Chapter 21 of 100

Chapter 21

17 min read4,239 words

On a peaceful evening in Taiping, Yang Yuanzhao slept very well. The guest room was luxurious and quiet. After lying down, he quickly fell into a deep sleep, which was probably the most stable sleep he had since he had traveled through time.

When he woke up, it was not yet fully light. The courtyard was filled with a thin layer of mist, and there was some activity around. The servants of the Yang family had already started to tidy up. Early in the morning, after having breakfast, three carriages set off from the Yang family's residence. Yang Yuanzhao and Yang Yue sat together in one of the carriages, while the other two carriages, one in front and one behind, surrounded them. In their carriage, there were two additional figures: Yang Qian and her maid, Aili. Aili was also a thirteen-year-old girl, seemingly with some foreign blood, as her eyes had a hint of azure blue. However, she had an exceptionally charming appearance.

The name Aili was clearly in the English style. After Yang Qian learned English, she directly changed her maid's name to this. The name itself was originally intended for Yang Qian, who wanted to be called Alice, but her parents opposed it. In the end, one character was removed, and the name was given to the maid. Fortunately, Aili also liked it.

Taiping was not far from Taiyuan, and the road was well-paved with blue bricks, allowing the carriages to travel at a relatively high speed. It took only half a day to reach Taiyuan.

According to Yang Yue, their train tickets had been booked several days ago. The train would depart in the afternoon, so there was no need to rush. Yang Qian was taking the train back to school, as her vacation had ended. The next ten days would be continuous class time. Fuxing Girls' School was a closed campus, with a ten-day cycle, and a three-day break each time. Generally, she would return to Taiping to be with her parents during the break.

The journey was uneventful, and Yang Yuanzhao chatted more with the lively Yang Qian. Away from her parents, she seemed less restrained and more lively, asking Yang Yuanzhao many questions about England, showing a strong interest in life abroad.

Studying abroad seemed to have become a social trend at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Many families sent their children abroad, mostly to neighboring Japan, with fewer going to Europe.

Yang Yuanzhao gave vague answers, interspersing them with some humorous anecdotes from his future life, which kept the atmosphere in the carriage light and filled with laughter.

In their conversation, Yang Yuanzhao not only shared some information but also obtained what he wanted. From Yang Qian, he learned about the Western-style schools in Taiyuan. To develop the industry in a region, capital, equipment, and even personnel were the most basic requirements. Yang Yuanzhao's goal was to build a Chinese Ruhr, which not only required technology and capital but also, most importantly, people. Without people, even the most advanced machines would be useless.

China had the world's largest population, with hundreds of millions of people, a great wealth left by thousands of years of civilization. However, utilizing this wealth was difficult. Many people were numb and illiterate, capable only of manual labor. They could not adapt to technical jobs. If it were just for earning money, these people could be used, and with the help of integrated machines and some experience from the future, Yang Yuanzhao could create a simple production line to produce many profitable products.

Yang Yuanzhao's goal was very clear: to build an Eastern Ruhr, even greater and more outstanding than Germany's Ruhr. This could not be a castle built on sand; it had to be a complete and solid industrialization. The starting point of industrialization was the reform of power and large-scale machine production, and the cultivation of talent was an unavoidable issue.

China was never short of scholars who knew classical Chinese, but they were useless for building an industry. Scientists, qualified engineers, and even workers needed to be cultivated. The old education system was ineffective, and new-style education was necessary.

New-style education, especially on a large scale, was essential. Even if Yang Yuanzhao had multiple arms, he could not teach many people. Teachers were indispensable, and in Yang Yuanzhao's view, students from Western-style schools, after receiving basic education, could become enlighteners.

Taiyuan, as the provincial capital, was one of the most developed places in education. The Jin merchants, as representatives of China's wealthy class, had broader horizons than other classes. While a few disciples still followed the traditional method of studying the Four Books and Five Classics in private schools to prepare for the imperial examinations, many more entered various Western-style schools. There were 11 Western-style schools in Taiyuan, with over 6,000 students, most of whom were descendants of the Jin merchants.

Their predecessors had traveled far and wide, creating vast wealth. Growing up in such an environment, they had seen various situations, and Western education had enriched their basic knowledge.

Even if only 6,000 students had completed basic Western education, it was much better than starting from scratch. The only issue was that these were the children of wealthy merchants, who did not lack money and had no need to become teachers or join factories for financial reasons. This was a difficult hurdle to overcome.

These were things to consider in the future. Yang Yuanzhao asked detailed questions about the Western-style schools. The students at girls' schools were relatively isolated, and the girls' school had close ties with the boys' school, often from the same family or social class. Some siblings even lived in different schools. Yang Qian, for example, knew a lot about Fuxing Girls' School but not much about others.

"Yuanzhao, are you very curious about Western-style schools? Just ask me. Before I went to America, I studied in a Western-style school for seven years. What do you want to know?"

"How many people in Taiyuan have been educated in Western-style schools?"

"Quite a few!" Yang Yue nodded. "Since the first Western-style school, Edward School, was established in Baotou in 1867, Western-style schools in Taiyuan have sprung up like mushrooms after rain. Initially, they were run by foreigners and missionaries, but as the gentry discovered the advantages of Western-style schools over traditional ones, they began to invest in them. This expanded the scale and influence of Western-style schools, making them popular. Now, there are eight famous schools, with only Fuxing Girls' School and Huaxi Middle School still under foreign control. The others have close ties with the eight major Jin merchant families."

"How are the teachers for these schools recruited?"

"Although Taiyuan is inland, due to the strong influence of the Jin merchants, it has trade relations with many countries. The compradors familiar with foreign firms directly hire teachers from abroad or Shanghai, and some are returnees from overseas studies."

From Yang Yue, Yang Yuanzhao learned about the situation of Western-style schools in Taiyuan. The advanced education in Taiyuan surprised him. The existence of a group of educated people made it easier to start from scratch.

Yang Yuanzhao realized that his understanding of China in this era was still superficial. Old China was poor and backward, but in the field of education, which China had valued for thousands of years, there seemed to be some foundation. However, why did this foundation not show during the Xinhai Revolution? After careful reflection, apart from Shanxi's warlord Yan Xishan and the so-called Northwest Army, few truly made a name for themselves across China. Perhaps the northwest was never the dominant region of China. In times of chaos, many heroes emerged, but many were buried in the chaos. Among these people, a large number could be useful to him, but he could control and influence only a few. Seeing this potential, he could not fully utilize it, which was a regret.

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