Training the Heavens

Chapter 250 Xuhui Public School
Zhang Xingjiu also saw several members of the Zhou family at the wedding. In fact, Zhou Guizhen and A Zhang are members of the same big family. In fact, A Zhang and Fei Fei are also relatives.

Feifei and A Zhang both belong to the Zhou family of Shaoxing. Feifei is the 32nd generation descendant of Zhou Tao, the second son of Zhou Dunyi, while A Zhang is the 31st generation descendant of Zhou Tao, the second son of Zhou Dunyi. If we count by seniority, A Zhang is still Feifei's uncle.

Many years later, when Feifei met A Zhang's third brother, she mentioned this relationship and called A Zhang's third brother uncle.

Moreover, the relationship between the two of them is more than just this one. A Zhang's mother, Lu Rui, is also the cousin of Fei Fei's grandmother. Their two families can be said to be doubly related, whether from the father's side or the mother's side.

After attending the wedding and returning home, Zhang Xingjiu thought about it all night and finally decided on his future plans. He did not plan to get involved in military and political affairs, but he could make a small contribution to China in science.

First learn the scientific knowledge of this period, use the later knowledge in your mind to build a name and establish a certain reputation, and then go to university to train students, so that when Feifei and his partners take charge of the country in the future, these students will also be able to contribute to the development of the country.

However, it is not easy to learn Western knowledge now. Sheng Xuanhuai will establish the Beiyang Western Learning School in Tianjin next year. However, the school has strict admission requirements and requires students to have a certain foundation in Western knowledge. At the same time, the courses offered are not very reasonable. There are only four subjects: law, civil engineering, mining and metallurgy, and mechanical engineering. These are not what Zhang Xingjiu wants to study.

The other Western-style universities were founded even later. The Imperial University of Peking was not established until four years later, and the Shanxi University was not established until ten years later.

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhang Xingjiu felt that it was a bit too late to wait until the Imperial University of Peking was established. He planned to study abroad. For a long time to come, a resume of studying abroad would be very popular. If he could gild himself, it would be easier for him to get a job at a university.

There were several main ways to study abroad in the late Qing Dynasty. The first was to send young children to study in the United States. From 1872 to 1875, at the initiative of Yung Wing and with the support of Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, the Qin court sent four groups of students to study in the United States, but this has now been stopped.

This was followed by a wave of studying in Japan. The disastrous defeat in the naval battle greatly stimulated Chinese intellectuals and reformists, and the calls for Westernization and reform grew increasingly louder. A large number of students went to Japan, hoping to learn modern experience and knowledge from their suddenly rising eastern neighbor.

A Zhang was influenced by this trend and chose to go to Japan, but Zhang Xingjiu didn't think much of Japan. Since he wanted to gild himself, it would naturally be better to go to Europe and the United States.

The third wave came more than ten years later, when the U.S. Congress passed a bill authorizing President Roosevelt to return to China the portion of the Boxer Indemnity that exceeded the actual losses suffered by the United States, and use the money to help China run schools and fund Chinese students to study in the United States.

After that, Britain, Japan and France followed the example of the United States and returned part of the Boxer Indemnity to develop higher education in China, thus forming a special study abroad activity that lasted for nearly half a century - the Boxer Indemnity Study Abroad.

Mei Yiqi, who later became the lifelong president of Tsinghua University, Jin Bangzheng, president of Beijing Higher Agricultural School, Hu Gangfu, one of the founders of modern physics in China, Zhang Zigao, the pioneer of modern chemistry in China, and Xu Peihuang, who was once elected president of the Chinese Society of Engineers, all studied abroad through this method.

However, the time for the Boxer Indemnity Scholarship was too late, and Zhang Xingjiu really couldn't wait. Fortunately, there was still a way to study abroad, which was to go at his own expense.

Qian Zhangxingjiu has no shortage of money. Now that he has the status of a scholar, it will not cause too much trouble for him to take out some money. When he arrives in Europe and the United States, he is confident that he will get a scholarship, which will be enough to support his study abroad expenses.

But studying abroad isn't just about money; you need connections, at least someone to introduce you, to get the necessary tuition. These days, there are no study abroad agencies; these channels are often controlled by high-ranking foreigners. These include envoys from various countries stationed in China, scholars who come to spread knowledge, and missionaries. Only by gaining their trust can you get a letter of introduction from them and study abroad in Europe and the United States.

Shaoxing now has churches and missionaries. French missionary Liu Anduo built Joseph Church near Baji Bridge in Shaoxing. Since then, it has been presided over by foreign missionaries.

Zhang Xingjiu decided to go to Baji Bridge to find a missionary to inquire about the news. He concealed his identity, sneaked into the church, and found the priest to ask. When the priest heard that he wanted to study abroad in Europe and the United States, he was immediately very excited.

Since arriving in Shaoxing, they had only been able to attract some lower-class people to join the church by giving away free rice. Few educated people were interested in the church, and now some people wanted to study abroad? This was simply a treasure sent by God.

The priest quickly introduced Zhang Xingjiu to a way. More than forty years ago, the Jesuit missionary Nan Gelu founded a new school in the XH district of Shanghai, named St. Ignatius School.

Although it is a church school, students are not forced to convert, and the courses taught are mostly French, Latin, music, art, science, etc.

"If you can achieve excellent results and are able to afford the cost of studying abroad, I think there will be someone willing to recommend you to study in Europe. If your grades are exceptionally good, you may even be able to find a sponsor." The missionary described a beautiful picture to Zhang Xingjiu.

It’s settled. This school perfectly meets his needs. Zhang Xingjiu immediately asked him to help write a letter of recommendation. The missionary readily agreed and immediately wrote the letter in Chinese and Latin and handed it to Zhang Xingjiu.

In the next few days, Zhang Xingjiu first asked for leave from the academy on the pretext of going out to study, and then persuaded his family. He also asked Wang Ziyu and other familiar scholars to help take care of the family while he was away.

He really didn't dare ask Xu Xilin for help, otherwise he would be implicated if something happened in the future.

I went to visit Zhou's house again, and said goodbye to Mr. Shou and his son at Sanwei Bookstore. Then I boarded a passenger ship to Hangzhou. When I arrived in Hangzhou, I changed to another passenger ship. The high-speed rail in later generations only takes an hour and a half, but it took me several days to get there.

After arriving in Shanghai, I first found an inn to rest and wash up, then called a rickshaw to Xujiahui, where St. Ignatius's School was located.

After arriving at the destination and getting off the rickshaw, Zhang Xingjiu felt that the school looked more and more familiar to him. Although it was somewhat different from the buildings in later generations, Zhang Xingjiu still quickly recognized the school based on the existing buildings.

Isn’t this the future Xuhui Public School!

(End of this chapter)