisors, and five of them were the first batch of overseas students (Liu Buchan, Lin Taizeng, Lin Yongsheng, etc.) , Huang Jianxun, Fang Boqian).Among them, Fang Boqian, the leader of Jiyuan, was executed by the Qing court at the mouth of Lushun on September 24, 1894 for the three major crimes of retreating first, disrupting the team, and rushing in the middle.The other four died in the Sino-Japanese War.The case is contested.It is worth mentioning that Lin Taizeng, the captain of Zhenyuan, who later died for the country, and his grandfather Lin Peilin was Lin Zexu's younger brother, so Lin Taizeng called Shen Baozhen his uncle.He went to Europe with Xie Riyige, the chief teacher of Fujian Shipbuilding Academy, and joined the British Navy as an intern. He worked on different types of warships.

In 1894, Lin Tai once commanded the Zhenyuan, the main force of the Beiyang Fleet, to fight with the Japanese Combined Fleet and was besieged by the Japanese army.Although Zhenyuan was hit by a lot of bullets and caught fire for a while, he still calmly fought and did not retreat.After the Battle of the Yellow Sea, the Beiyang Fleet no longer went out lightly.The Zhenyuan ship ran aground on December 17th while retreating from Lushun to Weihai. Lin Taizeng thought he was negligent in his duties, and in anger and anxiety committed suicide by taking poison in the early morning of the 19th.He inherited Lin Zexu's ambition to serve the country.

By 1897, the Shipping Academy had sent four batches of international students.Another famous figure in the Naval Academy was Yan Fu who was admitted to the Naval Academy at the age of 14 and was among the first to be sent to study in England in 1877.Many people today compare him with Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi who studied in the UK at about the same time, and think that Yan Fu did not engage in military affairs, especially the navy, after returning to China, which is a loss to China and a failure of the Chinese system. After returning to China, Yan Fu took over the post of chief instructor of Fuzhou Shipbuilding Academy, and later became the first generation of translators in China.Yan Fu's achievements in translation are also related to Li Hongzhang.Among the first batch of naval students studying in the UK, Yan Fu has always been recognized as the best student.After the other students' studies expired, Li Fengbao deliberately kept Yan Fu at the Royal Naval Academy to continue his studies.As expected, Yan Fu lived up to his expectations and achieved excellent grades, especially showing his talent in foreign languages.After Li Fengbao returned to China, he specially recommended Yan Fu to Li Hongzhang, thinking that he could take on great responsibilities.Li Hongzhang was very interested in this young man who had returned from studying abroad and decided to summon him in person.One afternoon, after finishing his business, Li Hongzhang reclined on the couch, smoking a hookah.After Yan Fu came in to greet Li Hongzhang, he stood aside very restrainedly.Li Hongzhang puffed on his cigarette, opened his eyes after a while and asked: What skills have you learned from England?Without waiting for Yan Fu to answer, he asked again: Which one is the most proficient?Yan Fu hurriedly answered: He is most proficient in English.Li Hongzhang asked: Can any word be translated?Yan Fu said modestly: general vocabulary can be translated.Li Hongzhang stretched out his hand, held up the hookah in his hand and asked: Please translate this for me.Yan Fu studied various translation skills in England and mastered a lot of vocabulary, but he had never seen the word hookah, so he was at a loss for words.Li Hongzhang sat upright and said, "You can't even translate a hookah, you have to study hard."Yan Fu's face turned red and then turned white, and the arrogance in his chest was swept away, he secretly took a breath, and decided to learn translation well.

Li Hongzhang was determined to continue sending naval students.In terms of funds, the Fuzhou Shipping Bureau is no longer the only one, and the Beiyang Navy voluntarily bears part of it.The second and third batches of international students went to the UK successively, totaling more than 30 students.When the fourth batch of international students was preparing to study in the UK, there was a storm of resignation between China and the UK, which directly affected the issue of international students studying in the UK.The British government vented its grievances on the overseas students and refused to accept the Chinese naval students.Therefore, China's sending of naval students to the UK has since been discontinued.