Chapter 5 The first section of the ship is strong and the cannon promotes the European travel

The "strong boats and guns" of the Western powers are always threatening the Manchu Qing Empire. In May 1874, Japan, which had just embarked on the capitalist road, brazenly sent two ironclad ships and 3,000 officers and soldiers to invade Taiwan with the support of the United States.Officials of the Qing government who had always looked down upon this small country to the east were all shocked.They believed that Japan dared to be so rampant, "relying on iron-clad ships as tools for its own strength", while China "has not concentrated its defense, and it is difficult to use troops suddenly. They all think that they have such ships, and China does not have such ships." The government is eager to create a modern navy.In order to solve the problem of talents and technology, the Qing government adopted the method of hiring foreigners as technical consultants and opening some new naval schools.However, because foreigners look down on China and do not sincerely teach technology, and the quality of the naval academies they run is not high, the talents they cultivate are still not enough, and new ways to cultivate talents are urgently needed.Therefore, some officials called for sending overseas students to solve the problem.Li Hongzhang also said that the navy "is a special study of the Western countries, and those who do not do it themselves cannot learn it all."Sending students to study abroad, "Although not everyone can succeed, you can get five out of ten, which is really beneficial to the foundation of coastal defense self-improvement."Therefore, studying in Europe is closely related to the founding of the modern navy.

In the first year of Guangxu (AD 1875), Shen Baozhen sent five students from Fujian Shipyard, including Wei Han, Chen Zhaoao, Chen Jitong, Liu Buchan, and Lin Taizeng, to visit and study in France with the technical supervisor of Fuzhou Shipping Bureau and the Frenchman Riyige.In the second year, Li Hongzhang sent seven people, including Tianjin Wubian Bian Changsheng, to study military technology in Germany along with the German Li Mai [mai sell].This is the beginning of Chinese students studying in France and Germany.Since these personnel who went to Europe were dispatched by officials of the Qing Dynasty and not officially dispatched by the Qing government, there were no definite regulations on the supervision of overseas students and their study subjects.In December of the second year of Guangxu (AD 1876), Li Hongzhang and others agreed to send 14 students, 4 apprentices, and 12 students to learn to drive in Fujian Shipyard, led by Li Fengbao, the supervisor, and Riyig, a Frenchman. , together with the attache Ma Jianzhong and copywriter Chen Jitong, went to study in Britain and France, and began to officially send students to Europe. In November 1881, Li Hongzhang sent 10 students including Huang Ting and Li Fangrong from the Beiyang Naval Academy and Fuzhou Naval Academy to study in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to study construction, guns, nitrate, manufacturing, torpedoes, and driving. These students have studied in Europe for three years and have achieved excellent results. In March 1886, Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guoquan agreed to select 34 outstanding students, including Liu Guanxiong, from the Beiyang Naval Academy and Fuzhou Shipbuilding Academy to study in England and France under the leadership of supervisor Zhou Maoqi, learning surveying and mapping, driving, warships, manufacturing, etc.Generally speaking, the groups of students sent by the Qing government to Europe were mainly to learn naval expertise. After returning to China, most of them became the backbone of the Chinese navy, shipbuilding, navigation or other scientific fields.However, due to the corruption of the Qing government and the sabotage and obstruction of the stubborn feudal conservative forces, the work of sending foreign students to the Westernization Movement did not continue. Since 1886, it was interrupted for 10 years without renewal, and it was not until 1896 that the work of sending foreign students was resumed.In September of this year, the Minister of Shipping, Yu Luzuo, invited the re-selected students to study abroad.In the 23rd year of Guangxu (AD 1897), the Qing government selected Shi Enfu and other six people from Fuzhou Shipbuilding School to send to France to study and manufacture new laws, and appointed Wu Dezhang, an alternate prefect of Jiangsu, as the supervisor.These students studied in France for three years, but they withdrew due to financial difficulties.After that, around 1904, the Beiyang Navy sent about 40 young people to the British Naval Academy, Nautical Fleet, and military factories to learn driving, commanding, and manufacturing.In addition to the navy, the Qing government and various provinces also successively sent overseas students to study in Europe. In 1903, Zhang Zhidong, governor of Liangjiang, selected eight graduates from the Jiangnan Naval Academy to study steering and driving in England, and another eight students from the Lushi Academy to study walking, riding, artillery, and engineering in Germany.In the same year, Hubei selected 24 young people to go to Belgium to study industry. In 1904, Shanxi sent more than 20 people to Britain to study law, machinery, metallurgy, and geology.According to statistics in 1910, there were nearly 150 people studying in Britain at that time.During this period, the Translation Institute of Jingshi University, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places also sent people to study in France.In addition, there are also a certain number of students studying in Germany and Russia, and the subjects they study are mainly science, engineering and military.

In order to strengthen the management of students studying in Europe, in the 33rd year of Guangxu (1907 A.D.), the Qing government sent Kuai Guangdian to supervise the students studying in Europe, and then Diao Chengzhang represented them. In 1909, the Qing court abolished the supervision of European students studying abroad, and instead set up separate supervision in various countries, which were under the jurisdiction of the Chinese ministers' offices in various countries.These supervisors are: Wang Jizeng for France, Jiang Guozhen for Germany, Zhang Zushen for Russia, Gao Yi for Belgium, and Qian Wenyuan for Britain.Later, on March 15th, the second year of Xuantong (AD 1910), the Qing government issued 31 Articles of Regulations for the Supervision Office of European Overseas Students, including five items: general outline, authority, responsibility, management regulations, and funds. 1. The management of self-financed students has rules to follow.