The Foochow Arsenal,also known as the Fuzhou or Mawei Arsenal,was one of several shipyards created by the Qing Empire and a flagship project of French assistance to China during the Self-Strengthening Movement.[1] The shipyard was constructed under orders from Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang and was situated in Mamoi (now Mawei District),a port town within the jurisdiction of Fuzhoufu (then romanized as "Foochow"),which is several miles up the Min River.[2][3]
Planning for the shipyard,the Fuzhou Naval College ( t船政學堂,s船政学堂,pChuánzhèng Xuétáng,wCh'uan-cheng Hsüeh-t'ang), and other facilities began in 1866. Construction began in 1867. Two French Naval officers,Prosper Giquel and Paul d'Aiguebelle,both on leave from the French Imperial Navy,were contracted to recruit a staff of about forty European engineers and mechanics,and to oversee the construction of a metal-working forge,the creation of a Western-style naval dockyard,the construction of eleven transports and five gunboats,and the establishment of schools for training in navigation and marine engineering—all within a five-year period.[4][5][6][7] Chinese authorities provided the materials and labour,[8] with the number of labourers rising from an initial figure of 1,600 to more than 2,000 by 1872.[9] The operating cost over five years was estimated at 3 million taels of silver,and the cost of maintenance of the ships produced was partly funded by revenue from duties on the import of opium.[10] The first ship produced at the Arsenal,the 150-horsepowerQing Forever( t萬年清,s万年清,pWànnián Qīng,wWan-nien Ch'ing), was launched in June 1869.[11]
The shipyard was severely damaged by French forces in 1884 during the Sino-French War of 1883–1885,[12] in the battle of Fuzhou. A modern shipyard was later rebuilt on the site.[13]
The Foochow Arsenal under construction,between 1867 and 1871. Three albumen prints joined to form a panorama.
See also
Chen Jitong,shipbuilder and diplomat trained at the Foochow Arsenal
Pong, David. "Keeping the Foochow Navy Yard Afloat: Government Finance and China's Early Modern Defence Industry, 1866-75". In Modern Asian Studies, vol. 21, no. 1 (Cambridge University Press, 1987).
Seltzer, Leon E., ed. The Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World (New York: Columbia University Press, 1952).
Thomson, John. China and its People in Early Photographs: An Unabridged Reprint of the Classic 1873/4 Work (reprint, New York: Dover Publications, 1982).
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