At the age of 44, Zhan Tianyou was appointed as the Chief Director and Engineer of Beiing-Kalgan Railroad Project in 1905 in 1905.

Originally designed to take six years, Beijing-Kalgan Railroad was successfully completed two years ahead of schedule and aroused a nationwide celebrations at its {inaugural run} on August 11, 1909.

After the completion of the project, Zhan Tianyou sent a photo album to Willie, son of Mrs Northrop.

Once considered too Americanized and therefore disfavored by the Qing administration, these American-trained students gradually became active players in the political circles. Not only did they play important roles in new industries such as railways, telegraphs and mining, they were also diplomats to representing China all over the world.

Each time they showed up in New England where they used to live, these former students would always make a headlines ion the local papers. As we can read today, the king-sized titles proudly claim that Chinese students educated there were turning into big people in important positions in China.

In the autumn of 1907, the most colorful season for in New England, when the tree leaves are still trying to save the warm memories of the passing sunshine, the town of Springfield, Massachusetts was awaiting a special guest who had left here 20 years , this was the first time for Tang to revisit American and the Gardners, the American family he once lived with for seven years.

In the hired trolley bus, the Gardners and their distinguished guest from China went on a parade to a town nearby Springfield. In the middle of their trip, they stopped by the railway for the crossing signal.

This day was obviously the happiest day for the Gardners Family. It seemed like having their kid back home who had been away for so long. Tang Shaoyi and three other Boy Students had stayed with the Gardners Family before they were recalled home in the middle of their studies. Four years earlier, Tang’s nephews arrived at the Gardners’ home to proudly continue the tenancy and maintain the friendship between the two families would last more than a century.

Springfield has reason enough to be proud of Tang Shaoyi who had once lived here. As the most important diplomat of Qing administration, he had been commissioned to India to negotiate with Britain on the issue of Tibet in 1904, when he held back thwarted the British ambition to seize Tibet. In 1906, Tang was appointed as the Inspector General of Taxation, and he successfully broke the monopoly over the customs which had long been exerted by Britain. The British officer Mr. Herd confessed in a letter that his run of good luck was had overcome to an end. As a rising star in the diplomacy, best known for his knowledge in of foreign affairs and his resolute characterion, Tang made all foreigners in China aware that they cwould never again manipulate Chinese diplomacy at will as they once did had. Tang seemed to be exactly what Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang had hoped to bring to China—people who knew the outside world well and remained loyal to their homeland.

Editor:Ge Ting