The Foochow Arsenal, also known as the Fuzhou or Mawei Arsenal, was one of several shipyards created by the

Qing Empire The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu people, Manchu-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin (1616–1636), La ...

and a flagship project of French assistance to China during the

Self-Strengthening Movement The Self-Strengthening Movement, also known as the Westernization or Western Affairs Movement (–1895), was a period of radical institutional reforms initiated in China during the late Qing dynasty following the military disasters of the Opium ...

. The shipyard was constructed under orders from

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; 15 February 1823 – 7 November 1901) was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important ...

and Zuo Zongtang and was situated in Mamoi (now

Mawei Mawei (; Foochow Romanized: Mā-muōi) is one of 6 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, China. The district spans an area of 319.66 square kilometers, of which, 275.66 square kilometers is land ...

), a port town within the jurisdiction of

Fuzhou Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute ...

(then

romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

as "Foochow"), which is several miles up the Min River.

History

Planning for the shipyard, the Fuzhou Naval College 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. Chinese authorities provided the materials and labour, with the number of labourers rising from an initial figure of 1,600 to more than 2,000 by 1872. The operating cost over five years was estimated at 3 million

tael Tael (),"Tael" entry
at the ...

s, and the cost of maintenance of the ships produced was partly funded by revenue from duties on the import of opium. The first ship produced at the Arsenal, the 150-

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

''Qing Forever'' was launched in June 1869. The shipyard was severely damaged by French forces in 1884 during the

Sino-French War The Sino-French War (, french: Guerre franco-chinoise, vi, Chiến tranh Pháp-Thanh), also known as the Tonkin War and Tonquin War, was a limited conflict fought from August 1884 to April 1885. There was no declaration of war. The Chinese arm ...

of 1883–1885, in the

battle of Fuzhou The Battle of Fuzhou, or Battle of Foochow, also known as the Battle of the Pagoda Anchorage (French: Combat naval de Fou-Tchéou, Chinese: , 馬江之役 or 馬尾海戰, literally Battle of Mawei), was the opening engagement of the 16-month ...

. A modern shipyard was later rebuilt on the site.

Notes

References

* Hong Kong Port and Maritime Board
"Chinese Ports 1996: Fuzhou; Harbour Plan"
Accessed 26 September 2002. * * 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). * Viénet, René

Accessed 24 September 2002. {{Coord missing, Fujian Military history of the Qing dynasty Naval history of China Shipyards of China Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Fujian Arsenals Buildings and structures in Fuzhou

History

See also

Notes

References