Yung Wing
Encyclopedia
Yung Wing. Born in Zhuhai
in Guangdong
province, he studied in Robert Morrison's missionary schools as a boy where Tong King-sing
was a classmate.
university, graduating from Yale College
in 1854 and having been sponsored by Samuel Robbins Brown
(1810–1880). He was a member of the Phi chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon
Fraternity. After finishing his studies, Yung Wing returned to Qing Dynasty
China and worked with western missionaries as an interpreter. In 1859, he accepted an invitation to the court of the Taiping rebels
in Nanjing
, but his proposals aimed at increasing the efficiency of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
were all eventually refused. In 1863, Yung Wing was dispatched to the United States by Zeng Guofan
to buy machinery necessary for opening an arsenal in China capable of producing heavy weapons comparable with those of the western powers. The arsenal later became Jiangnan Shipyard
.
Yung Wing was naturalized as an American citizen on October 30, 1852, and in 1876, he married Mary Kellogg, an American. They had two children: Morrison Brown Yung and Bartlett Golden Yung. At Yale's centennial commencement in 1876, Yung Wing received an honorary Doctor of Laws.
He persuaded the Qing Dynasty government to send young Chinese to the United States to study Western science
and engineering
. With the government's eventual approval, he organized what came to be known as the Chinese Educational Mission
, which included 120 young Chinese students, to study in the New England
region of the United States beginning in 1872. The Educational Mission was disbanded in 1881, but many of the students later returned to China and made significant contributions to China's civil services, engineering, and the sciences.
Yung Wing was a lifelong supporter of reform in China. He had followed the lead of the Guangxu Emperor
, whom Yung described as the great pioneer of reform in China. The coup d'état of 1898 by the Empress Dowager Cixi
aborted the reforms, and many of the reformers were decapitated. A price of $70,000 was placed on Yung's head and he fled Shanghai
to Hong Kong
. While in Hong Kong, he applied to the US Consul to return to the US. In a 1902 letter from the US Secretary of State John Sherman, Yung was informed that his US citizenship that he had held for 50 years was revoked and he would not be allowed to return to the United States. Through the help of friends, he was able to sneak into the United States in time to see his youngest son, Bartlett, graduate from Yale. He lived his remaining years in poverty in Hartford, Connecticut
and died in 1912.
Yung Wing's grave is located at Cedar Hill Cemetery outside Hartford, Connecticut.
P.S. 124, a public elementary school at 40 Division St. in Chinatown in New York City
, NY, is named after Yung Wing.
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Zhuhai
Zhuhai is a prefecture-level city on the southern coast of Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in the Pearl River Delta, Zhuhai borders Jiangmen to the northwest, Zhongshan to the north, and Macau to the south. Zhuhai was one of the original Special Economic Zones...
in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
province, he studied in Robert Morrison's missionary schools as a boy where Tong King-sing
Tong King-sing
Tong King-sing , also known as Tang Tingshu was a Chinese comprador, interpreter, and businessman during the late Qing dynasty. Born in Xiangshan, Guangdong province, he studied in Robert Morrison's missionary schools as a boy and his classmates included Yung Wing...
was a classmate.
Biography
Yung was the first Chinese student to graduate from a U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
university, graduating from Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in 1854 and having been sponsored by Samuel Robbins Brown
Samuel Robbins Brown
Samuel Robbins Brown was an American missionary to China and Japan with the Dutch Reformed Church.-Birth and Education:...
(1810–1880). He was a member of the Phi chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
Fraternity. After finishing his studies, Yung Wing returned to Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
China and worked with western missionaries as an interpreter. In 1859, he accepted an invitation to the court of the Taiping rebels
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was an oppositional state in China from 1851 to 1864, established by Hong Xiuquan, the leader of the Taiping Rebellion...
in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, but his proposals aimed at increasing the efficiency of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was an oppositional state in China from 1851 to 1864, established by Hong Xiuquan, the leader of the Taiping Rebellion...
were all eventually refused. In 1863, Yung Wing was dispatched to the United States by Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan was an eminent Han Chinese official, military general, and devout Confucian scholar of the late Qing Dynasty in China....
to buy machinery necessary for opening an arsenal in China capable of producing heavy weapons comparable with those of the western powers. The arsenal later became Jiangnan Shipyard
Jiangnan Shipyard
Jiangnan Shipyard is a historic shipyard located in Shanghai, China. The shipyard has been state owned since its founding in 1865 and is now operated by Jiangnan Shipyard Co. Ltd. Before 2009, the shipyard was located to the south of central Shanghi Jiangnan Shipyard is a historic shipyard...
.
Yung Wing was naturalized as an American citizen on October 30, 1852, and in 1876, he married Mary Kellogg, an American. They had two children: Morrison Brown Yung and Bartlett Golden Yung. At Yale's centennial commencement in 1876, Yung Wing received an honorary Doctor of Laws.
He persuaded the Qing Dynasty government to send young Chinese to the United States to study Western science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. With the government's eventual approval, he organized what came to be known as the Chinese Educational Mission
Chinese Educational Mission
The Chinese Educational Mission was the pioneering but frustrated attempt to educate a group of 120 Chinese students in the United States....
, which included 120 young Chinese students, to study in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
region of the United States beginning in 1872. The Educational Mission was disbanded in 1881, but many of the students later returned to China and made significant contributions to China's civil services, engineering, and the sciences.
Yung Wing was a lifelong supporter of reform in China. He had followed the lead of the Guangxu Emperor
Guangxu Emperor
The Guangxu Emperor , born Zaitian of the Aisin-Gioro clan, was the eleventh emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, under Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898...
, whom Yung described as the great pioneer of reform in China. The coup d'état of 1898 by the Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
aborted the reforms, and many of the reformers were decapitated. A price of $70,000 was placed on Yung's head and he fled Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. While in Hong Kong, he applied to the US Consul to return to the US. In a 1902 letter from the US Secretary of State John Sherman, Yung was informed that his US citizenship that he had held for 50 years was revoked and he would not be allowed to return to the United States. Through the help of friends, he was able to sneak into the United States in time to see his youngest son, Bartlett, graduate from Yale. He lived his remaining years in poverty in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
and died in 1912.
Yung Wing's grave is located at Cedar Hill Cemetery outside Hartford, Connecticut.
P.S. 124, a public elementary school at 40 Division St. in Chinatown in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, NY, is named after Yung Wing.
External links
- The Yung Wing Project contains the transcribed text of Yung Wing's memoir My Life in China and America.
- CEM Connections presents basic data and photos of the 120 students of the Chinese Educational Mission.
- The Red Dragon Scheme reveals the last chapter of Yung Wing's life.
- For a comparative perspective on Yung Wing's Sino-American Educational Mission of the 1870s and Prosper Giquel's Sino-European Educational Missions of the same period see The SINO-EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL MISSIONS 1875-86 Asia Profile, vol. 16, no. 5 1988
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