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Brief
History
Prior
to 1905, there were no Chinese engineers in China! All of the major
projects were done by foreign engineers. The first engineering project
designed and managed by Chinese engineers was in 1905, when American
educated Zhan Tien-You 詹天佑 headed the building
of Jing-Zhang railroad 京張鐵路 connecting
Peking 北京 ( now Beijing ) and Chang-Jar-Ko 張家口 (now
Zhang-Jia-Kou).
Recognizing the need for engineers to help modernize China, more
students were send abroad to study science and engineering. In 1917,
the Chinese Institute of Engineers ( CIE ) was founded in US by a
group of able, dedicated and far-sighted Chinese engineers. These
charter members were graduate students from American colleges and/or
were receiving practical training in American railroads and industries.
Early membership totaled about 80. When the majority of these members
returned home to serve their country, the main organization moved
to China with them, and their remaining counterparts in America became
a chapter. This status remained through two world wars until
1949.
During 1917-1923, the CIE headquarters was located in Shanghai, while
chapters in Beijing and Tienjin were established. The first convention
was held in Shanghai on 1923. Membership by then grew to 350. Membership
growth reached 1500 in 1930.
The Chinese Institute of Engineers merged with Chung-Hwa Engineers
(founded in 1910) in August 1931, at a combined engineering convention
held in Nanking. The headquarters was then relocated to Nanking 南京,
the national capital. The post merger enrollment reached 2,169 members.
The organization remained active during the second world war in Chungking,
re-established the convention in 1938, and formed chapters in Kuming,
Chengdu, Kweiyang, Lanchou, Kweiling and Chungking. During the period
of Japanese invasion of China, the engineers provided the needed
technical services to the government to defend China.
The Taiwan CIE-ROC was re-established in March 1950. On the occasion
of the 50th anniversary in 1960, (adopted the founding date of Jan
1910 of the Chung-Hwa Engineers ) membership count was more than
3000.
The CIE-NY was re-activated as an independent entity in July 1953
in New York City by a number of accomplished engineers in the U.S.
Subsequently the institute was registered in the State of New York
in 1963 as the Chinese Institute of Engineers, New York, Inc., a
tax-exempt non-profit organization. The CIE-NY and CIE-ROC co-founded
the Modern Engineering and Technology Seminar ( METS ) in 1966. The
cooperation among the engineers in ROC and USA successfully helped
the country in establishing the infrastructure for industrialization,
promoting industrial research and development of advanced technologies.
Over the years, the METS has introduced many advanced technologies
to the ROC and set up the stage for the Taiwan microelectronics miracles.
The CIE/USA National Council, a federation organization of CIE/USA,
was established in 1986 with the Greater New York and San Francisco
Bay Area Chapters as its founding chapters. In the following years,
the National Council was expanded to include Seattle Chapter, OCEESA
Chapter, Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter and New Mexico Chapter.
One of CIE/USA’s most significant activities over the years has been
the continuation of the Modern Engineering and Technology Seminar
(METS), co-sponsoring the bi-annual events with CIE/ROC. In light
of the success of the METS, in 1993 the CIE/USA established another
bi-annual seminar series, SATEC (Sino-American Technology and Engineering
Conference), with the People's Republic of China, with the same objectives
as METS. The 1993, 1995 and 1997 SATEC conferences were successful
and well received.
The SATEC is holding its fourth Conference in 1999, while the METS
had held its 17th Seminar in 1998.
Objectives
The
charter of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, a scientific and educational
organization, is for the establishment and improvement of the Chinese
engineering infrastructure and technical capability, subsequently
improving the living standard of the Chinese people.
It was true then in 1917, and it is still valid today. An article
of the constitution in the ROC Chapter ( circa.1970 ) best captures
the objectives of the Institute.
“
The objectives of the Institute shall be the advancement of the science
and profession of engineering, and the promotion of development of
the engineering projects through the joint services of the members
of the engineering professions.”
The 1990 constitution amendment of CIE-USA is less ambitious but
more succinctly stated:
“
CIE is a scientific and educational organization. The objective of
CIE is to promote communication among engineers and scientists who
are interested in the well being of the Chinese engineering community
in the U.S. and the industrialization of China.”
The 1970 CIE/ROC Handbook also listed eight guiding principles which
have been observed by many great engineers and scientists before
us. These principles, as translated in the following, together
with the Institute objectives, very well reflects the CIE organization
in the 20th Century.
中國工程師信條 The
Guiding Principles
1.
Follow the Chinese national policy in building up the economy, technology
infrastructure and implement the industrialization of China as set
forth by the founding father of the Chinese Republic, Dr. Sun Yat-Sin.
遵從國家之國防經濟建設政策，實現 國父實嶪計劃。
2. Recognize that national gain is above all personal rewards, contributing
selflessly to the improvement of the country and the engineering
community in China.
認識國家民族之利益高於一功，願犧牲自由貢獻能力‧
3. Help China to become an industrialized country, with self supporting
capability to provide all major industrial resources.
促進國家工業化，力謀主要物資之自給。
4. Develop standards for industrialization , supporting the needs
of both civil and defense developments.
推行工業標準化，配合國防民生之需求。
5. Maintain professional dignity and work ethics; work hard for a
good course, not for personal recognition nor for financial gain.
不慕虛名，不為物誘，維持職業專嚴，遵守服務道德。
6. Be practical, and creative; pursue excellence and appreciate accomplishments
as a team.
實事求是，精益求精‧努力獨立創造，注重集體成就。
7. Have courage in taking responsibilities, be loyal to your job,
sincerely give full cooperation to your colleagues.
勇於任事，忠於職守，更須有互切互磋親愛精誠之合作精神。
8. Be critical to oneself but forgiving to the other; try to live
a simple, efficient, orderly and practical life style.
嚴以律己，恕以待人並養成整齊樸素，迅速確實之生活習慣。
The
Members
Tracing
the history of the Institute in this Century, one can find all the
superstars in the Chinese engineering community from the CIE records
together with the story of the evolution of the Chinese society toward
modernization and the progress of steady technological advancement
throughout the years. It may be interesting for us to view
the events chronologically and the members associated with the events
in roughly each quarter century.
First
Superstar
At
the turn of the century, the downfall of the last feudalistic empire
- Ching Dynasty had begun, the society was on the verge of corruption.
Learning from the heartbreaking experiences of defeat from the various
conflicts with the foreign powers ( particularly the Opium War )
, the government realized that China had a lot of catch-up to do
with respect to the western technology in order to survive. They
sent a large group of young pre-college students to the U.S. (because
the American government was more friendly and sincere to the Chinese)
to learn the language and then enroll in the colleges for science
and technology. Next, the Ministry of Commerce was established
to oversee the development of railroads, telegraph, postal services
and ship building as well as shipping (路電郵航). Two
technical colleges were founded in 1896, the Nanyang College (南洋公學)
in Shanghai and the Beiyang college in Beijing. The funding of the
Nanyang schools was shared by the Shanghai-Peking Railroad (京滬鐵路)
and the Shanghai Telegraph Office (上海電報局).
The Beiyang college was likewi se supported by mining and ship building
agencies for the training of technical supporting personnel.
Our first superstar is Zhan Tian-you 詹天佑, one
of the young teenagers from the first group of exchange students.
At the age of twelve, he attained the Seaside Institute for Boys
in West Haven, Connecticut in 1872, and attended Hillhouse High School
in West Haven. He was admitted to the Yale University in 1878 and graduated
with a degree in railroad/civil engineering in 1881. He returned
to China after graduation and work for seven years in the Bureau
of Ships, taking the responsibility to train technicians and mapping
of the Chinese Sea Coasts. In 1888 he began to work as railroad engineer
in a number of small railroad constructions and established a reputation
to earn an honor as member of the Royal Academy of Engineers in England.
In 1905, while Russia and England were having a dispute as to who
had the ‘right’ to fund and build the railroad connecting Peking北京and
Chang-Jar-Kou 張家口; the Ching government decided
to build it without having to borrow money from foreign country and
keep the expected operating profit at home. Mr. Zhan was appointed
as chief engineer in 1905 to head the construction of the railroad,
he was appointed as General Director for the project as well in the
following year. It was the first railroad built by a Chinese Engineering
team. The road spanned 202 kilometers ( 350 miles ) on a hilly terrain.
It required four tunnels, the longest one is thirty five hundred
feet under the Great Wall. He successfully completed the road in
less than four years and within budget. The original budget was seven
million two hundred twenty nine thousand ( Chinese ) ounces of silver,
the actual expenditure was only six million ninety three thousand
ounces.
Mr. Zhan founded the Chung-Hwa Engineers 中華工程師會 in
1911, the year that the Republic of China was found. In 1913, he
merged the Chung Hwa Engineers with the Railroad Engineers Union 路工同人共濟會 and
Chung-Hwa Engineering Society 中華工學會.
A convention was held in Hankow, Hupei. The key members of the Associations
were:
詹天佑
ZHAN Tian-You 顏德慶 YEN Teh-Cheng
徐文涓
HSU Wen-Journ 吳 健 WU Jin
The organization moved to Peking in 1914 and change the name to Chung-Hwa
Institute of Engineers 中華工程師學會.
Mr. Zhan served as chairman of the organization since its founding
until 1918. He died in April 24, 1919 on the job as the superintendent
( Minister ) of Communication, at the age of 59.
The
Other Superstars
At
the age of 15, Hung-Hsun Ling 凌鴻勛 enrolled into
the preparatory school of the Nanyang College in 1910. He graduated
as the first in his class in railroad/civil engineering in 1915. Upon
graduation, he and his classmate, the number two student in the graduating
class, Te-Cheng Chen 陳體誠 were selected by the
Ministry of Communication 交通部 to go to the U.S.
for three years of practical training. The training was sponsored
by the American Bridge Co., a subsidiary of the U.S. Steel Corporation.
Their training program called for the participation in factory, machine
shop, design and on-site supervision. They had the opportunity to
travel and work in Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and Chicago
etc. and met with their Chinese fellow student contemporaries. There
were about three hundred Chinese students in the east coast of the
United States, many of them were sponsored by the Ching-Hwa scholarship
fund. The fund derived from the compensation Ching Dynasty paid to
the U.S. Government upon defeat in the 1900 War when the United Army
of eight countries ( Great Britain, Russia, France, Germany, United
States of America, Japan, Italy, Austria ) defeated the Ching Army.
The U.S. Government used the fund to set up scholarships in the U.
S. and assist education institutes in China - for the cause of humanity.
The Chinese students in that era were all outstanding young men,
intelligent, energetic and potential community leaders. The time
was right to give birth to a professional organization whose members
would help to shape the building of China in the decades to come.
The Chinese Institute of Engineers was founded in July 1917, with
an initial mem-bership of 80. The key members were:
陳體誠 CHEN Te-Cheng President
1917-1919
張貽志 CHANG E. G. Vice
President 1917-1918,
First Convention Aug 1918 at Cornell University.
吳承洛 WU Chen-Lor Vice
President 1919-1920,
President
1921-1922
Convention
Chairman Aug 1927 in Nanking
侯德榜 HOU Tek-Bong 1919
Convention Chairman
Second Convention Aug. 1919 at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute
周 琦 CHOU Chi 1920
Convention Chairman
Vice
President 1928 (in Nanking)
Third Convention Aug. 1920 at Princeton University.
劉錫祺 LIU Shih-Chi Vice
President 1921-1922-1923
楊承訓 YANG Cheng-Shuen 1921
Convention Chairman
Fourth Convention Sep 1921 at Lake-Village School
李熙謀 LEE Shee-Mou 1922
Convention Chairman
Fifth Convention Sep 1922 at Cornell University again
周明衡 CHOU Ming-Hun 1923
President
Sixth Convention July 6, 1923 (first in Shanghai)
徐佩璜HSU Pei-Huang 1924-1925
President
1930
Vice President in Nanking
淩鴻勛LING Hung-Hsun 1924-1925
Vice President
1937
(Kweiyang) Convention Chairman
1940
Institute Chairman
1951-1952
Chairman (in Taiwan)
Second Convention Jul 1924 in Shanghai
錢昌祚CHIEN Chong-Jer 1925
Convention Chairman at Hongchow
李垕身LI Hou-San 1926
President
薛次莘XUE Zeh-Zin 1926-1927
Vice President
茅以昇MAO Yi-Sheng 1926
Grand Reunion Chairman
Grand Reunion with Chung Hwa Institute of Engineers
Aug
1926 in Peking
陳立夫CHEN Li-Fu 1927
Convention Chairman
1940
Chairman
Aug 1927 Convention in Shanghai
胡庶華HU Shu-Hua 1929-1930
President
徐恩曾HSU Ung-Jung 1929
Vice President
Aug 26, 1931 Convention in Nanking. Merger of Chinese Institute of
Engineers and Chung Hwa Institute of Engineers.
From 1931 to 1936, annual conventions were held every year. The convention
sites rotated every year to facilitate the participation of the local
chapters, in the following orders: Nanking 南京, Tientsin 天津,
Wuhan 武漢, Chi-nan 濟南, Nan-ning 南寧,
Hangchow 杭州.
The Sino-Japanese war broke out in July 1937, the original scheduled
convention in Tai-yuen 太原 was canceled, instead, a
general membership meeting was held at Chungking 重慶 on
October 8, 1938. The general meeting set-up the priority of the national
engineering projects and established many more chapters in the interior
western Chinese cities such as Kunming昆明, Chengdu 成都,
Kweiyang 貴陽, Lanchow 蘭州, Kweiling 桂林 and
Hangyang 衡陽to coordinate those projects.
The
Early CIE Award Recipients
Mr.
Hung Hsun Ling 淩鴻勛 had to cut short on his practical
training in the American Bridge Co. at the end of 1917 on account
of his father passed away. Since his return to China he had served
in many technical and educational positions such as the acting president
of the Nanyang College; President of the Chiao-Tung University (the
successor of the Nanyang College) and as the Chief Engineer of the
Hangkow-Canton Railroad. He took the job on the long delayed railroad
construction and completed the planned connections. For that achievement
he received the top CIE honor, the Engineers’ Medal award in 1937.
Later on in 1951, he was instrumental in the re-establishment of
the CIE activities in Taiwan. In 1957, he lead the Chiao-Tung University
alumni in re-establishing the Chiao-Tung University in Hsinchu with
Dr. Shee-Mou Lee, another active CIE member as the Dean of the Electronics
department. Dr. Ling retired from the Chinese Petroleum Corporation
as the Chairman of the Board in 1976. He passed away in August 15
1981 at the age of 86. He was a true dedicated engineer, educator
and industrialist, true to the guiding principles of a CIE member.
Mr. Te-Bong Hou 侯德榜 majored in chemical engineering,
returned to China, served in the industry and received the Engineers’ Medal
in 1936 for his contribution in the development of Ammonia Sulfate
Processing Plant.
Dr. Mao Yi-Sheng 茅以昇 received the CIE Engineers’ Medal
for his accom-plishment in the building of the famous Qiantang River
Bridge 錢塘江大橋 in Zhejiang 浙 江 Province. He
also served as co-dean of the Chiao Tung University, Tangshan College 唐山交通大學 since
1921 until his retirement. Dr. Mao received his Masters’ Degree from
the Cornell University and the recipient of the Fuertes Medal. He
received the Ph.D. Degree in civil engineering from the Carnegie
Institute of Technology, his doctoral dissertation “Secondary Stresses
in Bridge Tress” becomes the Mao’s Law. A serious scholar, during
his student years in America, he filled 200 note books detailing
his work and observations. Those note books are now the treasured
collection of the Southwest Jiao Tong University 西南交通大學 in
Chengdu 成都.
Mr. Yue-Chi Sun 孫越琦, a mining engineer, received
the Engineers’ Medal in 1942 for his success in oil mining at the
Yuimon mine 玉門油礦.
Mr. Yong Fu Tsang 曾養甫, Minister of the Communications,
president of CIE 1936-1939 and then 1944-1947 received the Engineers’ Medal
in 1944 for his contribution in airport building and maintenance
during the war. He served as the Minister throughout the war years.
Mr. Bing Yuen Gee 支秉淵, Executive Director 1932,
received his Engineers’ Medal in 1943 for his mechanical engineering
achievement in Diesel engine and various mechanical designs.
Mr. Kwong-Chai Chu 朱光彩 received his Engineers’ Medal
for his flood control engineering dealing with the unruly and turbulent
Yellow River.
From 1936 to 1947, only seven such Engineers’ Medal were awarded
to these out-standing engineers. They were the engineers of the second
quarter of the 20th century.
The
Early Engineers
The
early engineers are most likely civil engineers, they are most likely
working for the Ministry of Communication. It is not surprising that
the early leaders of the CIE were officers from the Ministry. The
Nanyang University/Chiao-Tung University, being a primary engineering
school, produced a large number of CIE members. From the group of
early members, you may find more heavyweights such as:
Mr. Te-Cheng Chen 陳體誠, CIE’s first president,
returned to China in 1920, served as Civil Engineer in the Ministry
of Communication (Transportation) specialized in highway building,
his contribution toward the defense was significant.
Mr. Kung Lee 李 鏗, Pao-Ling Fang 馮寶齡,
Chun-Yin Shen 沈仲寅, Li Hou-San 李垕身,
structure engineers, whose designs changed the skyline of Shanghai.
The cooperative effort of Lee, Fang and Shen made possible the intricate
structure of the Sun Yat Sin Memorial Hall 中山紀念堂 in
Canton. It was a unique memorial for the founding father of the Republic
of China. Mr. Lee Kung graduated from the Cornell University in 1918
and received a Masters’ degree. His paper on structure analysis was
so outstanding that one item was named as the “Lee Kung’s Law” by
the faculty. Another outstanding student was his classmate Lo Yin 羅 英,
who later on served as the chief engineer for the Qiantang River
Bridge 錢塘江大橋.
From MIT, you will find educators such as Dr. Xue Zeh-Zin 薛次莘,
vice President 1926-1927 (Civil Engineering Department Chairman,
Chiao-Tung University), Prof. Hsu Ming Choy 徐名材,
Chiao-Tung University. Dr. Shee Mou Lee 李熙謀,
CIE President 1964, Convention chairman 1922, (Dean, Chiao-Tung University,
1940-1970 during the war in Chungking and later in Taiwan). The Cornell
graduates, had the Mao’s Law and Lee Kung’s Law, the students in
MIT were not too far behind, Dr. Yu-Hsiu Ku, 顧毓琇 received
a Masters’ degree in 1926, discovered the “Ku-variable” in operational
calculus. He received his Ph.D. in 1928. In the later year, he presented
the Ku-method in nonlinear analysis, and the Ku’s rules in Feedback
Theory, and has been recognized as the leading engineer-mathematician.
He served as CIE Vice President from 1947 to 1948. He was the CIE-NY
achievement award recipient in 1959. He is the 97 years old professor
emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the only professor
who has received the distinction as honorary professor for all five
Chiao-Tung/Jiao-Tong Universities (Shanghai, Xian, Northern, Southwest
and Hsinchu). Another outstanding member of CIE from MIT, also the
CIE-NY achievement award recipient 1959, was Dr. Lan-Jen Chu 朱蘭成,
an authority on microwave and electromagnetic wave propagation, MIT
just kept him in the faculty until his retirement in the 1970’s.
During world war II, he served in the MIT Radiation Laboratories,
contributed brilliantly in Radar research and development.
CIE
- World War II
The
Sino-Japanese War lasted for eight years. Those were the darkest
days in this century for the people in China in general and the engineers
in particular. Engineers are trained to build for the improvement
of the society. War destroyed that in the name of strategy in order
to advance and win. The most heart breaking example was the first
long bridge designed and built by Chinese engineers, the Qiantang
River Bridge 錢塘江大橋 in Zhejiang
province. The 1,453 meter bridge project started in August 1933,
with a budget of 5.1 million silver dollars and construction schedule
of 30 months. Against all odds and obstacles it was completed in
September 1937. The Japanese invasion already started in 1937. For
three months, the government fully utilized the road to transport
valuables and strategic materials to the western parts of country.
The battle grounds were getting closer and closer to Hangchou, and
on December 23rd , Dr. Mao received an order to destroy the bridge
thoroughly so that the Japanese army could not use it to advance
their army. The bridge was flatten to the water bed by the men who
spent four years of their life to build it. The three short months
of bridge utilization time for a project of such magnitude
was probably a world record. Dr. Mao carried the engineering design
and data with him to Kweiyang and then Chungking through out the
war years, hoping that one day, they will return and build it again.
( Their prayers were answered, they did rebuild the bridge after
the war. ). There were many similar unpleasant stories like this
one; nevertheless, in the shadow of war and devastation, shortage
of productive manpower and resources, the Chinese engineers managed
to hold on until the American advanced technology help to defeat
the Japanese at the end.
In 1938, the Japanese troops occupied almost all of the coastal cities
in China. Supplies from the Allies, can only be transported by air,
by flying over the Camels’ Hump through the Himalayas. A highway
connecting between Burma and Yunnan Province was urgently needed.
The road was being built, but under the constant bombing by the Japanese
Air Force, and the adverse working condition of this construction
through forests and jungles. Many engineers and workers gave their
life to the project.
Dr. Hung-Hsun Ling 淩鴻勛, being a railroad man,
drew the assignment to complete a railroad from Kweiling 桂林 through
Liu-Chow 柳州 to Nan-ning 南寧 and then crossed
the border to Indo-China 安南, a move to connect China
to the outside world even the harbors were occupied by the Japanese
Army. The Japanese strategists also were very much aware of that.
Air raids on the construction began with daily bombing by Japanese
aircraft from the carrier mooring in the Tonkin Bay, the task became
a mission impossible. By focusing on the northern sections, the Hangyang 衡陽 to
Kweiling 桂林 to Liu-chow 柳州 connections
were made on December of 1939. Started from January 1938, after two
full years of constructions, and mobilization of over 600,000 workers,
the railroad was finally completed. Ultimately, the Japanese navy
opened up a new front in south China and invaded Nan-ning, but the
railroad helped the movement of the Chinese Army to block the advance
of the Japanese and won several battles afterward.
Dr. Ling was then transfer to the Northwest in 1940, taking care
of all Northwest highway maintenance and site planning for a railroad
connecting Tien-sui 天水, Kansui 甘肅 and
Chengdu 成都, Szechuan 四川. While military
and engineering maneuvers were going on in the south and southwest
China, the northwest highway connections were developing too. At
the beginning of the war, the USSR and Chinese governments executed
a friendly loan agreement that Russia will supply to China, over
the years, 1000 medium size Jeep with certain strategic materials,
trucking in from Sin-Jiang 新疆 province. To avoid publicity,
and subsequent bomber attacks from the Japanese Army, the code name
for those vehicles was wool cargo cars. The initial highway and associated
facilities were built to accommodate the shipping of those Jeeps,
and then became one of the rear branch of the northwest highway system
and the backdoor of China to the world via Russia.
Dr. Ling continued to serve on this assignment until January 1945
when he was
appointed to serve as Vice Minister 次長 of the Ministry
of Communications 交通部. He completed his sixteen
years of field services, with construction of more than 1000 kilometers
of new railroad built, 4000 kilometers in planning and surveying;
and administrated the maintenance of 5000 kilometers of highway.
Another engineering accomplishment was the building and maintenance
of a highway between Kweiyang and Chungking. The Wu River flows across
the Kweichow province. The first major construction therefore is
the Wu Rriver Bridge, a 55 meter spans on two towers of 31 meter
height. It took five days to travel through this road by modified
trucks. In order to conserve gasoline for defense, most of the long
haul trucks had to undergo modification to convert the gasoline power
plant to one that used charcoal as an alternate fuel. The conversion
rendered the vehicle less powerful, while creating an awful pollution
to the environment. Nevertheless, it was a needed,, practical, and
effective solution in an era when a slogan of survival was “A drop
of gasoline is a drop of blood.”. Besides, the drivers might
not be able to get gasoline in some area but one could always be
able to purchase charcoal in any remote village. The charcoal running
vehicle was considered as one of the ingenious engineering implementation
then - although it is bordering ridiculous as we see it today! The
terrain of this region is generally rocky and mountainous. On the
borders between the Kweichou 貴州 and Szechuan 四川 provinces,
the highway has to climb a mile high Kweichou mountain and then drop
down to the basin of Szechuan. There were seventy two switch-backs
in one of the stretch. Within each switch-back, the elevation of
the roadway varied hundreds of feet from the lowest to the highest
points. The driver not only had to maneuver the vehicle along the
serpent like curves, but the steep ups and downs put his ability
to make the most out of the under-powered engine to test. This highway
and its sister highway from Kunming 昆明 to Kweiyang 貴陽 were
the two major strategic highways of southwest China in that period,
and yet, they were so dangerous and vulnerable to travel. The continuing
maintenance and improvement works were a great challenge to the civil
engineers of that era.
The electrical power engineers were perpetually overloaded with the
problems of overloading of engines and generators. The radio engineers
had to work hard day in and day out, focusing on pushing the ranges
of the radio transmission for military intelligent telecommunications.
Aeronautical engineers invented detachable spare fuel tanks made
out of bamboo and sealed with tung-oil to extend the flying ranges
of the fighter planes and bombers. There were many more stories like
the above mentioned implementation and improvisations. Those were
a major part of the trials and tribulations of the engineers in a
handicapped war.
The working condition was bad, the pay was bordering minimum, the
inflation was hurting everyone, but the spirits were high, most of
the engineers attended to their assignments diligently, and abided
by the guiding principles as stated earlier at the beginning of this
article.
During the time when Mr. CHEN Li-Fu 陳立夫, ( CIE
Convention Chairman in 1927 and Chairman/President of CIE in 1940)
was appointed to be the Minister of Education, he and a number of
far-sighted educators, convinced the government to provide loans
to the college students and exempt them from military duty in order
to preserve the resource of technical personnel of the future. Many
of the students supported by this wartime policy also earned scholarships
to be trained abroad after the war. A high percentage of the CIE-NY
members in the 1960’s shared the same experiences. After several
changes of government agencies, changes of currencies, exchange rates,
plus the inflation factors, no one knows how much each student has
to pay back and to which agency the loan has to be paid! After these
students completed their training and financially secured, some of
them found ways to pay back indirectly by participating voluntary
in various government sponsored engineering projects. It was due
to such obligations and aspirations that the early members of CIE-NY
chartered the METS in 1966 and later on the formation of SATIC in
1993.
CIE
Post WWII
After
the V-J day (victorious against Japan) in 1945, China was in the
period of post war consolidations, no CIE annual convention was organized
until 1948. The first post war convention was held in Taipei and
well attended, CIE chairman that year was the model engineer/professor
Dr. Yi-Sheng Mao 茅以昇, with Dr. Y. H. Ku 顧毓琇 and
F. J. Sah 薩福鈞 as vice chairmen. A good number
of engineers and technical management team drew the assignment working
in Taiwan, taking over the Japanese government owned industries and
utilities. It was unfortunate that immediately after the World War
II ended, the civil conflict in China developed into a full scale
civil war. In 1949, the government of the Republic of China (ROC)
and her army retreated to Taiwan
The activity of Chinese Institute of Engineers in mainland China
was suspended after 1949, however, the engineers continued to contribute
in the courses of rebuilding the infrastructure under the leadership
of the government of the Peoples’ Republic of China. Over the years,
there have been ups and downs in the rebuilding progress, influenced
by many other factors such as man made and natural disasters; but
the end results in the long run were still good. Railroad network
was greatly expanded. Communication systems advanced. Wuhan Bridge
was built to connect the North and South China. The Qiantang River
Bridge 錢塘江大橋 and the Yellow River
Railroad Bridge were re-built. Electrical power generation was catching
up to the demand of new industrial development. etc..
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