Prosper Giquel
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Prosper Marie Giquel (20 November 1835 – 19 February 1886) was a French naval officer who played an important role in the modernization of 19th century
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. His Chinese name was 日意格 ().


Career

Prosper Giquel first arrived in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in 1857 as part of the allied assault forces of the
Arrow War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...
. Taking the opportunity that service in the
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
(then, Canton) occupation force allowed, Giquel began the study of Chinese. In late 1861 he joined the Imperial Maritime Customs Service under Robert Hart, as the director of the
Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
(Ningpo) office and remained there until the city was captured by the forces of the
Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion and civil war that was waged in China between the Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Han, Hakka-led Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It lasted fr ...
in December 1861. He was again the Commissioner of Customs for Ningpo in 1864.


Taiping Rebellion

After spending the following spring working in the coordinated French and English campaign to drive the rebels from Shanghai, Giquel returned to
Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...
to organize the force which eventually became the Ever-Triumphant Army (常捷軍), also known as the "Franco-Chinese force". The force numbered between 2,000 and 3,000 men. On 15 March 1863, the force, under the command of Ensign Paul d'Aiguebelle (德克碑) captured the city of
Shaoxing Shaoxing (; ) is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. It was formerly known as Kuaiji and Shanyin and abbreviated in Chinese as (''Yuè'') from the area's former inhabitants. ...
(Shao-hsing) from the Taiping rebels. Prosper Giquel took command of the "Franco-Chinese force" when Paul d'Aiguebelle returned to France, but the force was soon dissolved in October 1864, in agreement with
Zuo Zongtang Zuo Zongtang, Marquis Kejing ( also spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang; ; November 10, 1812 – September 5, 1885), sometimes referred to as General Tso, was a Chinese statesman and military leader of the late Qing dynasty. Born in Xiangyin County ...
.


Fuzhou Arsenal

In 1866 Giquel became involved in the organization and planning for the
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 t ...
(Foochow) dockyard project envisioned by
Zuo Zongtang Zuo Zongtang, Marquis Kejing ( also spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang; ; November 10, 1812 – September 5, 1885), sometimes referred to as General Tso, was a Chinese statesman and military leader of the late Qing dynasty. Born in Xiangyin County ...
. From 1867 to 1874 he served as European director of the project which
Shen Baozhen Shen Baozhen (1820–1879), formerly romanized , was an official during the Qing dynasty. Biography Born in Minhou in Fujian province, he obtained the highest degree in the imperial examinations in 1847 and was soon appointed to the Hanl ...
, as the imperial commissioner, headed. The objective of the dockyard was to create a modern Chinese fleet of warships and transports, and to educated technicians in Western sciences. These efforts contributed to China's
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 ...
of acquiring Western knowledge. Similarly, the Nanjing Arsenal was put under the responsibility of the Englishman
Halliday Macartney Sir Samuel Halliday McCartney (1833–1906), also spelled Halliday Macartney, was a Scottish military surgeon and diplomat serving the Chinese government during the late Qing dynasty. McCartney was a member of the same family as George Macartne ...
.''The Rise of Modern China'' by Immanuel Chung-yueh Hsü p.282-283
/ref> Having completed his direct administration of the project by 1874, Giquel continued to serve the dockyard by working as a consultant, purchasing agent, and co-director of the European Educational Mission in 1877. The educational mission's goal was to provide advanced technical training to complement the dockyard's instructional program. In the mid-1870s and 1880s Giquel became increasingly involved in
international diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
. He first served as an adviser during the " Taiwan crisis", a diplomatic clash between Japan and China in 1874 culminating with Japan's invasion of the island. In 1881 he helped Tseng Chi-tse peacefully conclude the "III crisis" between China and Russia. Giquel spent his last years (1883–1885) struggling to help end 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 ...
, which had broken out due to conflicting Sino-French claims to Indochina. Among the traumatic events of that period, certainly for Prosper Giquel, was the August 1884 destruction by the
French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
of the Fuzhou Dockyard, the principal accomplishment of his entire career in China, in the Battle of Fuzhou.


Legacy

Prosper Giquel appears as a character in Li Bo's ''Tienkuo: The Heavenly Kingdom'' an historical novel set in the middle of the 19th century as well as the same author's ''Beyond the Heavenly Kingdom''.


Works

*''Journal of the Chinese Civil War'' *''The Foochow Arsenal, and Its Results, from the Commencement in 1867, to the End of the Foreign Directorate, on the 16th February, 1874.''


References


Citations


Bibliography

* Giquel, Prosper. (1985). ''A Journal of the Chinese Civil War, 1864'' (trans., Steven A Leibo). Honolulu:
University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
. ; * Leibo, Steven A. (1985) ''Transferring Technology to China: Prosper Giquel and the Chinese Self-Strengthening Movement.'' Berkeley:
University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...
. ; {{DEFAULTSORT:Giquel, Prosper 1835 births 1886 deaths Qing dynasty generals French mercenaries French Navy officers French expatriates in China People of the Taiping Rebellion