On October 2, 1909, the Beijing-Zhangkou Railway was officially opened, and the railway from Beijing to Zhangjiakou was the first railway in Chinese history to be completely invested, designed and built by Chinese.
After the successful opening of the railway, the whole country of China was full of jubilation, and to this day, when we look back on this sad and proud history, we can still feel the strength of that nation. At the same time, we must not forget the hero behind the Beijing-Zhang Railway - Zhan Tianyou.
Zhan Tianyou was later known as the "father of China's railways", and he was born in a merchant family in Guangdong during the Xianfeng period. When Zhan Tianyou was twelve years old, the Qing government issued an edict deciding to select a group of children in China to study in the West. This move was made under the premise of the invasion of the great powers, and when the Qing government saw the strong ships and cannons of the great powers, they also had to start seeking the road of self-improvement, but if the country was to be strong, it must have talents.
At that time, the Qing government could not provide advanced education, and in order to save the country, it could only let students go to the West to study. After several rounds of screening, thirty young children were put on a ferry to the West, where 12-year-old Zhan Tianyou was among them.
"When I went to the West, I was well aware of China's strategy of self-improvement, so I gave up nothing else to ask for, carried the future of the country, took the science of foreigners, traveled 70,000 miles, and did not have any regrets in the country of my parents of the motherland." This passage was a vow made by a group of children with an average age of less than fifteen years, and later history tells us that they all used their lives to fulfill their original promises.
In 1881, Zhan Tianyou received his Yale diploma and returned to China. He first served in the Navy.
In 1888, the construction of the railway line from Tanggu to Tianjin began, and as one of the few engineers in China at that time, Zhan Tianyou was transferred to the first line of the project, and since then, Zhan Tianyou and the railway have formed an indissoluble relationship.
Since 1888, Zhan Tianyou has participated in the construction of countless railways, and the crisscrossing railway network has brought hope to China, but Zhan Tianyou still feels regret in his heart, because although he participated in the engineering design, these railways are still funded by foreigners, these railways exist in China, but they do not belong to China.
When will China have a railway of its own? Zhan Tianyou has been looking forward to the arrival of that day in his heart In 1904, the Qing government appointed Zhan Tianyou as an adviser to the China Railway Corporation and offered him a monthly salary of 210,000 yuan, all in preparation for the construction of the Beijing-Zhang Railway.
In 1905, the Beijing-Zhang Railway broke ground, the design of the Beijing-Zhang Railway was completed by Zhan Tianyou, the terrain of this railway is complex, and it passes through important passes, in order to ensure the successful operation of the railway line, Zhan Tianyou creatively used the "zigzag" route design, which is still a classic case of railway design.
In addition to being a great engineer, Zhan Tianyou was also a model husband, and he and his wife Tan Juzhen loved for a lifetime. The Zhan family and the Tan family are family friends, so Zhan Tianyou and Tan Juzhen are real green plum bamboo horses that they have played from childhood to adulthood. At that time, when the Qing government selected young children to stay in the United States, it was Zhan Tianyou's father-in-law Tan Bo Estate who first learned the news and urged the Zhan family to send Zhan Tianyou to study.
After all, it is a long trip to the ocean, the parents of the Zhan family have some doubts, Tan Bo Estate saw the situation and said to the parents of the Zhan family that only if they are willing to send Zhan Tianyou to study, they will give their daughter Xu to Zhan Tianyou as a wife. Seeing that the old friend was so considerate of Zhan Tianyou, the parents of the Zhan family also made up their minds to send Zhan Tianyou to the United States, and on the eve of going to the United States, Zhan Tianyou and Tan Juzhen held a simple engagement ceremony.
Although the two people are still young, but the Qing Dynasty children married early, Zhan Tianyou also likes Tan Juzhen in his heart, but he has more important tasks, and he has no time to exchange heartfelt words with his fiancée, so he will go to other places. In the many years that Zhan Tianyou went to study in the United States, the two young people were worried about each other, although there was no way to study in the West like Zhan Tianyou, but Tan Juzhen also worked hard and taught herself English.
In 1881, the twenty-year-old Zhan Tianyou finally returned, and for so many years, he always remembered Tan Juzhen in his hometown. And Tan Juzhen also became an elegant bridesmaid, and six years later, they held a grand wedding ceremony. After marriage, Tan Juzhen did not become the official wife raised in the deep boudoir, but accompanied Zhan Tianyou all over the country to do those complex projects, although she did not have the name of an engineer, but she was also one of the heroes of modern Chinese railway engineering.
Zhan Tianyou was very appreciative and respectful of his wife, because he was a rare young talent, so many people wanted to marry him and persuade him to take a concubine, so Zhan Tianyou resolutely refused the request of others to take a concubine. He had always despised the bureaucrats who had a large number of wives and concubines, and in his opinion, those people were only unsympathetic, lustful, and truly noble people, and how could they not even respect their wives?
Zhan Tianyou was a supporter of women's liberation, he not only loved his wife himself, but also often advised the staff of the railway bureau to love his wife, and also encouraged the women of the railway bureau to have a sense of learning, pursue self-independence, and not be a vassal of their husbands. Under the leadership of Zhan Tianyou, the atmosphere of the entire railway bureau was very harmonious and positive.
Tan Juzhen and Zhan Tianyou had eight children, and raising eight children was a great test. At that time, raising children basically relied on housewives, but Zhan Tianyou did not think so, he believed that husband and wife were originally one, and since the wife suffered from childbearing, the husband should naturally bear some more responsibilities for raising children. Although his work is very busy, Zhan Tianyou has never missed the growth of his children, and in the child's mind, father and mother are equally responsible people.
At that time, a man like Zhan Tianyou was very rare, of course, Tan Juzhen was also excellent, worthy of Zhan Tianyou's respect. Although Tan Juzhen has not received a professional railway engineering education, she has always loved to learn, and when the railway project was built, Tan Juzhen also paid attention to the construction of the project under the scorching sun like her husband. On weekdays, when Zhan Tianyou was working, Tan Juzhen was responsible for being his secretary, and Zhan Tianyou often praised his wife for not losing to boys.
In the process of mutual support, the two people have gone through decades of ups and downs, and their names have always been left in the history of China's railways, they are a loving couple, and they are also great historical pioneers.