Zhan Tianyou in the United States has studied in Weihafen elementary school, crossbow Hafen middle school, and in 1881 graduated from Yale University with honors, and wrote a thesis entitled "the study of dock cranes," was awarded a bachelor's degree, and returned to China in the same year. After returning to China, Zhan Tianyou into the Mawei ship before the school, after completing his studies, sent to the flagship of the Fujian navy "Yangwu" as a gunner, participated in the Mawei sea battle. After the war was transferred to Huangpu Marine Academy as a teacher.
Fujian navy flagship "Yangwu"
1888, Zhan Tianyou by old classmate Kwong Sunmou's recommendation, to China Railway Company as an engineer. Was annihilated for seven years before Zhan Tianyou had the opportunity to devote himself to the cause of the motherland's railroad. At this time when the Tianjin - Tangshan Railway construction, he did not want to live in Tianjin, on the site in person, and workers with the **** bitter, the result is that only eighty days of time on the completion of the opening of the train. However, Li Hongzhang to the British Jinda's credit on the work, and promote Jinda as chief engineer. Zhan Tianyou's work was thus plagiarized.
In 1890, the Qing government to repair the Guanzhou Railway (now the Beijing-Shenyang Railway), with Jinda as the chief engineer. 1892 project to the Luanhe Bridge, many countries want to tout this business, Jinda, of course, to the British first, but the British Karkes to build a bridge and failed. Japanese and German contractors also failed. As the deadline for delivery is approaching, Jinda had to turn to Zhan Tianyou. Zhan Tianyou exhaustive analysis of the reasons for the failure of various countries, and the bottom of the Luanhe River geological soil after thorough measurement and research, decided to change the pile site, using the traditional Chinese method to Chinese divers to dive into the bottom of the river, with machine operation, the victory completed the task of piling, built the Luanhe River Bridge. In 1894, the British Engineering Society elected Zhan Tianyou as a member of the Society.
Since then, Zhan Tianyou has led the construction of the Beijing-Tianjin Road, Pingli Road (Pingxiang to Liling) and other railroads.
Yuan Shikai, in order to curry favor with the Naras, in 1902 requested the construction of a new easy railroad (Gaobeidian to Yixian) dedicated to the royal family to pay homage to their ancestors. Train to the ancestors, Narra naturally happy. In order not to miss the ancestral use in 1903, ordered Yuan Shikai in six months to complete. Yuan Shikai ordered Zhan Tianyou to be the chief engineer. Although the value of this road is not great, but is the beginning of the Chinese people since the construction of railroads, so Zhan Tianyou is still very important. Zhan Tianyou completely abandoned the foreigners at that time must be in the roadbed after the completion of air-drying a year before laying tracks of the conventional, only four months to save the cost of building a new easy railroad. Greatly inspired the Chinese people to build their own railroad confidence, for the later construction of the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway to lay a good foundation.
Zhangjiakou for Beijing to Inner Mongolia's key, the North and South travelers to and from the porous road, has always been a soldier must fight, so the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway has an important economic value and political value. When the Qing court to repair the news of the Beijing-Zhang Road, the largest force in China, Britain is determined to win, depending on the Great Wall to the north of its sphere of influence of the Tsarist Russia vowed not to give up, the two sides argued, and finally reached an agreement: if the Qing court does not borrow foreign debt, do not use the foreign craftsmen, all the way by the Chinese people to repair this road, the two sides can not reach out. In this way, the Qing government put an end to the idea of seeking help from the foreigners and focus on self-maintenance.
In May 1905, the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway Bureau and the establishment of the Bureau of Engineering, Chen Zhaochang for the General Manager, Zhan Tianyou for the Office of the Office of the Chief Engineer, in 1906 Zhan Tianyou was promoted to the Office of the General Manager and Chief Engineer. Zhan Tianyou clearly know the enormity of this task, he first had to resist cynicism from all sides: some people said he was "self-importance", "but spend a few dollars just", and even said he was "bold and arrogant! He was even called "audacious". He wrote to his American teacher, Mrs. Nosopo, "If the Jing-Zhang project fails, it will be not only my misfortune, but also the misfortune of the Chinese engineers, and will bring a great loss to China at the same time. In my acceptance of this task before and after, many foreigners blatantly claimed that Chinese engineers can not bear the Beijing-Zhangzhou line of stone and caves of the arduous project, but I insisted that I engineering. Fully embodies the patriotic heart of Chinese intellectuals and national responsibility.
Zhan Tianyou surveyed three routes, the second detour too far for the undesirable. The third is today's Fengsha line. Due to the limited funding from the Qing court, time is running out, Zhan Tianyou decided to use the first route, that is, from Fengtai north to Xizhimen, Shahe, through the Nankou, Juyongguan, Badaling, Huailai, Jimingyi, Xuanhua to Zhangjiakou, a total length of 360 miles. The whole line of the difficulties in the Guan ditch, this area of stacked mountains, cliffs, engineering difficulties at that time for the country did not, the world is rare; slope is very great, Nankou and Badaling height difference of 180 feet. Zhan Tianyou divided the whole line into three sections: Fengtai to Nankou for the first section, Nankou to Kangzhuang for the second section, the rest for the third section.
On September 4, 1905, construction officially began, and on December 12, track laying began. On the very first day of track laying, one of the hook chains of an engineering train broke, causing a derailment. This became the evidence that the Chinese people can not build their own railroads, all kinds of slander and libel came thick and fast. But Zhan Tianyou did not panic, but instead calmly thought: this road is extremely steep, the connectivity between each carriage is not solid, the accident will be difficult to avoid. To this end, he used the automatic hook method, finally solved the problem.
On September 30, 1906, the first section was opened to traffic, and the second section began at the same time. The difficulty lay in the second section, which first had to open the four tunnels of Juyongguan, Wuguitou, Shifosi, and Badaling, the longest of which was the Badaling Tunnel of 1,092 meters. This requires not only accurate calculations and correct command, but also new types of openers, ventilators and pumps. The former was not a problem for Zhan Tianyou, but the latter was not available in China at that time, and only relied on the hands of the workers, the degree of difficulty can be imagined. They overcame all the difficulties and finally completed the second section of the project in September 1908," he said.
The third section of the project was second only to the Guan Gou in difficulty, and first encountered the Huailai Bridge, the longest on the Beijing-Zhangzhou Road, which was built of seven 100-foot-long steel girders. Thanks to Zhan Tianyou's correct direction, it was completed in time. on April 2, 1909 the train passed through to Xiahuayuan. Although the section from Xiahuayuan to Jimingyi mine turnoff was not long, the project was extremely difficult. The right side of the Sheep River, the left side of the rocky mountains, the mountains to open a six-foot deep channel, the mountains to be padded seven miles long riverbed. Zhan Tianyou that the mountain to open the stone to pad the riverbed under the mountain. In order to prevent the impact of flash floods on the roadbed, and protected with cement blocks, the third section of the work was completed successfully.
For engineering difficulties, Zhan Tianyou never put in the eye, for man-made obstacles but make Zhan Tianyou worried to the extreme. Qinghe there is a person called Guangzhai, is a former Taoist officer, relatives of the royal family Zaize, the dynasty and the countryside are powerful. Railroad just through its graveyard, he led a crowd of trouble, stopping the project, and privately promised a heavy bribe, asking for a diversion. The Ministry of Posts and Communications did not dare to ask. Here in the north is Zheng Wang grave, south is the eunuchs grave, west is the father of Na La's Gui Gong grave, to change the road I do not know how much time and money to be wasted. Zhan Tianyou to bribery as shameful, never change the road, even to stay and go to fight. Finally, because five ministers were bombed in the ocean, Zai Ze was too scared to hear about foreign affairs, Guangzhai only because of the loss of backing and agreed to pass through the grave outside the wall.
Ceremony for the completion of the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway
The road was originally scheduled to be completed in six years, Zhan Tianyou finally two years ahead of schedule on August 11, 1909, the entire line opened to traffic, but also save two hundred and eighty-thousand two hundred and twenty-thousand silver. The triumphant completion of the Jingzhang Road is a victory for the Chinese people and a full expression of the patriotic spirit of the Chinese patriotic intellectuals.
After the completion of the Beijing-Zhangzhou Road, Zhan Tianyou should be hired by the Guangdong Province, Guangdong-Hankow Railway Company, in 1910 as the company's prime minister, and in May 1912 also served as the Han-Guangdong-Chuan Railway Office. Due to the corruption and incompetence of the Chinese government, the imperialist competition in China, so that this patriotic, genius engineer could not show his talent, anxiety to the extreme. Finally, due to exhaustion into illness, in April 24, 1919 at 3:30 pm died in Hankou, aged 59 years.
After the 1911 Revolution, Zhan Tianyou in order to revitalize the cause of railroads, and counterparts up to set up the Chinese Engineering Society, and was elected president. During this period, he devoted a lot of effort to the cultivation of young engineers and technicians, in addition to his own behavior to make an example, but also encourage young people to "study academics, in order to invention", and asked them to "do not bend themselves in favor of others, do not sell fame and reputation. In order to sincerely accept things, not hostage small-minded private, Guibi bundle body, as an example."
In 1919, the end of the first European War, Zhan Tianyou, despite suffering from abdominal disease, on behalf of the Chinese government to attend the Far East Railway International Conference, braving the cold to the meeting, and attempted to dominate our country's North Manchuria Middle East Railway, the Japanese representative of the war, and achieved the right to protect the Middle East Railway in our country. On the way back to China, he was sick again on the Great Wall, sigh: "life is long and short, destiny has sunken and risen, the initial construction of the road network of the dream dashed so that I hate the end of the day, fortunately, my life can be transformed into a prostrate in the land of China on a railroad track ......" he persevered, in the railroad His perseverance, in the railroad front and the struggle of the great powers, and his embodiment of the national spirit and the spirit of science highly integrated quality, and the descendants of his bronze statue set up together, will always give us unlimited revelation.
For engineering difficulties, Zhan Tianyou never put in the eye, for man-made obstacles but make Zhan Tianyou worried to the extreme. Qinghe there is a person called Guangzhai, is the former Road Commissioner, the royal family Zaize's relatives, the dynasty and the field have power. Railroad just through its graveyard, he led a crowd of trouble, stopping the project, and privately promised a heavy bribe, asking for a diversion. The Ministry of Posts and Communications did not dare to ask. Here in the north is Zheng Wang grave, south is the eunuchs grave, west is the father of Na La's Gui Gong grave, to change the road I do not know how much time and money to be wasted. Zhan Tianyou to bribery as shameful, never change the road, even to stay and go to fight. Finally, because of the five ministers were bombed in the ocean, Zai Ze is too scared to hear about foreign affairs, Guangzhai only because of the loss of backing and agreed to pass through the outside of the wall of their graves.
Narrah's Summer Palace for the repair of tens of millions of gold each year, only not willing to pay for road repair. Beijing and Zhang Railway funds rely on the winnings of the railroads inside and outside of Guanzhou, and this money is controlled in the hands of the British HSBC, just into the second section of the project, the HSBC deliberately difficult, delayed payment of rates, resulting in the misuse of the work. Zhan Tianyou is not good at camping in the rich and powerful, more ashamed to meet the foreigners, and therefore resentful to the extreme.
The imperialists do not want to seize the road, the project began, the Japanese Yu Gong Keijiro petitioned Yuan Shikai said: the Chinese people are unable to repair this road, rather than hiring the Japanese technician is more secure. The British Jinda also came to Japan to say. Zhan Tianyou categorically refused on the grounds that no foreigner would be appointed to this road. After the Juyongguan Road project began, groups of foreigners often came to spy on the project under the name of hunting, hoping that the project would fail in order to take advantage of the danger. Zhan Tianyou with excellent results for the Chinese out of this breath.
August 1 905, the Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway officially started, the intense exploration, line selection work began. Zhan Tianyou personally with students and workers with, carrying a marker, latitude and longitude, day and night in the rugged mountains. One evening, the fierce northwest wind swirling sand and gravel in the Badaling area whistling and roaring, scraping people can not open their eyes, the survey team in a hurry to end the work, fill in a measured number, climb down from the rock face. Zhan Tianyou took over the book, while looking through the figures filled in, while asking suspiciously: "Is the data accurate"? "Almost", replied the surveyor. Zhan Tianyou said seriously, "The first requirement of technology is precision, there can not be a little fuzzy and frivolous, 'probably', 'almost' such statements can not the mouth of the engineering staff." Then, he picked up the instrument on his back, braved the wind and sand, and climbed to the rock wall with renewed effort, seriously re-surveyed it again, and corrected an error. When he came down, his lips were frozen blue.
Soon, exploration and construction entered the most difficult stage. In the Badaling, Qinglongqiao area, overlapping mountains, steep walls and hanging rocks, to open four tunnels, the longest of which amounted to more than a thousand meters. Zhan Tianyou after accurate measurement and calculation, decided to take the construction method: from the north and south ends of the mountain at the same time to the chisel, and in the middle of the mountain to open a large well, in the well and then to the north and south ends of the chisel. This not only ensures the quality of construction, but also speed up the progress of the project. Cutting holes, a large number of stones rely on artificial spade shovel digging, gushing spring water to be picked out by the quart, as the chief engineer of Zhan Tianyou no frame of mind, and workers with the digging stone, with the water, a face of sludge and sweat. He also inspired everyone, "Beijing-Zhangzhou Railway is the first railroad we built with our own people, our own money, the eyes of the world are looking at us, must succeed!" "Whether it succeeds or fails, it must not be our own success or failure, but our country's!"
Zhan Tianyou's ancestors traveled from Wuyuan to Guangdong
Zhan Tianyou is a 40th-generation descendant of the Zhan clan from Lukeng Village in Wuyuan County. The thirty-seventh generation of the Zhan Clan's lineage group and Zhan Tianyou's great-grandfather, Zhan Wanbang, with the character Wenxian, was born in the tenth year of the Qianlong reign (1745 AD). Zhan Wampang's father, Zhan Jinqian, was a merchant who owned a grocery store called "Dachang" in his hometown. He had eight children, of whom Zhan Wanbang was the third. Due to the large number of children and expenses, the grocery store was not enough to cover the family's needs. The Zhan family was heavily in debt, and the brothers had to split up to find their own way of making a living. Zhan Wanbang quite ambitious, after the death of his parents, determined not to suffer the ancestral heritage industry with their families to move to the village under the high Hu Shan another home, because the hours read a few books of medicine, they are licensed to practice medicine. Just at the time of Qianlong's prosperous age, the people in the long-term war get a chance to take a respite, agriculture has developed, business is also gradually prosperous. Wuyuan tea sales increased day by day, and across the sea, become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland middle and upper class people one of the most popular drinks. At that time, wuyuan green tea was processed on the spot, and then transported to guangzhou port for export. Because of the low price, the export price is very high, many tea merchants made a big fortune. Zhan Wanbang actually also moved, trafficked a batch of tea leaves to Guangdong.
Who knows the business is not good, not only the reverse loss of blood money, and even the home of the travel expenses also have no place to go, and have to detain travel to Guangzhou, rely on old friends and relatives to receive help to spend the day. At that time in guangdong huizhou merchants are numerous, also have wuyuan people in business got rich, by their generous donation, zhan wanbang then in guangzhou west guanwai opened a name "wanfu" of small tea house. The small tea house is becoming more and more prosperous, gradually return the debt, but also with the remaining money donated a too bachelor's officer.
At this time, Zhan Wanbang ambitious, the son also brought to Guangdong, determined to rely on the power of Guangzhou "thirteen lines", to open up a larger situation. Son Zhan Shiluan live up to his father's expectations, father's business, business is more developed. Zhan Shiluan realized that business can not be no official hat, but also donated a marquis to the Chief Secretary to experience the official, listed in the Confucianism Lang, with a six-piece dome.
By the time Zhan Tianyou's father, Zhan Xingfan, met the outbreak of the Opium War. British invaders of the cannons to the long-term control of foreign trade, "thirteen lines" bombed out of the small merchants of foreign trade in Guangzhou, began to decline. Soon after, Zhan's tea company also declared bankruptcy. Zhan Xingfan family from Guangzhou moved to the South China Sea, while studying, while farming to maintain the family.
On March 27, 1861, while the Taiping Army was fighting the Qing government, and the smoke from the burning of the Yuanmingyuan by the British and French forces was still lingering, Zhan Tianyou croaked in a farmer's house in Nanhai, Guangdong.