Western technology and China's industrial development : steamship building in nineteenth-century China, 1828-1895

"This book explores how steam engine technology was transferred into nineteenth-century China in the second half of the nineteenth century by focusing on the transmission of knowledge and skills. It takes on the long-term problem in historiography that puts too much emphasis on politics but ignores the techno-scientific and institutional requirements for launching such an endeavor. It examines how translations broke linguistic and conceptual barriers and brought new a understanding of heat to the Chinese readership. It also explores how the Fuzhou Navy Yard's shipbuilding and training program trained China's first generation of shipbuilding workers and engineers. It argues that conservatism against technology was not to blame for China's slow development in steamship building. Rather, it was government officials' failure to realize the scale of institutional and techno-scientific changes required in importing and disperse new knowledge and skills."-- Provided by publisher Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction The Steam Engine and Its Techno-scientific Background Self-strengthening Transferring Western Technology into China References Chapter 2: Discovering Steam Power in China, 1828–1865 Smoke and Wheels: Misunderstanding the Steam Engine The Few Who Understood the Steam Mechanism China’s Changing Technological Environment The First Chinese-built Steamer Machine Tools Conclusion References Chapter 3: Translating Heat: Tackling Old Conceptions with New Ideas, 1855–1868 Qi, yin-yang and wu xing Heat Is a Substance, But Not Qi: The Bowu xinbian Latent Heat or “Intrinsic Heat”? More Argument Against Qi: The Xia’er guanzhen More Theoretical Challenge: Heat as Motion Teaching Heat: The Gewu rumen Does Heat Contain Force? Introducing Specific Heat Refusing to Accept the Dynamic Theory Conclusion References Chapter 4: Achievements and Constraints of Late Qing Translations of Heat, 1868–1895 Doubting qi Translating Textbooks of Engine-room Management Popular Science Texts: Edging Toward to a More Up-to-Date Theory Confusing Energy with Force: The Gezhi qimeng Moving Further Away from qi: Chinese Writings About Heat Energy, Force, Or Work? Conclusion References Chapter 5: Training Workers and Engineers: The Fuzhou Navy Yard, 1866–1895 Initiating the Navy Yard Project Five-Year Contract The Yard The Organization The Workforce Training on the Job The Naval School The Next Step Iron and the Compound Engine The Training Program in France and in Fuzhou Catching Up Steel Facilities Upgrade Change of Organization The Training Program in Europe and Fuzhou Conclusion Chapter 6: To Buy Or to Build? The Original Plan The Immediate Problem The Long-term Problem Conclusion References Chapter 7: Conclusion References Glossary Index