1in the summer of 872, Hong Rong, the "father of overseas students in China", organized the first batch of 30 young children studying in the United States to study in the United States. From then on to 1875, the Qing government continued to send 30 young people to study abroad every year, and sent 120 students in four years, making it the earliest official international student in China.

At that time, no one wanted to study abroad.

187 1 year, in order to make up the first batch of 30 young children studying in the United States, Hong Rong established a preparatory school in Shanghai to recruit students. At that time, I thought it was easy: "Students should be over 12 years old and under 15 years old. They must be clean and have a solid guarantee, and their physique must be tested by doctors before they are qualified. " At the same time, the examination rules were formulated. Only after passing the exam can you enter the preparatory course, and after studying for another year, "you can send it to the United States to study." Unexpectedly, the preparatory school has only been established for more than a year, and few children are willing to stay in the United States. Hong Rong was in a hurry. "I personally went to Hong Kong and selected a few smart young people with a little knowledge of Chinese and Western languages in a school run by the British government for a rainy day." At the same time, he returned to his hometown in Xiangshan, Guangdong, and mobilized relatives and friends to support his children to study abroad.

Today, this seems incredible, but it was a fact at that time. A young child studying in the United States recalled: "When I was a child, one day, an official came to the village and went door-to-door to see which parents were willing to send their sons abroad for western education, and all the expenses were borne by the government. Some people applied, but later the local people spread rumors that the western barbarians wanted to skin their sons alive and then inoculate them with dog skin to make money as a monster exhibition, so the applicant was revoked. " (Quoted from Li Changli's Records of Modern Social and Cultural Changes in China, p. 295)

In order to make China people change their ideas, Yung Yung appealed to the villagers with his personal experience of studying in the United States, and found some relatives and friends who worked with foreigners or comprador who had contact with foreigners to mobilize his relatives to study abroad. Enfu Li, a young child studying in the United States, recalled the process of persuading his mother:

"Coastal provinces have the largest number of people going abroad. In fact, parents really don't want their son to go out, leave them for so long, and go to places where they don't know and hear that barbarians live. My brother was doing business in Shanghai at that time. He thinks differently. He was not intimidated by the idea. He went home with this flashing idea, persuaded my mother and gave me a golden hope of going abroad. I 12 years old, my father died three years ago, and my mother has three children, but whether she really wanted me to leave or not, she didn't stop me and made a decision on this matter. This may be an adventure, and seeing the world is my only wish. I agreed without hesitation. My clever mother may still have misgivings, but like a brave woman, she wants to leave beautiful things to her children. She has prepared for me to go to Shanghai ... This is the first time I have left home in my life, and my mind is full of loneliness, desolation and sadness. " (Quoted from page 296)

Hong Rong said that before young children go abroad, they should ask their parents to do an important thing: "Before going abroad, the students' fathers and brothers must sign a voluntary letter stating that they have listened to their children's study abroad for 15 years (from the date of arrival in the United States to the end of their studies); If 15 has an unexpected disaster, the government will not be responsible. Rong Hong's "voluntary letter" is called "pledge" in modern China. Xu Ying and others recorded the style and content of the knot written by Zhan Tianyou's father in Zhan Tianyou:

Swear by Zhan: I have a son, Zhan Tianyou, who is willing to be sent to the Constitutional Bureau to study mechanical skills at Citigroup. On the day he returns home, he will obey China's orders and will not stay abroad. If there is a disease, there is a destiny for life and death, and this is true.

March 15th, 11th year of Tongzhi

Zhan drew the gambling contract himself.

At that time, Shenbao concluded that China people were unwilling to send their children abroad to study, and there were still several doubts: going abroad was 15 years, which was too long; Living overseas, I'm afraid the water and soil are not suitable; Can you learn the knowledge of foreigners well abroad?

In a word, the curtain of China's history of studying abroad has been opened.