If we want to say that the first coal mine in China's history can be counted as the Kaiping Coal Mine opened by Li Hongzhang. Kaiping Mining Bureau is a modern enterprise founded by Li Hongzhang and specifically operated by Tang Tingshu with very good efficiency. At that time, the output of Kaiping Coal Mine was known as the first in Asia, which could supply the country's coal needs, and it was also one of Li Hongzhang's two major money bags - Kaiping Coal Mine and Steamship Merchants Bureau. But why was such a huge company bought for fifty thousand pounds?
After Tang Tingshu's death in 1892, Zhang Yi, who did not understand the operation of enterprises at all, succeeded him as the superintendent of the Kaiping Mining Bureau through the relationship of Prince Alcohol. During the Boxer Rebellion, Zhang Yi's 'good friend', the German de Cuilin, who was then the Tianjin Taxation Department, came out and "protected" Zhang Yi, tricked Zhang Yi into entrusting him to act as the general office of the Kaiping Mining Bureau, and signed the procedures for mine preservation, after obtaining the general agent of the Kaiping Mining Bureau, on July 30, 1900, on behalf of the Kaiping Mining Bureau as a seller, the American engineer Hu Hua of the Kaiping Mining Bureau signed a contract in Tianjin on behalf of the Kaiping Mining Bureau as a buyer.
In this way, De Cuilin transferred all the shares in the Kaiping Coal Mine to the British. In February of the following year, the British-controlled Kaiping Mining Co., Ltd. appointed Hu Huawei as the superintendent and induced Zhang Yi to sign a handover contract. Zhang Yi originally intended to borrow outsiders to protect the mining rights, but only then did he realize the seriousness of the problem and refused to sign the contract. Hu Hua and others threatened zhang yi with inducements, but Zhang Yi failed to resist the temptation. On 19 February 1892, Zhang Yi signed the transfer treaty and the vice-contract, and from then on the Kaiping Mining Bureau was owned by britain. The Kaiping Mining Bureau, owned by the British, was a completely international fraud, and they took advantage of Zhang Yi's faintness and ignorance to easily plunder my Kaiping Mining Bureau in the form of a contract. In the process, the faint and greedy Zhang Yi received two benefits, one was the false title of the company's supervisor in China, and the other was the 50,000 pounds of shares given by the British company, which satisfied his own selfish desires and betrayed the interests of the country and the nation.
After Zhang Yi betrayed the Kaiping Mining Bureau, he used to add foreign shares and changed it to a Sino-foreign joint venture to deceive the qing court and the employees of the Mining Bureau. British businessmen began to fly the British flag in the Kaiping Coal Mine with a contract in hand, and did not allow employees to hang the Chinese flag, and even protested to the Chinese Foreign Ministry through the Chinese envoy in China. The truth about the British deceiving Zhang Yi into usurping the Kaiping Mining Bureau is known. Zhang Zhidong was very shocked to hear this news at that time, although the Kaiping Coal Mine was founded by Li Hongzhang, but as a national enterprise, he was well aware of the importance of the Kaiping Coal Mine to China, and he had a very great affection for the industry, "Immediately vomited blood several liters", Zhang Zhidong immediately said that he must retake the coal mine.
At that time, Yuan Shikai was serving as the governor directly under the governor and minister of Beiyang, and as soon as he heard about this, he immediately reacted and sent a letter to the British minister in China and the acting consul general in Tianjin, asking why they were not allowed to fly the Chinese flag. Summoning Zhang Yi to ask the reason for the incident. When the British came up with the text of the agreement on the transfer of the Mining Bureau, the truth of the Kaiping Mining Bureau was revealed to the world. Yuan Shikai was enraged by Zhang Yi's stupid and stupid traitorous behavior, and immediately played Zhang Yi under the strict responsibility of the Qing court and under the supervision of Yuan Shikai, Zhang Yi had to negotiate with the British company. The final result was a compromise between the two, and in 1912 China and Britain jointly formed the Kailuan Mining Bureau. Although it could not be completely recovered, it was a good thing to recover the loss, but unfortunately Zhang Zhidong could not see this day until his death.