October 7, 1888 (, September third) Lunar New Year, the Qing government development Navy Northern Navy formally established.

1888, the Qing government approved the the Northern Navy constitution, the Beiyang Navy formally into the military. At that time, the Northern Fleet 25, with the size of the ships. Subsequent ships tune into. On the eve of the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, a total of 42 ships of the Northern Fleet, tonnage of 45,000 tons. However, only six years after the Army, even this huge fleet annihilated.
Navy is a product of modern industrialization, China had no navy. Britain launched the Opium War, their ships and armament, blew open the door of the long-closed-door policy of China. Before the Chinese people to know for the first time as a matter of navy Thus, when the state-of-the-art of Chinese people began to germinate the idea of ​​the establishment of the Navy. The Lin Zexu that the Navy is the Western "special skills", China should learn, "made gun will seek extremely Lee, shipbuilding will seek Adamantine" with which to compete for the sea in order to "winning". His idea was Wei Yuan, with the phrase "technology in the Western barbarian long in general it had a huge impact in the Hereafter.
However, the course of the development of China Navy after several twists and turns. Before the 1860s, the Chinese people simply do not understand, could not produce in the soil of the feudal mode of production to powerful navy. After the Opium War, the Qing government officials to face the reality of people steer a boat and I knot raft ", to have Bo visit Yangchuan schema counterfeit, but still holding an old idea to look at the Navy new things. The late 1940s, Western countries have warships propeller. After entering the 1950s, Britain, France and other countries have started the construction of a steam ship propeller. At the same time, Muke warships have gradually been replaced with ironclads or steel armor warships. Chinese imitators just to ship similar the safety foot water wheel in order to ship fast, to elect solid wood and Mongolia rawhide in order to ship the Kennedy thought can successfully rely on hand-craftsmen and write. This, of course, will not have any effect. To the early 1960s, Tseng and Tso continue in Anqing, Hangzhou own replica ships, or has been a failure. In this way, they realized that manufacturing ships introduction of machine production technology is to die. After a quarter of a century, suffered several serious setbacks, the Chinese people in the shipbuilding issue only occur a change in mindset.
concept update brings the development of the shipbuilding industry. In 1866, according to Tso recommendations, the Foochow Navy (referred to as "Fujian Bureau") was established to begin the purchase of the machine, the employment of foreign technicians, artisans supervision the ship. The Fujian Bureau not only construction troopship culture shipbuilding and driving talent and later built the Northern Navy, which will lay the foundation. The Qing government was ordered in October 1879 to build the North marine army. December 1881, only two years after the Northern Navy initially built. Li Hongzhang petitioned to Ding Ruchang Northern Navy admirals, change the triangle Navy flag rectangular navy flag. This is the first Navy flag hangs on in their own warships. Northern Navy cruisers, gunboats, practice ship 12, has begun to take shape. Subsequently, the Northern Navy continued expansion the Northern Navy is the largest of a fleet of modern China, until in 1888 the military far, started to officially into the military before last 9 years, the speed is fast enough. This was so, the Qing government implemented a policy of opening up to a certain extent.
Fujian Bureau is China's major shipbuilding industrial base, the 25-year period from 1869 to the Sino-Japanese war outbreak shipbuilding 34, 11 allocated to the Northern Navy. Fujian Bureau began only made a few hundred tons of small wooden gun ship, then you can build a 2,000-ton steel armor Clippers, this is a big step forward. China's modern new ships from Fujian Bureau, was known as the "Chinese Navy bud beginning. Before the Northern Navy, the Army, Fujian Bureau, represented by the level of China's shipbuilding industry is not lower than that of Japan, even more than the Japanese. To the early completion of a naval fleet has considerable strength, the Qing government to take a parallel approach shipbuilding and buy a boat. 7 warships from Germany, Britain and China-made in China constitute the main force of the Northern Fleet. Northern Navy, its strength into the military after living in the Far East, countries are Guamuxiangdai.
, the Qing government in order to accelerate the navy personnel training and the creation of a new naval school. Which is the most outstanding achievements the Fujian Bureau the Chuanzheng attached and Tianjin Naval Academy, China has trained a large number of the Navy personnel earliest. To the eve of the Sino-Japanese War, the two school, the most especially Chuanzheng graduates become the backbone and the backbone of the Northern Navy. The the the Northern Navy reuse school students background, but that does not discriminate against autodidacts who grew up in practice, Gejian duct tape, the first mate, over two held by shipping raw. While training, incentives talent, the Qing government to send naval personnel to study abroad and sending students. For example, Ding Yu Chang, Deng Shichang et al. Repeatedly then ship the machine to study the status and trends of the development of Western naval much Cheyne. Fujian Bureau has sent three batches of 78 students, Liu Buchan, linte had, Lin Yongsheng, Sa town ice, Yan Fu is one of the best. , The Qing government also has sent four batches of official 120 students, after returning to school mostly transferred to the Navy held senior positions. At the same time, the Qing government and from abroad to hire technical personnel. Foreign staff served as instructors, driving, maintenance, artillery works professional technical nature of the work, most of them for their dedication, there is merit. Later in the Sino-Japanese naval battle in some foreign staff also pro-risk gunfire, struggling to combat, or seriously wounded or lost their lives, together with the Chinese officers and men of blood spilled. This self-nurture talent mainly with borrowed before exotic supplemented by the principle, it should be said to be effective.
for a period of time, the Qing government to the development of the Navy's determination seems to be great. After the Second Opium War, the left-tong, pointed out that: "the West countries steamer troopship direct Tianjin barriers competing into dummy, Xingchi soared cite without sufficient when the. Therefore proposed: "At this point southeast of tasks to build ships for the first. Qing government adopted the the Tso recommendations, approved the creation of the Foochow Navy. In 1874, Japanese troops in Taiwan after the incident, the Qing government began to perceive Japan "for China permanent scourge", proceeded to build Sanyo Navy, and decided to be custom-made to the German factory volt Erkeng two ironclads. Fujian navy annihilated in the Sino-French War. After the war, the Qing court in imperial decrees declared: "When the matter given when the Navy, since in order to promote peace and order-based pedagogical. "The above facts show that stimulation of foreign aggression and contribute to the development of the Navy's determination of the Qing government. At that time, the strength of the opposition is still very large, they not only oppose the purchase of advanced Western warships equipped navy, and opposition to "Learn the skills. Such as: the armored boat harmful no good "," not purchase Yangchuan, not modeled manufacturing "anything too will effect the enemy long skills before they can prepare the the Imperial enemies of reasonable", and so on. The Qing government to get rid of all kinds of resistance, the Northern Navy can into the military, does show a certain determination. However, this determination does not really stick to it. The Northern Navy into the military, and its development will enter a phase of stagnation, a warship, no longer Additions update a gun. Originally, the beginning into the military strength of the Northern Navy over the Japanese Navy. Especially given far Zhenyuan two 7,000-ton ironclads, the Japanese Navy was not yet, so the fear of "even in a Haw Par. However, in order to launch a large-scale war of aggression against China, Japan, the Meiji government committed to the expansion of the Navy, Emperor Mu benevolence even save the palace expenses set aside within the public funds that funding for shipbuilding. Japanese navy defeated Dingyuan, Zhenyuan as the goal, specifically designed and manufactured Hashidate, Pine Island, Itsukushima three 4,000-ton warship, known as "the three most scenic ship. Thus, in the six years of Sino-Japanese prewar Japan average each year to add two of the new ship, its equipment far more than the quality of the Northern Fleet. At that time, there are a small number of officials to the the Japan "Upgrading Wubei will I suffer from" force Chen to strengthen naval forces, but was not adopted. The Qing Dynasty, the ruling clique in the previous period a little sense of crisis, then, after slightly into, began to get carried away, smug up. Once showed that the vitality is heavy and huge idler suppressed. Until two months before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war Li saw the ship in Japan-year-old Tim reality, this issue "after burglary consider life difficult following the" lament, but unfortunately too late.
in the Sino-Japanese war in the Northern Fleet and the Japanese combined fleet combat three times, the majority of the officers and men of the heroic stroke enemy, fought a bloody war to defend the country kills ambition contingent empty cup, so it is hard to restore the defeat. This huge fleet or annihilated.