The Chinese Educational Mission
Qing Dynasty’s Efforts To Learn American Culture
The Chinese Educational Mission
Throughout the 1800s, China was suffering from disaster after disaster. The empire was suffering from the Opium Wars’ unfair treaties and the loss of Hong Kong. Later, the Taiping Rebellion would also occur — killing 10 to 30 million Chinese.
As a result, the Qing Dynasty began to lose control to western imperialism and internal conflicts.
To strengthen the nation, Chinese officials Tseng Kuo-fan & Li Hung-chang realized China had to learn from the “barbarian” West to survive. They needed western nations’ knowledge in military and naval prowess to rebuild their empire.
To this end, Tseng proposed sending young Chinese students to receive training in western engineering and technology, citing Peter the Great — who modernized Russia — as an example for China.
In 1871, the Chinese government approved Tseng’s plan: sending 120 Chinese students to America to learn engineering and science. The plan would be known as the Chinese Educational Mission.
