Today's Gangnam Shipyard. Photo by the correspondent
On September 20, 1865, the Jiangnan General Bureau of Machine Manufacturing was established. Profile picture
Jiangnan Manufacturing General Bureau established a gun factory in 1869. Profile picture
The "List of Officials" in the "Records of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau". Profile picture
In view of the bitter lessons of the defeat in the Opium War, during the reign of the Qing Dynasty, the major members of the foreign affairs faction, represented by Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, knew very well that in order to strengthen the country and insult the imperial court, it was necessary to "control the yi of the division" and learn from the experience of foreigners in strengthening ships and cannons. The creation of the Shanghai Jiangnan General Manufacturing Bureau (the predecessor of the current Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard) was a decision made after Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan asked Prime Minister Yamen. Ding Richang, then a political activist, reformer, and doer of the Western-style faction who was su songtai bingbeidao, played an important key role in high-level decision-making and the creation of the general manufacturing bureau.
Proposed to Li Hongzhang the establishment of a splint steamship
In the second year of Tongzhi (1863), Ding Richang was transferred to Shanghai for Li Hongzhang, assisting Li Shi in handling arms manufacturing, procurement, and contacting and negotiating with foreigners, and was appreciated by Li Hongzhang for "foreign affairs officials, exquisite ability and rare horsepower" and "profound knowledge, paying attention to the secrets of Westerners". It was precisely because of Li's strong recommendation that between October and May of the third year of Tongzhi (1863), the Ding clan was promoted from Tongzhi Jiangxi Alternate Zhi County to Jiangxi Alternate Zhizhou and rewarded with Flowers Ling, and then promoted to Alternate Prefect until he was first acting, and then was officially appointed as Su Songtai BingbeiDao and concurrently in charge of customs and handling diplomatic matters. After Ding Shi went to Shanghai, there were "three bomb bureaus", one of which was presided over by the British Magri, and the other two bureaus were presided over by Ding Richang and the staff general Han Dianjia. The former (a bureau presided over by the British) can make more than 4,000 shells per month, while the latter can make 6,000 or 7,000 shells and 67 short-blown cannons. The establishment of the three bureaus accumulated experience and laid the foundation for the establishment of the Jiangnan Manufacturing General Bureau later. However, Li Hongzhang's goal was also to build long explosive guns and ships, and planned to expand and develop. Among the heads of the three bureaus, Ding's experience, knowledge, ambition and perseverance are second to none, and the heavy responsibility of expanding and developing naturally falls on his shoulders.
In August of the third year of Tongzhi (1864), Ding Richang gave a secret message to Li Hongzhang, believing that "since ancient times, China has been able to strengthen itself, and it is more or less able to control people than to be controlled by others." Nowadays, outsiders are taking advantage of the fact that china is in trouble and holding people hostage in many ways, so why not think of strategies for self-improvement? The ship is strong and the cannon is sharp, the outsiders have long skills here, and China is also controlled here. At present, there is a foreign arms bureau, which is very effective, and only the steamship capacity has not yet been reached. Why not take advantage of the fact that the Taiping Army was in the early stage of peace and that there was still no discord among outsiders in the market, raise funds for the establishment of a splint steamship, and use it as a way to learn lessons. Li Hongzhang strongly agreed with his view, that is, he proposed it to Prime Minister Yamen and attached Ding's secret gift to him.
For the establishment of the Jiangnan Manufacturing General Bureau, painstaking efforts
After reading it, Premier Yamen immediately replied: "Sending Ding to observe a secret document, knowing that it is far away, and not seeing it is comparable at present, it is enough to see the crux of the insight, and it can really publicize the unannounced secrets of the Yamen", instructing Li Hongzhang to "check all the places of its charter and how to plan funds" and "comprehensively check and record the notice." Li Hongzhang then entrusted this task to Ding Richang. Ding Richang lived up to expectations and did several great things: First, he actively suggested and recommended zeng guofan and sent Rong Hong to the United States to buy "machines for making machines". Second, after several months of hard work in Shanghai, he purchased the American Merchant Flag Iron Factory, which can manufacture large and small ships, flowering cannons and foreign guns, which is located in Hongkou. During the period, due to the shortage of funds for the purchase of factories, Ding Richang actively raised funds. At that time, Tang Guohua, the general officer of the New Customs of Shanghai Jiang customs, was dismissed from his post and detained for investigation and investigation because he used his power to extort Chinese businessmen, and together with his co-defendants Zhang Can and Qin Ji. Tang Guohua had traveled to foreign countries for many years, was familiar with foreign craftsmen, and was "familiar with each other" with the American businessmen of the Qiji Iron Factory; after being imprisoned, he continued to be anxious for his crimes, and was willing to join hands with Zhang Can, Qin Ji, and others to raise a total of 40,000 taels of silver to purchase the Qiji Iron Factory and compensate for it with merit. Ding Richang held that "when the circular is equivalent to rectifying customs affairs, he dares to follow the bad rules, although it is a crime that cannot be tolerated, but when he takes advantage of this many troubles, he can actually repay useful things and offset them with merit, as if he feels forgivable.", and he has promised that he will not dare to commit it again in the future, otherwise he is "willing to do it again." After much consideration, Ding felt that this matter was feasible, that is, he secretly asked Li Hongzhang for approval, so he was able to raise 40,000 taels of silver, and the insufficient part was supplemented by the customs, and the iron purchase factory was successful. Third, to win the support of Li Hongzhang, Li Shi joined hands with Zeng Guofan to write a letter to Prime Minister Yamen on the first day of August in the fourth year of Tongzhi (1865), reporting on the relevant situation and obtaining approval, merging the Qiji Iron Works with the two bomb and artillery bureaus presided over by Ding And Han Dianjia (the machines purchased by Later Rong Hong from the United States were also incorporated) into one, named "Jiangnan Manufacturing General Bureau". Fourth, under the authorization of Li Hongzhang, who was also the superintendent of the Jiangnan General Bureau of Manufacturing, Ding Shi concurrently served as the first general office of the General Bureau of Manufacturing in that year (after Ding was transferred to the two Huai Salt Transport Envoys, he was succeeded by the new Su Songtai Bing Dao Yingbaoshi). Under his supervision and meticulous planning, he drafted the charter of the Jiangnan Manufacturing General Bureau, personally commanded various constructions, and devoted himself to the cause of the General Manufacturing Bureau. The General Directorate first built guns and cannons, and also made instruments, and gradually developed and expanded since then.
Devote all efforts to support the development of Jiangnan Manufacturing General Bureau
In the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867), the general manufacturing bureau was moved from Hongkou to Gaochangmiao in the south of Shanghai, and successively built a machine factory, a foreign gun building, a steam furnace factory, a wood factory, a copper and iron factory, a wrought iron factory, a shipyard, etc. The factory was extended to the Huangpu River and began to build soldier ships. From the seventh to the ninth year of Tongzhi (1868-1870), the General Bureau of Manufacturing also successively set up a translation hall, a steam hammer factory, a gun factory, and a factory in Longhua Town to manufacture gunpowder and copper cap cannons, becoming a military enterprise that mainly produced gun and ammunition, supplemented by the repair of shipbuilding and armament. According to the relevant historical materials of the "List of Officials" and Ding Shi's "Fu Wu Gongmu" compiled by Wei Yungong in the thirty-first year of Guangxu (1905), in the seventh and ninth years of Tongzhi, Ding Richang, who was serving as the inspector of Jiangsu, after Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan, twice concurrently served as the superintendent of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, and during the busy period of official affairs in the province, he paid great attention to supporting the cause of the General Manufacturing Bureau, or examined and approved its reporting documents, and gave pertinent instructions; or personally visited the General Manufacturing Bureau in Shanghai, implemented on-site guidance, and continued to devote efforts to its development. Jiangnan General Manufacturing Bureau has finally developed into the first large-scale comprehensive new-style military enterprise in modern China. Since then, it has experienced the spin-off of arms production and shipbuilding in the late Qing Dynasty, and the abandonment of enterprises. In the middle and late period of the Republic of China, due to the japanese occupation and the wanton destruction of the Kuomintang when they withdrew from the mainland, it was devastated and dilapidated. It was not until May 1949, when it was taken over by the Shanghai Municipal Military Control Commission, that this military enterprise returned to the hands of the people, was reborn and created brilliant, and eventually developed into the current Jiangnan Shipyard.
Today, while people rejoice that Jiangnan Shipyard has become a large-scale modern shipbuilding enterprise in the republic, shouldering heavy military tasks, and manufacturing all kinds of heavy ships and even aircraft carriers like dumplings, we should not forget the great contribution made by Ding Richang, a Chaoshan pioneer, in creating and leading the Jiangnan Manufacturing General Bureau.
Author: Chen Zuohong
Source: Jieyang Daily(2018.11.14)