Theodone C. Hu
Theodone C. Hu | |
---|---|
胡栋朝 | |
Born | 1872 Chao-Shan Railway |
Theodone C. Hu (J. C. Hu, Dongchao Hu,
Birth and family background
Theodone C. Hu was born in 1872 in
, China.In 1757,
Theodone Hu's father Jianchu Hu (胡建初) was the second son of Honggen Hu (胡宏根).
Early years
Theodone Hu's father died when Hu was four years old. Thirteen years later, he went to Hong Kong and was raised by his uncle.[1] He enrolled in Queen's College, Hong Kong when he turned 21 years old, in 1893.
Education
In 1897,
Theodone Hu graduated from Peiyang University in 1901, when he was 29 years old. Then he received scholarship to further his education in the United States. He first enrolled in the University of California and transferred in his fourth year (1904) to Cornell University, where he majored in building railroad and bridges. He wrote the book Comparison of column bridges and nail bridges (《比较柱桥及钉桥之用》) and earned his master's degree in civil engineering. He also wrote the book Rail Road of China (《中国铁路指南》), which brought him to the attention of Chinese railway companies.
Return to China
After his graduation, Theodone Hu worked for the Bians Yun Lisiya Railway Company to practice railroad measurement, for the American Bridge Company to practice bridge building and design, and for Poluyun Mechanics to practice building locomotives and drawing the designs for the machine parts.
In 1906, Hu was invited by the governor of Sichuan, Liang Xi, to build railroads, and so he returned to China. His mother died on April 30, so he stayed in Huangpu town for three months.
On the way to Sichuan on July 15, his friend told him that he should go to Beijing and take the
Hu arrived at Sichuan in September, when he received a telegram from home saying that his wife had died. In November, Hu was appointed as an engineer on the Chuan-Han railroad in Sichuan. He led a group of about 20 people (seven assistant engineers, two committee members, seven janissaries) to survey the routes from
Hu then left for Nagasaki in Japan, then for Vladivostok, and finally Sweden.
Under the Republic of China
From 1914 to 1917, Theodone Hu was appointed a member of the Nanjing Ningxiang Railway Project Board and later as the Director of Beijing Railway Department. He led the survey for many routes, including the Jiang–Zhe railway, Hai–Jing railway, Qing–Xu railway, and Hang–Yong railway. He also drew the Zhejiang Railway General Map.
In 1920, when Hu was 48 years old, he was appointed Project Head of the
From 1922 to 1927, Hu was worked as the Works Construction Section Chief. During this time, he designed and led the constructions of many roads in Guangzhou. Most of the roads in his native Haizhu District were built under his supervision.
In 1932, when Hu was 60 years old, he was appointed head of the Guangjiu Railway Management Department in Guangdong.
In 1945, at the age of 73, Hu returned to his hometown, Huangpu. There he taught boxing in the local elementary school. He also worked on translating foreign books about railways, planning to publish them. In 1962, Hu's grandson Zhonghua Hu donated his manuscripts to the library in South China University of Technology.[6] Hu also wrote a letter to Jianying Ye, the chairman of Guangdong, and proposed road construction programs in south China.
Under the People's Republic of China
From 1950, Hu worked in the Guangdong Cultural Relics Preservation Committee and fulfilled his "dream of becoming a librarian". In 1955, he went back to his hometown, where he died of illness in 1957.
Hu's home in Huangpu, called Dong Yuan, stands to this day.
References
- ^ a b 胡栋朝
- ^ "广州黄埔古村育出清朝驻三国领事 传为佳话(图)-搜狐新闻". news.sohu.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "负洲傍海 商贸名港——广州黄埔村考察 - 期刊杂志|免费杂志|电子杂志|杂志下载". qkzz.net. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011.
- ^ a b "胡旋泽 - 互动百科". www.hudong.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
- ^ "广东侨网:世界目光两度驻停琶洲岛". gocn.southcn.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2004.
- ^ "华南理工大学图书馆". Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.