In the 1860s with the country facing imminent collapse, the Tongzhi Restoration gave a sigh of relief for the ailing Qing Dynasty. After the Second Opium War and gains against numerous rebellions, prominent officials started the Self-Strengthening Movement aimed at developing the economy and modernizing the military. The Movement established several projects aimed to contribute to the country’s modernization.
Zheng Guofan (November 26, 1811 – March 12, 1872) lived as an
intellectual, military commander, and statesman. He fought and defeated the
largest and most brutal rebellion in history. While as a statesman, he
dedicated his life to his country’s revival and hoped for a better China, one
capable of defending itself from imperialism.
In 1863, Yung Wing or Rong Hong, the earliest known Chinese graduate of
Yale College received an invitation for a meeting with Zeng Guofan, a venerable
Qing official and commander of the Hunan Army fighting the Taiping rebellion in
the Yangtze Valley. Yung Wing just went from a tea district under the control
of the Taiping and feared an interrogation or a reprimand, but the meeting
turned out to be for an assignment to purchase machines for the future Jiangnan
Arsenal – part of the Self-Strengthening Movement that Zeng supported.
