Foochow Arsenal
The Foochow Arsenal, also known as the Fuzhou or Mawei Arsenal, was one of several shipyards created by the Qing Empire and a flagship project of French assistance to China during the Self-Strengthening Movement.[1] The shipyard was constructed under orders from Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang and was situated in Mawei (simplified Chinese: 马尾; traditional Chinese: 馬尾, romanized as Mamoi in that period), a port town within the jurisdiction of Fuzhou fu (then romanized as "Foochow"), which is several miles up the Min River.[2][3] HistoryPlanning for the shipyard, the Fuzhou Naval College (t 船政學堂, s 船政学堂, p Chuánzhèng Xuétáng, w Ch'uan-cheng Hsüeh-t'ang), and other facilities began in 1866.[4] Construction began in 1867. Two French Naval officers, Prosper Giquel and Paul d'Aiguebelle, both on leave from the French Imperial Navy, were contracted to recruit a staff of about forty European engineers and mechanics, and to oversee the construction of a metal-working forge, the creation of a Western-style naval dockyard, the construction of eleven transports and five gunboats, and the establishment of schools for training in navigation and marine engineering—all within a five-year period.[5][6][7][8] Chinese authorities provided the materials and labour,[9] with the number of labourers rising from an initial figure of 1,600 to more than 2,000 by 1872.[10] The operating cost over five years was estimated at 3 million taels of silver, and the cost of maintenance of the ships produced was partly funded by revenue from duties on the import of opium.[11] The first ship produced at the Arsenal, the 150-horsepower Qing Forever (t 萬年清, s 万年清, p Wànnián Qīng, w Wan-nien Ch'ing), was launched in June 1869.[12] The shipyard was severely damaged by French forces in 1884 during the Sino-French War of 1883–1885,[13] in the battle of Fuzhou. A modern shipyard was later rebuilt on the site.[14] See also
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