Hanyang Arsenal
Hanyang Arsenal (traditional Chinese: 漢陽兵工廠; simplified Chinese: 汉阳兵工厂; pinyin: Hànyáng Bīnggōngchǎng) was one of the largest and oldest modern arsenals in Chinese history.
History
Originally known as the Hubei Arsenal, it was founded in 1891 by
On 14 June 1894, an industrial accident started a fire in the arsenal that destroyed all the equipment and most of the structures in the arsenal, $1,000,000 in damages were reported.
500,000 taels were spent annually in the arsenal, which constructed Mauser rifles and used steel from the works around Hanyang. Iron and coal mines surrounded the area. 160,000 Mausers were purchased by the Chinese military, along with mountain guns and small caliber versions.
During the
In 1904, the arsenal made several modifications to the design of the Type 88, and, at the same time, expanded production capacity to 50 rifles and 12,000 rounds of ammunition per day. For a time in 1910, the arsenal switched to producing the Type 68 rifle, at a rate of 38 per day.
The quality of the firearms produced in this period was generally low, because the local steel foundries were often ill-equipped and badly managed.
Because of its proximity to Wuchang, the revolutionaries, during the
The Republic of China expanded the arsenal numerous times, and production soared. Quality, however, remained low. In 1917, a training school was established alongside the arsenal. In 1921, production began on copies of the Browning M1917 and the Mauser M1932 "Broomhandle" pistol. In 1930, the design of the Type 88 was once again modified, extending the bayonet. In 1935, a version of the Maxim gun—the Type 24 HMG—was being produced, based on blueprints from the German M08.
As the
With the Allies' victory in 1945, orders to the arsenal gradually stopped, and on 1 July 1947, the arsenal was shut down. Much of the arsenal tooling was moved to Chongqing, where it provided the foundation for later arms production there, with Chongqing Jianshe being one of these manufacturing concerns. Many of the senior employees transferred to Taiwan and built the basis of today's Taiwanese arsenals.
Firearms produced
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- Type 88 rifle
- Type 68 rifle
- Type 24 Chiang Kai-Shek rifle
- Type 24 HMG
- Mauser C96 pistols in 7.63mm and 7.65mm caliber
- Type 30 machine gun
- The General Liu rifle, an early semi-automatic rifle, was to be produced at Hanyang, but only a small number of prototypes were actually made.[6][7][8]
See also
- Chinese Civil War
- Second Sino-Japanese War
- Self-Strengthening Movement
- Sino-German cooperation (1926–1941)
- Taiyuan Arsenal
- Foochow Arsenal
- Great Hsi-Ku Arsenal
- Jiangnan Shipyard
References
- ISBN 978-1-115-48856-3.
- ISBN 978-1-4446-7840-6.
- ^ The Chicago daily news almanac and yearbook ...., Volume 1922. CHICAGO: The Chicago Daily News co. 1895. p. 376.(Original from the University of Michigan)
- ^ Henry Romaine Pattengill (1900). Timely topics, Volume 5. p. 153.(Original from the University of Michigan)
- )(Original from Harvard University)
- ^ General Liu rifle
- ^ The first Chinese semi-automatic rifle by General Liu Qing En 國造半自動步槍第一人- 劉慶恩將軍
- ^ Rare Chinese Liu Semi-Automatic Military Rifle
- This article incorporates text from The Chicago daily news almanac and yearbook ...., Volume 1922, a publication from 1895, now in the public domain in the United States.
- This article incorporates text from Timely topics, Volume 5, by Henry Romaine Pattengill, a publication from 1900, now in the public domain in the United States.
- This article incorporates text from Commercial relations of the United States with foreign countries during the years ..., Volume 2, by United States. Bureau of Foreign Commerce, United States. Dept. of Commerce and Labor. Bureau of Statistics, United States. Bureau of Manufactures, a publication from 1904, now in the public domain in the United States.