| dc.description.abstract | At the time of the successive invasions by foreign powers, coast defense was progressively emphasized by the late Qing Dynasty. Due to the frustrating result of Sino-French War, lasting from the 9th year to the 11th year of the Guangxu reign (1883-1885), the Qing government promptly, after the war, set up the first Department of Navy in Chinese history－Naval Department, literally meaning “Office in charge of Affairs of Navy”－so as to effectively integrate those affairs related to coast defense. Rather than being carried out separately by the local authorities, the coast defense affairs were henceforth under concerted command of the central government.
Articles of Association of the Northern Navy, laid down in the 14th year of the Guangxu reign (1888), has been considered a landmark when the Northern Navy was formally established. The enactment signifies that the naval development in Early Modern China was no longer limited to adopting the western weaponry, but progressed to the systematic reformation. While referring to the western naval system, the Articles of Association of the Northern Navy also preserved a partial system of the traditional Chinese navy, which served as a distinctive characteristic of transition from the old to the new.
After formally established, the Northern Navy immediately encountered difficulties in funds and training. Under control of Naval Department, there was no continual and effective increase in funds. Not only did Naval Department fail to strive for more budgets, but it also had to deal with other expenses, which became the fundamental reason of the restraint on funds for the Northern Navy. In the 16th year of the Guangxu reign, William M. Lang, a British consultant and the original Chief Inspector of the Northern Naval Squadron, resigned because of the Flag-raising Event. The incident kept the Northern Naval officers and men from maintaining a certain standard in training, and even caused their military discipline and the general combat ability to go downhill.
In the 19th century, Sea Chauvinism laid much stress on thalassocracy. However, the Northern Navy were short of funds to purchase new naval vessels, and neither could they replace the old gunfire. Accordingly, the man in charge, Hong Zhang Li, returned to the defense-based strategy. In Battle of Yalu River in the 20th year of the Guangxu reign (1894) and Battle of Weihaiwei in the 21st (1895), the very defensive strategy eventually doomed the Northern Navy. | en_US |