page_title: Industry in Tianjin
section_title: The establishment of "government-supervised and merchant-managed" enterprises
hierarchical_section_title: Industry in Tianjin / Initial Period / The establishment of "government-supervised and merchant-managed" enterprises
caption_attribution_description: 中文: 唐廷樞
context_page_description: The city of Tianjin considers itself the original home or birthplace of Chinese industrial revolution. Modern industry started there with Tianjin Machine Factory which was established by the Qing government during the Self-Strengthening Movement. Afterwards, Yuan Shikai promoted new policies in Tianjin. Numerous modern industrial enterprises mushroomed in Hebei New District in the northern bank of the Hai River. Including Zhou Xuexi, many industrialists established large enterprise groups that were managed by merchant and supervised by the government. By the beginning of the 20th century, Chinese private enterprises were booming. Among them is the most representative Yongli Alkali Factory which won the gold award and certificate in Philadelphia, the U.S. in 1926 by the sodium carbonate it produced. The factory was praised as "the symbol of developing important chemical industry of the Republic China".
context_section_description: In order to cooperate with the development of military industry, in Tianjin, the Qing government built the earliest telegraph circuit, China's first  autonomous standard railway, Kaiping Railway Company and Chinese Engineering and Ming Company. Chinese  Engineering and Ming Company is the earliest large-scale mechanized coal-mining factory which offered military industries energies and materials.  In 1878,Li Hongzhang was assigned to purchase Chinese  Engineering and Ming Company that was established by Tong King-sing. At first, it was assumed to be government-managed, but later on because of the lack of fund, the Qing government converted it into government-supervised and merchant-managed.  In the year of 1879, the telegraph circuit starting from Zhili Supervising Bureau, crossing the eastern department of Tianjin Machine Factory, Zizhulin concession, Chinese Merchants Steamship Company, to Taku Forts and Beitang military camp, is the earliest telegraph circuit in China. After that, the Tianjin-Shanghai telegraph circuit was constructed. Then the government established Tianjin Telegraph Headquarters in Tianjin, accompanied by the east subsidiary, the north subsidiary and the south subsidiary three subsidiaries. Although Tianjin Telegraph Group was "government-supervised and merchant-managed", all the "top official telegraphs" about foreign and military affairs would be sent in an order of "government first".
  Established in 1880, the Tangshan-Xuegezhuang railway was suggested by Li Hongzhang to extend to Dagu and Tianjin for transporting Kaiping coals and munitions by Beiyang military forces. In 1887, Li Hongzhang changed the name of Kaiping Railway Company into Tianjin Railway Company(also Jingu Railway Company). After the construction of Jintang railway was completed, concerning about the defense of Beiyang, Li Hongzhang initiated the construction of railway from Tianjin to Shanhai Pass which was centered in Tianjin. Besides, in order to boost the trade contacts between the North and the South, Li Hongzhang established China Merchants Steamship Navigation Company as early as 1872. Its headquarter was in Shanghai, and Tianjin branch company was located in South Zizhuulin in Tianjin.
caption: One of representatives of Self-Strengthening Movement: Tong King-sing
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