Fang Boqian

Fang Boqian
Fang Boqian
Born	January 14, 1854; Houguan county, Fuzhou, Qing China
Died	September 24, 1894 (aged 40); Lushun, Liaoning, Qing China
Allegiance	Qing dynasty
Branch	Imperial Chinese Navy
Rank	Admiral
Battles/wars	First Sino-Japanese War Battle of Pungdo; Battle of the Yalu River;

Fang Boqian (1854-1894) was a Chinese admiral who served the Qing dynasty under the Imperial Chinese Navy. He was a high-ranking officer of the Beiyang Fleet, he was the captain of the protective cruiser Jiyuan during the First Sino-Japanese War, but was executed after the Battle of the Yalu River for desertion.

Early life

Boqian was born on January 14, 1854, and was the eldest son of four brothers. His father was a teacher at a private school. In 1867, at the age of 15, he entered the Fujin Ship Seigakudo and studied navigation.[1] Years after graduation, in 1871, Liu Buchan, Lin Taizeng, Lin Yongsheng and Ye Zugui was out riding on the training ship "TateTakeshi" to the voyage of the first modern Chinese navy history together. The destinations of the voyage were Tianjin, Singapore and Penang Island.

In 1877, the Qing government sent Fang Boqian to study abroad in Europe aboard the Square HakuKen for the United Kingdom at the Old Royal Naval College where he learned a high degree of voyage surgery enrolled in October 1877, and returned in May 1880.[2]

Meanwhile, in 1878, Captain Nathaniel Bowden-Smith under the command of Bacchante-class corvette HMS Euryalus[3] boarded the ship which was headed for the Indian Ocean, from August 4, 1879. Captain Richard Edward Tracy boarded the Eclipse-class sloop and experienced a voyage in the world through the sea.[4]

After returning to China, he served as the captain of the gunboats "Zhenxizhen" and "Zhenxizhen" and the training ship "Weiyuan". In 1885, he was promoted to Deputy General of the Beiyang Fleet Zuoying and became the captain of "Jiyuan". In 1892, the deputy general's term expired. Before the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Fang Boqian sent a letter to Li Hongzhang, proposing that cruisers should be deployed faster and equipped.

In 1894, a rebellion broke out in Korea, and the Qing dynasty sent troops to calm the rebellion. Ding Ruchang, along with Captain Fang Boqian of "Jiyuan", escorted transport ships such as "Aijin" and "Flying Whale" and headed for Asan. At 4:00 am on July 25, "Jiyuan" returned after the transport ship landed all the horses and weapons. At 7:00 am, Jiyuan was attacked off the coast of Toyoshima by the Japanese Navy's protected cruisers Yoshino, Akitsushima and Naniwa. Jiyuan bombarded Yoshino[5] and then returned to Weihai. The Battle of the Yalu River broke out at 11:00 am on September 17, and the battle situation became fierce. At around 3:30 pm, Captain Fang Boqian of Jiyuan left the battlefield and returned to Lushun, saying, "The ship was severely damaged, the bow was cracked and flooded, the gun could not be used, and it needed to be repaired."[6] Captain Wu Keiei of Kwan Chia also fled.[7] The withdrawal of Jiyuan and the destruction of the formation of the Beiyang Fleet was one of the causes of the Qing's defeat.[8] In the early morning of the next day, Fang Boqian led Jiyuan and returned to Lushun. On the morning of September 19, Fang Boqian was ordered to tow the "Kwan" that had been stranded on Miyama Island. Since the grounding of "Hiroko" was so serious that it was not possible to tow with the "Jiyuan", he returned to Lushun with the crew of "Hiroko" on the morning of September 23.

In the early morning of September 24, 1894, while the Beiyang Fleet soldiers were still asleep, the Qing government sentenced Fang Boqian to be beheaded for desertion when he was 40 years old. This was considered a false charge. In February 1895, Sukeyuki Ito, Commander-in-Chief of the United Fleet of Japan, met with Beiyang Fleet's special envoy, Cheng Biguang, and asked, "Fang Boqian was familiar with naval battles at the Battle of Asan, but why did he kill him?" Biguang answered, "It was Ueinochi".[9]

References

Fujian Provincial Local History Compilation Committee (2003). 福建省志人物志(上) (in Chinese). 北京: 中国社会科学出版社. ISBN 7-5004-4128-2. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
陈贞寿 (2002). 图说中国海军史: 古代-1955 (in Chinese). Vol. 1. 福建教育出版社. p. 165. ISBN 9787533435363. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
Some sources have the wrong ship name "Emryafus". It is a different ship from Euryalus (steam frigate), which was the flagship of the British fleet in Satsuei War and Makan War. Captain Bowden-Smith was appointed on October 1, 1878, so it is believed that he was assigned to the ship in the near future.
FangPehKienの名でSub-lieutenant（海軍少尉）として名簿に記載されている。　陈贞寿 (2002). 图说中国海军史: 古代-1955 (in Chinese). Vol. 1. 福建教育出版社. p. 166. ISBN 9787533435363. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
The description of the relevant part of the Battle of Pungdo off the coast of Toyoshima in "Roh's Yang Wood Horse" is as follows: . Mangoku Public Law, Navy defeated white flag, Immediately indicated enemy's intention to transport, Immediate stop, After waiting for enemy ship's seal and enemies, No decree stop anchor， Fang Boqian ship Nyoho enshrinement， Fang Boqian gun 忽發, ”"Mr. Fang Boqian" (in Chinese). Shinnami Ltd. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
Fang Boqian: "11th day of the last day, 12 ships of the 11th ship of our army in Daito-dori His ship is off the coast. A lot of water, water leaks from the ship's head, unbalanced release, repair of the ship. Wang Rin's approval: "Jiyuan Jiyuan leaving time, 5:30 pm Japan time, immediately after the basic unity of the sea, Jiyuan, Jiyuan, non-existent campaign, escape problem."
According to the report of Tsuboi Kozo, the commander of the 1st Squadron, "At 3 o'clock, the enemy's large ship, Dingyuan, suffered a great fire in the front and suffered a great deal. In the end, it leaned to the starboard side of the distant side and sank, and there were other things that suffered from the fire of the distant distant place and also suffered from destruction and struggled to advance and retreat. The ones that were scattered were the ones that were scattered, such as Jingyuan, Hiroko, Jingyuan, Jingyuan, Yasuen, and Jingyuan, and Jingyuan escaped ahead of others to Hiroko, Jingyuan, Jingyuan, and Yasuyuki. Next, everyone is aiming for Dalian Ryo, and the four ships below Hiroko run away hoping to pass through the coastal port. "Yoshio Sakatani, ed. (1930). Japan Sea War History (in Japanese). Mikasa Preservation Society. pp. 166–167. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
According to the zh:姚锡光 "Oriental Military Affairs Chronicles" narrative: "Ji's vision is far-reaching, fearful, turning the rudder and fleeing, hitting the rudder blades, the momentum becomes more stagnant, the enemy bounces into the cabin Shen Yuhai,...Jiyuan fled, Guangjia followed, Jingyuan, Jingyuan, and Laiyuan were unable to support, and they drove out of their positions to escape."
The original text is as follows. "Q. Fang Boqian (Hakuken) Naval Battle. Why killed. Say. Kamimeiya. Ding Gu Special disrespect." It is stated that the reason for the dispatch was that he was fluent in English, and it seems that the actual conversation was conducted in English. "The end of the war in the Middle East. 3-4 --National Diet Library Digital Collection" (in Chinese). p. 99. Retrieved 2020-11-29.

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[1] Fujian Provincial Local History Compilation Committee (2003). 福建省志人物志(上) (in Chinese). 北京: 中国社会科学出版社. ISBN 7-5004-4128-2. Retrieved 2020-11-30.

[2] 陈贞寿 (2002). 图说中国海军史: 古代-1955 (in Chinese). Vol. 1. 福建教育出版社. p. 165. ISBN 9787533435363. Retrieved 2020-11-30.

[3] Some sources have the wrong ship name "Emryafus". It is a different ship from Euryalus (steam frigate), which was the flagship of the British fleet in Satsuei War and Makan War. Captain Bowden-Smith was appointed on October 1, 1878, so it is believed that he was assigned to the ship in the near future.

[4] FangPehKienの名でSub-lieutenant（海軍少尉）として名簿に記載されている。　陈贞寿 (2002). 图说中国海军史: 古代-1955 (in Chinese). Vol. 1. 福建教育出版社. p. 166. ISBN 9787533435363. Retrieved 2020-11-30.

[5] The description of the relevant part of the Battle of Pungdo off the coast of Toyoshima in "Roh's Yang Wood Horse" is as follows: . Mangoku Public Law, Navy defeated white flag, Immediately indicated enemy's intention to transport, Immediate stop, After waiting for enemy ship's seal and enemies, No decree stop anchor， Fang Boqian ship Nyoho enshrinement， Fang Boqian gun 忽發, ”"Mr. Fang Boqian" (in Chinese). Shinnami Ltd. Retrieved 2021-02-20.

[6] Fang Boqian: "11th day of the last day, 12 ships of the 11th ship of our army in Daito-dori His ship is off the coast. A lot of water, water leaks from the ship's head, unbalanced release, repair of the ship. Wang Rin's approval: "Jiyuan Jiyuan leaving time, 5:30 pm Japan time, immediately after the basic unity of the sea, Jiyuan, Jiyuan, non-existent campaign, escape problem."

[7] According to the report of Tsuboi Kozo, the commander of the 1st Squadron, "At 3 o'clock, the enemy's large ship, Dingyuan, suffered a great fire in the front and suffered a great deal. In the end, it leaned to the starboard side of the distant side and sank, and there were other things that suffered from the fire of the distant distant place and also suffered from destruction and struggled to advance and retreat. The ones that were scattered were the ones that were scattered, such as Jingyuan, Hiroko, Jingyuan, Jingyuan, Yasuen, and Jingyuan, and Jingyuan escaped ahead of others to Hiroko, Jingyuan, Jingyuan, and Yasuyuki. Next, everyone is aiming for Dalian Ryo, and the four ships below Hiroko run away hoping to pass through the coastal port. "Yoshio Sakatani, ed. (1930). Japan Sea War History (in Japanese). Mikasa Preservation Society. pp. 166–167. Retrieved 2020-11-29.

[8] According to the zh:姚锡光 "Oriental Military Affairs Chronicles" narrative: "Ji's vision is far-reaching, fearful, turning the rudder and fleeing, hitting the rudder blades, the momentum becomes more stagnant, the enemy bounces into the cabin Shen Yuhai,...Jiyuan fled, Guangjia followed, Jingyuan, Jingyuan, and Laiyuan were unable to support, and they drove out of their positions to escape."

[9] The original text is as follows. "Q. Fang Boqian (Hakuken) Naval Battle. Why killed. Say. Kamimeiya. Ding Gu Special disrespect." It is stated that the reason for the dispatch was that he was fluent in English, and it seems that the actual conversation was conducted in English. "The end of the war in the Middle East. 3-4 --National Diet Library Digital Collection" (in Chinese). p. 99. Retrieved 2020-11-29.