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

The Shanghai Scientific Instrument Museum opened by Zhong Guanguang is located on Shanghai Wuma Road, which is today's Guangdong Road, and belongs to the scope of the public concession.

The location is very good, very close to the Bund, [-] meters to the north and three blocks away is the core of Shanghai today - Nanjing Road.

The Commercial Press is on Henan Road, which is closer, and it takes less than 10 minutes to walk.

The two arrived at Zhong Guanguang's Shanghai Scientific Instrument Museum. There were indeed quite a lot of instruments inside, and it felt like entering a school laboratory.

Zhong Guanguang immediately greeted his friend Yu Heqin: "Heqin, look who's coming!"

Yu Heqin was one of the earliest chemists in modern China, and the first to systematically propose a Chinese naming scheme for organic compounds.

Yu Heqin has a good relationship with Zhong Guanguang, and the two have been teaching mathematics, physics and chemistry together.

Of course he knew Li Yu's name, and said excitedly, "It turned out to be a real person! It's amazing, it's amazing! Come in and sit down, today you have to guide and guide us two brothers."

Li Yu said with a smile: "I can't talk about guidance, but there will be cooperation. I plan to build schools in Shanghai and other places in the future, and I will inevitably buy your equipment."

"New school? What a great idea! If you can do it yourself, it must be better than foreign church schools." Yu Heqin praised.

Li Yu walked around in their instrument hall, and the basic experimental instruments such as beakers, flasks, capacitors, and wires were quite complete.

However, basically all the instruments have Japanese characters on them, that is, imported products.

"Have you ever thought about giving birth by yourself?" Li Yu asked.

Zhong Guanguang said helplessly: "To be honest, we two brothers had this idea at the beginning, and even thought about building a phosphorus plant, but it failed not long after. Because everything has to be imported, even the equipment, Equipment and chemicals have to be entrusted to foreign businessmen to buy them, and such a high cost makes it impossible to operate.”

Li Yu nodded: "The phosphorus factory is indeed a bit difficult."

This is almost the case. The phosphorus industry is very hungry for mineral deposits. my country's phosphate rocks are basically located in the southwest region. The current development is too backward and it is really impossible to mine them.

Not to mention mining, it is very troublesome to find out.

Even a little phosphorus can make a match.

Yu Heqin is not discouraged at all: "I think it's better to make glass in the future. If you can make instruments, you can't do without sales. Now it's purely imported, and the profit is too weak."

Li Yu said: "I heard that there is a glass factory in Zibo, Shandong. You can go to them."

The current information is quite backward. Many people don't even know that China has always had glass, but it has been ignored.

In ancient China, the focus was on ceramics, while in the West it was on glass, which led to very different technological trees since then.

After all, glass may seem unimportant, but it has actually affected many fields such as optics, chemistry, astronomy, and microbiology.

Yu Heqin is very interested in glass. After all, he is a chemistry enthusiast and cannot do without bottles and jars of various experimental instruments. He said in surprise, "I really didn't know there was such a place."

Li Yu encouraged and said, "You can go and investigate."

Since several decades ago, the production of colored glaze in Boshan, Zibo has been corporatized, and the production and sales volume is not small. The products are also exported by sea from Qingdao and sold abroad.

However, Boshan’s glass mainly produces glassware and flat glass for export and the domestic high-end market. It is still a little far away from ordinary life. They are all kinds of jade, screens, chess pieces, rosary beads, and Buddha’s eyes. Playthings of some dignitaries.

The glass manufacturing in the Qing palace is similar, and glass products are purely used as luxury handicrafts for fun.

As for the real daily use of glass, the products produced by many glass workshops in China cannot be compared with foreign products.

Yu Heqin was really interested in this: "I wonder if they can make experimental equipment."

Li Yu said with a smile: "Even if you can't, you can try to discuss it."

Yu Heqin said: "It would be the best if you can learn the craft, and it will be more comfortable to make it yourself in the future."

"That's a good idea. In a market as big as Shanghai, there will definitely be a lot of sales," Li Yu said. "But if you really want to learn some advanced craftsmanship, it's better to study abroad."

The factory is not responsible for teaching, and now there is a threshold for apprenticeships, so if you really want to learn manufacturing, you still have to go to school.

"I am planning to study in Japan, not only to learn how to make glass, but also to learn the latest chemical theory," Yu Heqin said, "Also, a few days ago I was looking at the When reading a chemistry book, I suddenly found Mr. Mendeleev’s chemical periodic table and mentioned that you inspired him to make a new periodic table.”

Li Yu said, "Your information is quite fast."

Zhong Guanguang also said: "At that time we thought they had the same name, but Mr. Mendeleev emphasized that it was Li Yu from China."

Yu Heqin said: "I have always admired him as an old man. I really didn't expect that Mr. Li Yu had met him in person and could help him in his research work."

Li Yu said with a smile: "It's just a whim. The main work, Professor Mendeleev, has been completed."

"That's not easy!" Yu Heqin sighed, "Hey, my knowledge is still too backward. If I want to catch up, it seems that going abroad for further study is inevitable. I have also heard that many people went to Japan to study."

"Then go," Li Yu said. "Although Japanese universities are not as good as those in Europe and the United States, they have reached normal levels."

Yu Heqin said: "It's really good to go to Japan to learn. I just want to know how they developed from a poor country."

Afterwards, Yu Heqin will study chemistry at Imperial University in Japan. It is said that after returning to China, he was awarded Jinshi of the Gewu Zhizhi Division by the Qing court and reviewed by the Imperial Academy.

Li Yu chatted with them for a while. They were very interested in Li Yu's scientific research results. After all, they had been studying science by themselves, but Li Yu's things were relatively advanced, and they were confused at the moment.

Li Yu told them about the knowledge of mathematics and science they need to learn these things, and they were already exclaimed in disbelief.

Li Yu stayed for most of the day, and left after leaving his telegram contact information.

-

Now that Xie Yuxi has plenty of money, they stayed at the Shanghai Huizhong Hotel, which is also the famous Peace Hotel in later generations.

The view of this place is really good, and the food is quite good, but it has not reached the grandeur of the remodeled Peace Hotel.

This morning, when Li Yu was still eating, Cai Yuanpei and another person came to find him.

Anyway, the concession is not big now, so it's easy to find him.

Cai Yuanpei said: "Mr. Li Yu, this is Father Ma Xiangbo. I heard that you have arrived in Shanghai again. I will definitely come to see you."

Li Yu hadn't finished his meal, so he stood up quickly and said, "Father Ma, I've been waiting for a long time!"

Ma Xiangbo was over 60 years old, and said: "I wanted to see you last time, but unfortunately you left too fast."

This Ma Xiangbo is the founder of Fudan University.

Since he is called a priest, it means that he believes in Christianity.

——The missionary missions of European and American missionaries in China have failed as a whole. As an authentic Christianity, the believers and appeal are not even comparable to Hong Xiuquan's "God Worship Association".Also really drunk.

However, European and American missionaries failed again, and it took so many years to achieve some results.

Ma Xiangbo's parents are devout Christians, so Ma Xiangbo was baptized as soon as he was born, and he also received the title of Doctor of Theology when he grew up.

However, in 1876, because he raised 2000 taels of silver to relieve the victims of the disaster, he was confinement by the church and "saved his fault". He left the Jesuits and returned to secular life in anger.But he still believes in Catholicism.

Ma Xiangbo was proficient in many languages, and was valued by Li Hongzhang since then, but what he never expected was that what he did the most was to follow Li Hongzhang to various negotiating tables, act as an interpreter, and sign one after another unequal treaties that forfeited power and humiliated the country.

It's so sad.

After Li Hongzhang was notorious for betraying his country, Ma Xiangbo was also called a traitor, and he was Li Hongzhang's watchdog and running dog.

He couldn't figure out why he was scolded by people all over the world in exchange for clearly devoting himself to serving the country.

At this time, he was approaching his sixtieth birthday, and Ma Xiangbo suddenly became enlightened, and he didn't want to continue messing around in the officialdom, and started to engage in education instead.

It just so happened that when I returned to Shanghai, I encountered a strike at Nanyang Public School.

Cai Yuanpei asked Ma Xiangbo, who lived near Nanyang Public School, to set up a school teaching Latin, French and mathematics to accept these students. Ma Xiangbo readily agreed, that is, Aurora College.

In fact, Cai Yuanpei, including Zhang Yuanji, Li Shutong, Yu Youren and other famous people can be regarded as Ma Xiangbo's disciples.

When Cai Yuanpei found out that Ma Xiangbo had learned Latin, Ma Xiangbo said to him: "You are alone, and you are middle-aged. What is the use of learning?"

The implication is naturally to find some young people, and young people will be the pillars of the country in the future.

Ma Xiangbo was very happy that Cai Yuanpei had attracted so many people this time, so with the assistance of the French Catholic Church, he opened the Aurora Academy on the former site of the Xujiahui Observatory.

Aurora comes from Sanskrit, which is the name of China in ancient India.

Li Yudao: "At that time, I was in a hurry to go to Wuchang to meet Mr. Zhang, and it was indeed a bit hasty."

Ma Xiangbo said: "I just established a Zhendan Academy, and many of the students in it know your name. I must let the old man invite you to give a speech. I wonder if I can sell the old man to save face?"

Li Yu smiled and said, "Of course it's no problem."

Although Aurora College cannot be regarded as Fudan University in the strict sense, but the origin is too deep, and since Aurora College was withdrawn, many departments were still assigned to Fudan University.

Ma Xiangbo said: "Your Excellency is an emperor's teacher, and you are proficient in science. You have won the honor of foreign academician of the Royal Society. I think students will welcome it very much."

Cai Yuanpei also said: "I also brought people from the Patriotic Society to listen."

"Very good," Ma Xiangbo said, "Maybe I can recruit some students for my college."

Aurora College can be regarded as the first private university in modern China. It has just started this year, and it has only been a few months.

The church is also not interfering with school operations now.

But the Christian Church will forcibly take over Aurora Academy in two years and turn it into a missionary school.At that time, Ma Xiangbo left school in anger with a group of students and founded Fudan University.

The so-called "Fudan" has the double meaning of "restoring Aurora and revitalizing China".

It can be seen that the difficulties and failures of Christianity in trying to preach in China...it will not work even if it is changed to a church school.

The number of students in the first batch of Aurora Academy was very small, only 20 students.There are only two majors: "Literature" and "Science".

Li Yu's name is very famous in the school, and together with the two principals, all 20 people plus hundreds of people from the Patriotic Society squeezed into the small campus of Aurora College.

Ma Xiangbo is not young, and his voice is not small: "Be quiet! Everyone has seen that today is Mr. Li Yu, the emperor of the dynasty and a master of science. There are not many opportunities to hear Mr. Li's teachings. From now on, everyone should be like Li Yu." Like Mr. Yu, he is diligent in learning and is famous all over the world."

Li Yu walked up to the crowd and said loudly: "Principal Ma asked me to talk about something. There is obviously not enough time to talk about science, and today is not a seminar. So I want to talk about how everyone should improve science in this era. Get out of a way.

Since you all aspire to enter the school of western learning, of course you also understand the importance of science.Strong ships and guns are just the appearance of the strength of the foreigners, and their political, legal and industrial level are the key behind it.

And what determines the level of industry is the level of science.

I want to tell you that once you want to take the road of science, you must first know that it will be a long and tortuous route.

The scientific theories or categories of science that support a powerful industry are extremely complex, not only mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, etc., but they are also just major categories.What you will study in the future is the subdivision of disciplines, such as electromagnetism, structural mechanics, materials science, pharmaceutical science, etc. There are various majors, but each one is very important.

So this is a comprehensive matter, and a person can only break through in a certain direction.Then tens of thousands of people gather to make science strong, and then promote the power of industry.

This is completely different from the past pure study of Confucian classics. It requires everyone to disperse to study new things, instead of staring at ancient books and wondering why the ancients said so.

What science wants is innovation, not retro.

Of course, I am not saying that there is no need to study Confucian classics, it is just that we lack scientific talents now.

So I hope that you can lay a solid foundation when learning elementary mathematics and science, because what is written in the textbook is the most basic content.

Yes, they are all the most basic things, nothing new, because foreigners are all primary and secondary school knowledge.

Since foreigners are not afraid of us learning, it means that only learning them can't do much.

The things you will learn in the future are far more difficult than those in textbooks, and you will encounter countless difficulties.

But you have also seen that now we are riddled with holes, so no matter how hard we study, we don't suffer from being hung on our necks. "

After Li Yu finished speaking, Cai Yuanpei was the first to applaud: "Wonderful, no matter how hard you study, how can you suffer from being bullied."

This sentence is actually a well-known sentence in the world of adult education in later generations: If you can’t bear the hardships of learning, you must suffer the hardships of life.At this time, Li Yu made a slight modification, and the effect was very good.

When Ma Xiangbo was negotiating with Li Hongzhang back then, he had seen too many domineering foreigners. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he held his cane firmly and said, "Bitter! We are the most miserable people in the world!"

The students from Nanyang Public School and Patriotic Society were passionate young people, including Zou Rong. They had also seen enough of the broken mountains and rivers. Li Yu's words touched their hearts.

"It turns out that it is so difficult to be strong."

"So, if we want to defeat Tsarist Russia, we need thousands of people who are proficient in Western learning. What kind of volunteer team are we? Only by learning the real thing can we defeat them!"

Li Yu was inspired by their generous speeches at the Russia Rejection Conference. They are all basic people. There is no problem in protesting, but it is really unnecessary to set up a volunteer team. The real effort is best spent on studying .

If a group of students think about being a volunteer team to fight against the Russian regular army every day, it is unwise to be cannon fodder.

Originally, this kind of thing was what the Qing court should do. If the Qing court did not do it, the root cause would still lie with the Qing court, and the target selection would not be accurate.

The Aixinjueluo of the Qing court have betrayed the country for so many years, and they have almost sold out their old background.

They don't want to solve the problem, but now they are desperately trying to solve the person who raised the problem. After that, they will try their best to suppress the students who participated in the anti-Russian movement, which is really ridiculous.

It's okay for people to reject Russia, and they think it's a revolution when they gather for a meeting.

But Li Yu's speech was very successful. Relying on his fame, Aurora Academy will soon become famous, and many students came to sign up.

Among them were those who devoted themselves to revolution after that: Yu Youren, Shao Lizi, etc.

Make up tomorrow morning~