Source: CCTV.com

08-14-2006 15:51

1875

After finding out that there were women teachers in the school, Li Hongzhang wrote to the bureau in 1875 asking whether the women teachers could be replaced by men. He also there were three months of vacation at American schools.

So he instructed the bureau to enhance the students’ education in Chinese. After learning that some students who left school earlier than scheduled were hired by foreigners at a high monthly salary, Li ordered that those students be put under strict control. He sent them to various arsenals. The slow students were only provided with food ration, so as not to set a bad example for students continuing with their studies.

1878

The score reports of the 1878 graduates show that the Chinese students were the top almost in each school they attended.

The Hartford graduation ceremony was a grand occasion in this city. The Chinese students were always the most outstanding stars on these occasions.

Liang Dunyan delivered a speech titled “The Northern Bear” at the Graduation Ceremony in 1878. He addressed the roles that different countries had played in the recently-ended Russian-Turkish War.

He said: Now let us look at the most absurd thing on this subjuct:” Turks are Asiatics; Therefore they ought not to be allowed to stay in Europe.: According to that argument the Americans ought to be driven back to Europe- The Russians themselves from Asia.’

The delivery of Liang’s oration excited the greatest enthusiasm in the audience, who responded with prolonged applause. Liang was called out to once more bow his thanks to the audience. As was reported by the local newspaper, this scene had never occurred in the history of Hartford Public High School.

It was the same Liang Dunyan who drew this picture of “Fabby Gray” who attended Yale University upon graduation in 1878.

Another graduate from Hartford in 1878 was Cai Shaoji, who later became the first president of Bei Yang University. In his graduation speech he addressed the subject of the opium trade. He said he had witnessed the destructive effects of opium and it was worse than murdering a man with a knife to sell him this poison. Cai spoke of the opium Wars, which caused the opening of the treaty ports in China.

He said that, while Chinese officials were somewhat to blame, Britain had committed the greater wrong in their drug trade. (He said:) “ China is not dead, only sleeping, and will eventually rise to the proud station in the world which God has destined her to fill. “

China was being awakened in the 1870s by the gunshots from the western world. It was woken up even more by the fast developing Japan who had entered the modern period at the same time as China.