Chen Yue, an expert in shipping administration, "restored" hundreds of modern ships

Source: Taiwan Straits Network

Chen Yue was flipping through books related to ship administration and culture.

Recently, an "old friends meeting" was held at the former site of the Mawei Shipyard, and the old shipwrights gathered together to recall the events of the Mawei Shipyard. The convener of this "Old Friends Association" is Chen Yue, president of the Mawei Ship Politics and Culture Research Association. From an amateur to a shipping expert, 42-year-old Chen Yue and shipping administration have been friends for more than 20 years.

From webmaster to shipping expert

Chen Yue and The Ship Administration got together by accident. In the late 1990s, Chen Yue studied law at university. Once, he searched the Internet for information on the Beiyang Marine Division, and the results surprised him. At that time, online information was limited, and in some forums, there were netizens who smeared the Beiyang Marine Division. So he came up with the idea of creating a website called "Beiyang Marine Division" to clarify false statements.

"At that time, there was no research, just looking around for information and typing on the Internet." Chen Yue said that to his surprise, the website has attracted thousands of Chinese and foreign history enthusiasts, and there are constantly fan messages urging Chen Yue to update articles.

Shortly after the website was created, Chen Yue obtained a copy of "The Chinese Navy in the Age of Steam" through a friend who studied in the United Kingdom, written by a British dentist. Much of the information in the book and photographs of modern Chinese ships did not appear in domestic publications at the time.

"Foreigners can study so thoroughly, and we can't be left behind!" Chen Yue said. Since then, he has embarked on a path of studying China's modern naval history and ship administration history, and for more than 10 years, he has completed more than 20 monographs such as "Ship Administration History" and "Sino-Japanese Naval Battle".

"Restore" hundreds of modern ships

For the study of China's modern naval history and ship administration history, Chen Yue began with modern ship equipment.

"A thorough study of ships can better interpret historical events." For example, from the technical level to analyze the reasons for the success or failure of naval battles, and then to the study of tactics, military systems, characters and so on. He said.

To study ships thoroughly, we must not only stay on the surface of the long and wide scale, but also understand its internal structure, weapons and equipment and its role in detail. Chen Yue pieced together the relevant records scattered in many literature and works, and then examined them. At present, he has "restored" hundreds of modern Chinese ships.

In 2003, Chen Yue was invited to Weihai, Shandong Province, to participate in the reproduction of the main ship of the Beiyang Marine Division, the "Dingyuan" ship, and met a Polish high school teacher through the website, who provided the design drawings of the prototype of the "Dingyuan" ship - the German "Saxony" class ironclad ship, providing a reliable reference for the reproduction work. Later, under the recommendation of the other party, Chen Yue became acquainted with an American naval historian. Referring to the research results of this American scholar, Chen Yue continued to make corrections, so that the ships built by the shipping administration more than 100 years ago gradually became clear.

Last year, he edited the "Ship Administration Ship Atlas" in Mawei, which includes 48 ships built by the shipping administration from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China and 13 ships owned by the shipping administration.

Let the culture of shipping administration "come alive"

At the end of last year, the Mawei Shipyard Area Protection Construction Project (Phase I) was launched, and Chen Yue participated in the whole project.

Making the culture of shipping administration "alive" is the concept that Chen Yue has always adhered to. According to his suggestion, many scene-based exhibition forms were added to buildings such as the Iron Wall Factory and the Paint Office.

At present, Chen Yue is busy visiting the old shipwrights of Mawei Shipyard, sorting out the stories behind each shipbuilding building and giving them new vitality.

(Fuzhou Evening News reporter Ma Liqing correspondent Wang Xiaoxia Wu Danhong/Wen Reporter Lin Shuangwei/photo)