The Silver Tael Bureau of the Board of Revenue was established the following year, and the latest currency machinery was introduced from the United States, Japan, and Germany. When Yuan Shi-kai was appointed the Governor-general of Zhili in the 28th year of the Guangxu reign (1902), he named Zhou Xue-xi (1866-1947) Director of the Beiyang Government Mint. Since the time of its designation as a trading port, Tianjin had witnessed the influx of a large number merchants and the increasing magnitude of currency circulation, which in turn made the city a financial center in north China. They are selected to provide a glimpse into the state-run military buildup of the late Qing. ![]() The images are taken from the Beiyang Jiqi Zhizaoju Gechang Jiqitu (or Machines of the Beiyang Machinery Manufacturing Bureau and Its Plants), an album of 120 photographs compiled by Zhu En-fu during his inspection of the site as an attachment to his report to the throne. It was burned down by the Eight-Nation Alliance during the Boxer Rebellion in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign (1900), and restored in Dezhou, Shandong, after Yuan Shikai (1859-1916) was named the Governor-general of Zhili in the 30th year of the reign (1904). The Bureau consisted of east and west division, specializing in the production of ammunition, bullets, naval mines, military equipment and vessels. It was one of the modernized state-run arsenals, and second in scale to the the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. In the 9th year of the Tongzhi reign (1870) Li Hongzhang took over the control, and renamed the facility the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, and in the 21st year of the Guangxu reign (1895) the Beiyang Machinery Manufacturing Bureau. It was initially known as the General Ammunition Machinery Bureau, and the Tianjin Machinery Bureau. The Beiyang Machinery Manufacturing Bureau was erected in the 6th year of the Tongzhi reign (1867) in Tianjin by Chong Hou (1826-1893), the Grand Minister of Three Trading ports. The selection presents a late Qing China on the historical turning point implementing a series of reforms in various areas like industrialization, education, military buildup, and transportation. The images shown in this section are those of official inspections taken during the reigns of Guangxu and Xuantong (1875-1911), covering a wide array of themes, from state-commissioned modern factories, schools offering Western-style education, newly built naval vessels, and military exercises by the modernized New Army to the construction of the Jing-Zhang Railway. Starting from the late Qing, photographic studios or photographers were hired to assist officials in the preparation of photographic attachments to their memorials on such critical matters as the auditing of state-run enterprises, the supervision of military exercises, and the inspection of naval defenses and construction projects. Previously, Qing officials when reporting affairs to the throne were required to submit textual memorials, supplemented by illustrations, if necessary, to make up what could not be explicated by the written word. ![]() After photography had been introduced into China in the late Qing, photographs were applied to documenting the reform initiatives implemented by the court.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |