The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-17
Ii HUNG CHANGES LIFE
WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR CHINA IN
THE LAST TWENTY YEARS.
Success in Introducing Into the Esn-
pire Western Arts and Sciences
Telegraphs and Railroads.
New York Times.

Hung Chang and the appointment of anoth-
er to the chief command of all the Chinese
forces means the total eclipse of the man
who during the last twenty years has been
responsible for all the progressive move
nentS of the empire in appropriating the
Western arts and sciences, and in extending
its international relations. Before the be-
ginning of the present war Lii, says Apple
tons, was viceroy of the metropolitan prov
ince of Chilli, in which Picking is situated.
Senior Grand Secretary of State, High I'm
peral Commissioner of Foreign Affairs, Di-
rector-general of the Coast Defenses of the
North and Imperial Navy, Northern Super
intendent of Trade and commander-in-chief
of the Army of North China. These offices
were not merely nominal, but their various
interests were watched over with the ut
most vigilance by their executive, who is a
man seventy-tive years of age.
Ii, according to the Picking Gazette, was
born at Seu-Chew, in the Hotel district, in
the year 1919, of pure Chinese blood, and
has always been identified with the native
party. He was among the first in three
successive literary examinations, and in 1917
was enrolled in the Hanlin, or imperial
academy, the highest degree in the empire.
He was an official in the imperial printing
office when the TAPPING rebellion broke out
in 1851-a convulsion that almost divided
the empire, cost 20, 900 lives and 3.0ooO 00-
600 taels. and took thirteen years to sup
press. In this trouble Lii became prominent:
First called into the field to act on the staff
of the generalssimO, he was In the last
years of the war the Governor of Kiang-
Su which, with Che-Kiang, constituted the
most important field of operations.
LIS appreciation of estern military
skill shown in the part he took in
the organization and use of the Ever
Victorious Force" Chinese legion, armed,
drilled and disciplined according to Euro
pean fashion led first by the American,
No I'd wi n the and after
ward by the famous Gordon. Under both
these leaders it fought with great valor
the overthrow of the Tai-Pings. The last
campaign, which resulted in the capture
Of Nankin the rebel capital al was IaIo,o con-
as much genius in the field as he had
shown in the council.
ADOPTING WESTERN IDEAS
From the very close of the TAPPING
war. Ii Hung Chang began that per-
sistent labor for the adoption of the arts
and sciences of the West which has fur
nshed the keynote of his life. He at once
began to memorabilia the throne for the
creation of army and navy upon the
European model He found hearty sup
porter in Prince Kung. but an uncompro-
missing opponent in the senior Empress
Dowager, as also in the Board of Cen
sors, who were saturated with the ancient
Chinese traditions.
In 1870 Ii was promoted to the viceroy-
atty of Chill, a province of 20,0O0,OO0 in
habitants, and made Senior Grand Secre-
tary of State, which gave him direct super
vision of international questions. me eyes eyes
to him as best fitted to inspire the foreign
and domestic policy of China, so far as
one man could move the machinery of an
enormously cumbersome system. 1t was
by LIS authority that thirty Chinese boys
United States, and that the Tung-Wan
Kwan College was established at Peking,
under DR.. NJ. H. P; Martin, with the help
of Prince Kung. The NUCLEUS of this as a
training school for interpreters already
existed It was now made so;a colegee t for
training 1aa in a ane a artf fae aa
Ii awaited himself of the Russian war
scare of 1880 to give his plans a great I'M,
petus He was the authoritative leader OF
the peace party, and it was with difficulty
that he prevented China from rushing into
a disastrous war. His argument was not
merely that the army and navy were not
fitted to meet the forces of Western pow
err but that the internal constitution OF an
empire extending over an immense area
made the transmission of intelligence te-
dious and difficult. The telegraph was adj
vocated as factor a;a OF war giren power snd tbe
work was pressed with extraordinary Wig
or. The system now has a network of
for the telegraph Ii began to work for
railroads in the empire, but the opposition
from all classes was overwhelming A snort
line had been built by foreign capital in
1876 from Shanghai to Woo-Sung, but this
was bought and Gsmantled the next year
by the government. Ii quietly began a
propaganda among the high officials, and
Prince Kung quickly acceded to his views.
The Viceroy instigated various memorials
to the throne, which were folloWed by Otn-
ers from himself.
SOME OF THE RESULTS.
While following up this agitation, Ii was
active in remodeling the army and navy, in
establishing arsenals and dockyards, mill
tary and naval colleges, and in importing
experts in the various scientific professions
as instructors and leaders in the new move
ment AS administrator of foreign affairs
his constant policy was peace, even at the
price of concession, so that the empire
should have no break in her course of in
ternal development. The various imbroglios
with Russia, Japan, and France were
settled without resort to arms, except in
the case of the FormOsa war with France
in 1S84-5 This nominally ended with vic
tory for the French, but LIS crafty diplo-
macy left the victors with scarcely a shred
of honor or advantage.
The, army Of North China began to be
armed with Remingt ION breech-loaders in
1876. At the outbreak of the present war
there were 10000 men equipped with the
most modern weapons and ofiicered by Ger
mans or by Chinese trained in the military
colleges, of which there are threat TEN
Tsin, Fuchan and Shanghai In 1877 Ii. as
administrator of the navy, bought four IRON
cads. which had just been built i'll England
for the royal navy, but had been rejected
as not up to the standard in speed. From
that beginning the Viceroy. built up a navy
which, before the battle of Yalu, last Sep
TENDER, was supposed to contain some of
the most effective fighting ships in the
world.
1t was not until 1888 that an active begin
ming was made in railroad building A small
road, which had been operated as a tram
way from the Kai-Ping coal mines to tide
water was equipped with steam and it was
SO successful that it was extended Other
lines have been projected and partly COM
pleted. Two large and well-equipped steam
plants have been established at Hankow,
on the Bessemer and Siemens- Martin meth
cd. Ii has completely won over to his posi-
ton, as regards the extension of the rail-
roads, the chief officials of the empire. Ii s
policy has been to build slowly and with
Chinese capital, in order to avoid the incu-
bus of a foreign debt. Joint stock compan-
les have been formed under the Viceroy' s
encouragement for various enterprises, such
as silk, cotton, wooden, glass and iron manu-
features, and Chinese bankers had begun to
learn and follow the methods of Western
finance, as applied to industry.
All this awakening has been mainly the
work of Ii Hung Chang. He opposed the
war with Japan. feeling that it would in
terrupt and endanger his plans for the en-
pire's enlightenment, and it is said that he
| has been lukewarm in its support, which
| no doubt accounts for the frequent rumors
| of indignities heaped upon him by the EN-
| peror, as well as for his present reported
4