''Hyson'' () is an early

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

History

''Hyson'' was an armed steamer of the

Ever Victorious Army "Ever Victorious Army" ( ''cháng shèng jūn'') was the name given to a small imperial army that fought rebels in late-19th-century China. It was directed and trained by Europeans. The Ever Victorious Army fought for the Qing dynasty against th ...

. She was an amphibious vessel, outfitted with wheels that would allow her to move on land. She was originally commanded by an American named Davidson, and later by

Charles George Gordon Major-general (United Kingdom), Major-General Charles George Gordon Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (28 January 1833 – 26 January 1885), also known as Chinese Gordon, Gordon Pasha, and Gordon of Khartoum, was a British Army officer and ...

. In 1863, carrying around 350 men and some field artillery, she took part in the retaking of Quinsan. She was purchased in April or May 1865 by Shanghai daotai

Ding Richang Ding Richang (; 1823–1882) was a Chinese government official, who is remembered for his "indomitable" if not "prodigious" reform efforts, skill in foreign diplomacy (or "foreign-matters expert"), and supervision of the judicial administration ...

on 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 ...

. In July or August 1865, she was transferred to the Shanghai's Pirate Suppression Bureau, and performed patrol duties near Shanghai. ''Hyson'' was eventually transferred to the Qing

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

and renamed ''Ching Po'' (). She was sold in 1877.

Citations

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hyson Naval ships of Imperial China Gunboats of China Naval ships of China