A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 166 Changing the name and leaving it in history
Now there are five higher primary schools in Wuchang, which are divided into east, west, south, north, and middle five roads, collectively referred to as "five-way high school", and each school enrolls about 100 students.

Hua Shifang took Li Yu to a high school on West Road.

Since it is called a "higher elementary school", the students enrolled are not children of seven or eight years old, but generally ten-year-old children who have received private school education.

However, considering that many children who have been well educated in private schools tend to be relatively well-off, it is not necessarily acceptable for their children to attend new-style primary schools.Therefore, the enrollment requirements of the schools will be appropriately relaxed. Therefore, the overall admission requirements for these higher primary schools are: be able to recite one or two scriptures, have a rough grasp of arts and sciences, and be between the ages of 11 and 14.

To put it simply, it can be understood as junior high school for the time being, but the learning content is not as good as the junior high school of later generations.

Wuhan was one of the westernized cities in China at the beginning of the [-]th century. After all, the Hankou Concession was one of the three major concessions, on par with the Tianjin Concession and the Shanghai Concession.

Since Westernization is relatively deep, the influence of new-style primary schools will naturally be great. Many students in each new-style primary school take the initiative to apply for the exam.

After all, you can see high-rise buildings in the concession every day across the river, and a few large ships come by from time to time on the river, this is the impact directly in front of you.

As for the more direct factor, the conditions provided by the new primary school are also very good.

Hua Shifang is also a person who can "show his face" in the education circle of Wuchang. He has been teaching mathematics for so long in the best self-improvement school under the command of Governor Zhang Zhidong. Schools all over the world know this Huada man.

The schools in Wuchang also really want to poach Hua Shifang, but the current situation is very heavy. Hua Shifang will return to Jiangsu soon to teach mathematics in two schools in Jiangsu, and two years later he will become a teacher. The head teacher of Shanghai Nanyang Public School.

After arriving at the West Road Higher Primary School, Li Yu saw a few parents bringing their children to sign up.

——Although the time seems strange, it’s really not a big deal, because people will come to sign up halfway through the new-style schools, and there are no strict rules for the school to start in September.

The management of the new-style schools is relatively loose.

Since the students who come here are all about the same, the class division is very good, and it is normal for the students in some classes to be three years old.

The tuition fee of the key new school is not high, just like the Chongshi School in Beijing before, the annual tuition fee is only more than one tael.

Even many higher primary schools not only do not charge tuition fees for enrolling students, but also give out money if they study well, which can be understood as scholarships.

At this time, several parents were chatting with each other:

"From your accent, isn't it from Wuchang?"

"Yes, I'm from De'an Mansion (now Xiaogan). I heard that the school here is good, and the children are a bit stupid. I don't expect to be a talent in the exam. Why don't you come to the new school, maybe you can make a name for yourself .”

"Your child looks very clever! My child is not good. He changed to three private schools. It is really naughty. The private school doesn't want it anymore. The villagers usually scare him with the foreign master. I think at least he will be obedient in the new school."

"Your children have been studying for at least a few years. My children can't compare. They haven't read many books, but I also know that studying is promising. Now I heard that the new school does not charge tuition fees, and it takes care of food and lodging. Where can I find this kind of school?" Kind of a good thing!"

"Then you'd better let the child study hard, and I heard that he can receive seven or eight taels of silver every year."

"Baby, did you hear that! If you study hard, you will get money!"

"I see that your baby is already this big, but mine is just 11 years old."

"Then what's the matter, isn't it the same if you are dozens of years old when you get fame?"

……

Anyway, the families who sent their children had various reasons, but Li Yu glanced over, but couldn't see the girls. This kind of concept is still not easy to change.

The receptionist at the registration office was a foreigner in his thirties who seemed to be a missionary.

At present, the students of schools such as the Normal Hall of Jingshi University have not yet graduated. Basically, schools built in various places will invite some foreigners to come to be teachers.

It is true that they know a little about Western learning.

Fortunately, the missionaries are more or less serious foreigners. At this time, the missionaries who can come to China basically have received formal education, and in order to establish a good image, they really treat education with heart.

The missionary sent the form to the students, and then said in Chinese: "Dear Chinese friends, please fill in the name, age, and place of origin of your child, and write down the level of education you have received below, so that the school can classify you. Lecture."

Parents were basically filling out the forms, except for a teenager who seemed to be doing it by himself, picking up a brush and writing.

Li Yu was strolling around looking at the school's layout, and when he happened to pass by the child, he suddenly heard him whisper: "Oops, I made a mistake."

Li Yu took a look, and it turned out that he had filled in the age "fourteen" in the name column.

Li Yu originally thought that he would ask for another registration form, but he didn't expect the child to change the word "ten" into the word "Li", and then added a "light" after the word "four".

Oh my god, the name? !

Li Siguang?
I saw that the child quickly filled in the column of hometown: Huanggang County, Huangzhou Prefecture.Then I wrote about my educational experience, which was basically taking classes in my own private school.

After he handed in the application form, Li Yu stopped him: "Li Siguang!"

The child looked at Li Yu and said in surprise, "This is my new name, how do you know?"

Li Yu said, "Just now I saw it from the side."

Li Siguang scratched his head: "You are not sent by your father, are you? There is nothing to worry about! I have already told him that I want to learn new things and study abroad."

Li Yu said, "I'm from the capital, and my name is Li Yu. Although my surname is Li, I don't know your father."

"Li Yu?" Li Siguang thought for a while, "The village has never heard of it."

Hua Shifang next to him smiled and said, "If you really stay abroad, you will probably hear about Li Yu's name soon."

Li Siguang looked at Hua Shifang and asked, "Grandpa, who are you?"

Hua Shifang is now 50 years old. At this time, people generally have children early. There is nothing wrong with being called a grandpa at 50 years old.

Hua Shifang said: "My name is Hua Shifang, and I used to teach mathematics at Ziqiang Academy."

Li Siguang said: "It turned out to be Mr. Hua! Father once mentioned you. He said that there are several good teachers of Western learning in the provincial capital, and you are among them."

Hua Shifang laughed loudly, and looked at Li Yu: "I never thought I would be more famous than you."

Li Yu also smiled and said, "After all, it's Hubei territory."

Then he said to Li Siguang: "So, you came to Wuchang by yourself?"

Li Siguang nodded: "Yes, I came by myself! But I have already inquired about it, and the new school is in charge of food and housing."

"Then you are quite courageous," Li Yu recalled the map in his mind, "It's not that close from Huanggang."

Although Li Yu had never been to Huanggang, he did a lot of Huanggang test papers when he was in school, so he couldn't help being familiar with it.

But Li Siguang said confidently: "What's the matter? I have been running around since I was a child. Don't underestimate me. I have never lost my way, let alone lost my way! No matter where I go, I can know things. .My father said that I know the way better than the old horse in the village!"

Well, after all, he is a great geologist in the future. Although he is only a 14-year-old child, tens of kilometers seems really easy.

Li Yu asked again: "What was your original name, why did you change your name to Li Siguang?"

"My real name is Li Zhongkui," Li Siguang said. "When I wrote my name in the wrong place just now, I thought there could only be one registration form. I happened to see a plaque in front of it that said 'Four Forms of Light Quilt'. I thought, Siguang , which means that all sides are bright, and the future is promising! Then I changed it to my current name Li Siguang. I like this name, and there are many things I want to do in the future."

Although his real name is not Li Siguang, but after this accident, Li Siguang really has been using this temporary name since then.

"Oh?" Li Yu became interested and asked again, "What do you want to do in the future?"

Li Siguang said: "I came to the provincial capital on a large foreigner's ship, and I will build a large ship in the future!"

Li Yu smiled and said, "I believe you can succeed."

Of course Li Siguang couldn't see why Li Yu was smiling, he thought he was praising himself: "Brother, just trust me!"

Li Yu also laughed, he didn't expect the young Li Siguang to be so funny.

Of course, when he later studied in Japan, he studied mechanics at the beginning, and then changed to geology when he went to the University of Birmingham to study abroad.

Li Yu asked curiously, "Your father didn't accompany you, does that mean he doesn't approve of your decision?"

Li Siguang shook his head: "Father didn't stop me too much, and later he was very supportive. As for why we didn't come, it's because our ancestors came from the grasslands, and this small road is really nothing."

Li Siguang's ancestors were indeed Mongolians, and they were exiled from the grasslands to Huanggang, Hubei.

Li Yu asked again: "For so many years, have you been studying in the private school at home?"

Li Siguang nodded this time: "It was my father who taught me, that's why he understood me and let me come to the provincial capital."

Li Yu gave a thumbs up: "Your decisions are all correct."

One more thing, Li Siguang's father was also the first teacher of the leader Lin of the Northeast Field Army.

At this time, the missionary teacher from the Higher Elementary School shouted: "All new students, please follow me to go through the admission procedures."

Li Siguang said to Li Yu, "I'm leaving."

Li Yu said, "Go ahead, we will meet later."

After Li Siguang left, Hua Shifang asked, "Why do you chat with this child so much?"

Li Yu looked at his back and said, "This kid has a bright future."

Hua Shifang also said: "A 14-year-old child who has the courage to come to the provincial capital independently has a bright future."

Li Yu asked again: "Does the school really give money to children?"

Hua Shifang said: "Of course, as long as you pass the exam, you will get money. If you are in the top five, you can even study abroad, and the school will pay for it."

The schools under Zhang Zhidong's rule are really big.

Although it is not effective in a short time, only if you are willing to spend money on education can you have a future.

Li Siguang is indeed a primary school bully in the West Road Higher Primary School. He basically always ranks among the best and gets scholarships every time.

Moreover, his learning ability is really strong. Originally, the schooling period of the primary school was four years, but in less than two years, Li Siguang got the opportunity to study in Japan.

The two looked around the school again. Although the new school looked completely incomparable with the later generations, as the beginning of the twentieth century, it couldn't force too much.

The key is that people take care of food and housing and return the money, and being able to study abroad after studying well is basically a broad road.

But even so, many wealthy households are not willing to let their children go to this kind of school. After all, those with vested interests benefit from the imperial examination.

Therefore, almost all the children who attended the new-style primary schools in the early days were poor children. The system of boarding, free food and lodging, good study and money in primary schools really attracted them too much.

Most of the children of the poor do not have a good impression or sense of belonging to the Qing government, so many of them will choose the revolutionary road in the future.

It seems that there is a little bit of causality in the faint.

Although the original intention of the Qing government to open new-style primary schools was to make themselves stronger, they certainly never imagined that the new-style schools blooming everywhere seemed to be digging a grave for the decadent Qing government.

Anyway, it's rotten to the root, and it can't be cured, so just obediently bury it in the soil.

After finishing the elementary school, Hua Shifang took Li Yu to look at the Lianghu Academy and the Craft Academy.

It seems that the biggest difference is that the students are around 20 years old, and the content of learning is similar, but the subjects are correspondingly more.

Anyway, it is almost at this level now, and it will take at least a few more years for the situation to change.

The next day, Hua Shifang took Li Yu to the laboratory of Hanyang Steel Pharmaceutical Factory.

Xu Jianyin did understand chemistry. At first glance, the test tubes inside looked decent, but it was a pity that not many people could use them to their full potential.

In a trance, Li Yu seemed to have returned to the scene of chemistry class in middle school.

Although Li Yu knew that the aluminum and fertilizer industries were not easy, but he had said everything, and Zhang Zhidong had to see some small results.

There are several technical school students in the laboratory, they just know how to use test tubes.

The principle of aluminum production is relatively simple. Li Yu led these students to do several redox reactions in high school chemistry, and obtained the material for preparing electrolytic aluminum—alumina, which is aluminum oxide.

It was actually a very simple experiment, but these students were dumbfounded when they saw Li Yu's skillful operation.

After Li Yu taught them in detail several times, they also mastered it proficiently.

But this is only a step in the principle, and we can only talk about it later when there is electricity.

There is some hope for aluminum production, but as for the synthetic ammonia industry of chemical fertilizers, it is a bit troublesome.

And to be honest, the process of synthesizing ammonia is still a high-level German secret, and other countries did not understand it until World War I.

But no matter how secret it is, Li Yu understands the principle.

And the key is to have a catalyst. This is the secret among the secrets. Li Yu only vaguely remembers that the key to the catalyst is iron oxide. Fortunately, knowing it can save a lot of detours.

As for now, it is enough to let these students know that the saltpeter in their hands has many uses.

As for more in-depth matters, they are still unable to grasp, and there is no condition yet.

But just like this, these students were already overjoyed, they never imagined that saltpeter could have so many uses.

Li Yu could only smile wryly: "Now the most important function of saltpeter is to make explosives."

Almost all the saltpeter was used by the military during World War I, but even so, it is better for them to understand.After all, chemical industry is a major core of heavy industry. Even if it is not possible to do it on a large scale due to conditions, at least they should understand it.

Unbeknownst to these few students, they had acquired a secret technique that had been studied by the German chemical community for many years.

As for the application, Li Yu sighed lightly, no matter what, it is a step to take one more step.

(End of this chapter)