1
電報之法，自英吉利人初設於其國都，推及於印度，再及於上海。 同治十三年，日本犯台灣，兩江總督沈葆楨疏言電報之利，詔旨飭辦，不果行。 光緒五年，直隸總督李鴻章始於大沽、北塘海口砲台設線達天津，試行之而利，明年因有安設南北洋電報之請。 先是同治間，英使阿禮國請設電線於中國境內，力拒之，乃已。 九年，其使臣威妥瑪復申前議，易陸線為水線，自廣州經閩、浙以達上海，爭之數月，卒如所請。 嗣是香港海線循廣州達天津，陸線達九龍。 而丹國陸線亦由吳淞至滬上，駸駸有闌入內地之勢。
Telegraphy was first introduced by the British in their capital, then spread to India, and from there reached Shanghai. In 1874, when Japan invaded Taiwan, Shen Baozhen, Governor-General of Liangjiang, submitted a memorial on the advantages of telegraphy. The court ordered action, but the plan never went forward. In 1879, Li Hongzhang, Governor-General of Zhili, ran telegraph lines from the Dagu and Beitang coastal batteries to Tianjin. The trial proved successful, and the next year he petitioned to establish a telegraph network connecting the northern and southern coasts. Earlier, during the Tongzhi era, the British minister Alcock had asked to lay telegraph lines inside China. The request was firmly refused and dropped. In 1883, Wade revived the proposal, substituting submarine cables for land lines running from Guangzhou through Fujian and Zhejiang to Shanghai. After months of negotiation, the request was finally approved. Hong Kong's submarine cable then ran via Guangzhou to Tianjin, while its land line reached Kowloon. Denmark's land line from Wusong to Shanghai, meanwhile, was steadily pushing inward toward the interior.
2
天津道盛宣懷言於鴻章：「宜仿輪船招商之例，醵集商股，速設津滬陸線，以通南北兩洋之郵，遏外線潛侵之患； 並設電報學堂，育人才，備任使。」 鴻章韙之。 明年，疏言：「用兵之道，神速為貴。 泰東西各國於講求槍砲之外，水路則有快輪船，陸路則有火輪車，而數萬里海洋欲通軍信，則又有電報之法。 近來俄羅斯、日本均效而行之。 故由各國以至上海，莫不設立電報，瞬息之間，可以互相問答。 獨中國文書尚恃驛遞，雖日行六百里加緊，亦已遲速懸殊。 查俄國海線可達上海，旱線可達恰克圖。 欽使曾紀澤由俄國電報到上海，祗須一日。 而由上海至京城，輪船附寄，尚須六七日到京。 如遇海道不通，由驛必以十日為期。 是上海至京僅二千數百里，較之俄國至上海數萬里，消息反遲十倍。 倘遇用兵之際，彼等外國軍信速於中國，利害已判若徑庭。 且其鐵甲兵船，在海洋日行千餘里，勢必聲東擊西，莫可測度，全賴軍報神速，相機調援，是電報實為防務所必需。 現自北洋以至南洋，調兵饋餉，在在俱關緊要，亟宜設立電報，以通氣脈。 如由天津陸路循運河以至江北，越長江以達上海，安置旱線，即與外國通中國之電線相接，需費不過十餘萬兩，一半年可以告成。 約計正線支線，橫亙三千餘里，沿路分設局棧，常年用費，先于軍餉內墊辦。 辦成後，仿照輪船招商章程，擇公正商董，招股集貲，俾令分年繳還本銀。 嗣後即由官督商辦，並設電報學堂，僱用洋人教習中國學生，自行經理，庶幾權自我操，歷久不敝。」 疏入，報可。 逾年，工竣，以宣懷董其事。
Sheng Xuanhuai, intendant of Tianjin, told Li Hongzhang: "We should follow the China Merchants Steam Navigation model, raise capital from merchants, and quickly build a land line between Tianjin and Shanghai to link the northern and southern coasts and forestall foreign lines creeping inland; and establish a telegraph school to train personnel for future service." Li Hongzhang agreed. The next year he submitted a memorial: "In warfare, speed is paramount. Beyond modern arms, Western nations deploy fast steamships at sea and locomotives on land; to relay military messages across oceans tens of thousands of miles wide, they rely on the telegraph. Russia and Japan have recently adopted the same practice. Every foreign power now maintains telegraph links to Shanghai, exchanging messages in moments. China alone still depends on the postal relay system. Even its fastest couriers, at six hundred li a day, lag hopelessly behind. Russia's submarine cable reaches Shanghai, and its land line reaches Kyakhta. When Imperial Commissioner Zeng Jizi sent a telegram from Russia to Shanghai, it took only one day. Yet a message from Shanghai to the capital, sent by steamship mail, still needed six or seven days to reach Beijing. If the sea route were cut off, the relay post would take at least ten days. Shanghai to the capital is only a few thousand li, yet news travels ten times slower than from Russia to Shanghai, a distance of tens of thousands of li. In wartime, foreign powers would relay military intelligence far faster than China—a disparity that could prove decisive. Their ironclads can cover a thousand li a day at sea, striking unpredictably in every direction. Rapid military dispatches are essential to coordinate reinforcements—telegraphy is indispensable to coastal defense. From the northern to the southern coast, troop movements and supply lines are everywhere critical. Telegraph lines must be built at once to keep communications open. A land line from Tianjin along the Grand Canal to the north bank of the Yangtze, then across the river to Shanghai, would link up with foreign telegraph lines entering China. The cost would be under 150,000 taels, and the work could be finished in eighteen months. Main and branch lines together would span over three thousand li, with offices established along the way. Operating costs would initially be covered from military appropriations. Once built, following the China Merchants model, reputable merchant directors would raise capital through share subscriptions, repaying the principal in installments over successive years. Thereafter the enterprise would be government-supervised and merchant-operated. A telegraph school would train Chinese students under foreign instructors so that operations could be managed independently—keeping control in our hands for the long term. The memorial was submitted and approved. A year later the project was finished, with Sheng Xuanhuai placed in charge.
3
未幾，英、法、德、美各使擬設萬國電報公司於上海，增滬至香港各口海線。 英使格維納並援案請增上海至寧波、溫州、福州、廈門、汕頭海線。 鴻章言：「宜令華商速設沿海陸線，以爭先著，使彼無利可圖，庶幾中止。 且從此海疆各省與京、外脈絡貫注，實與洋務海防有裨。 即商民轉輸貿易，消息靈通，為利更大。」 從之。 而蘇州至浙、閩、粵陸線因之告成。 其時香港英商方欲設水線至廣州，粵督曾國荃亟造陸線以遏之。 於是港線不得侵入粵境，英線不獲造至福州。 而上海丹線、九龍英線先後毀去，或貲購之。 沿海電線，其權悉操於中國之手。 此因外線之侵入而次第創設者也。
Soon afterward, the British, French, German, and American ministers proposed founding an international telegraph company in Shanghai and laying additional submarine cables from Shanghai to Hong Kong and other ports. The British minister Granville also invoked precedent to request submarine cables from Shanghai to Ningbo, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, and Shantou. Li Hongzhang argued: "Chinese merchants should be urged to build coastal land lines quickly, seizing the initiative and leaving foreigners no profit to pursue—perhaps then they would abandon the plan. Moreover, coastal provinces would then be linked in continuous communication with the capital and abroad—a genuine benefit to foreign affairs and coastal defense. Merchants engaged in trade would benefit even more from rapid access to market intelligence." The court agreed. Land lines from Suzhou to Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong were completed as a result. British merchants in Hong Kong were then preparing to lay a submarine cable to Guangzhou. Zeng Guoquan, Governor-General of Guangdong, hastily built a land line to forestall them. The Hong Kong cable was barred from entering Guangdong, and the British line was denied extension to Fuzhou. The Danish line in Shanghai and the British line in Kowloon were subsequently dismantled or bought out. Control over coastal telegraph lines passed entirely into Chinese hands. These lines were built in stages in response to foreign encroachment.
4
當沿海陸線未設之先，海疆萬里，消息阻絕，緩急無以為備。 御史陳啟泰上防海六策，其一言：「洋面既派兵輪分駐，即不可不設電線以通消息。 議者必以不急之務虛糜鉅款為疑。 不知非常之原，斷非省嗇所能集事。 即以目前而論，越南情形，每藉各國新聞紙以為耳目。 今年朝鮮之變，非由日本發來電信，中國尚不得知。 軍情緊急，日夕萬狀，郵傳迂緩，既恐有誤機宜，藉助外人，事體更多窒礙，自不如招雇洋匠自行安設之為愈。 中國電報，似宜推廣各省海口，凡兵船寄椗之處，一律開辦。 廣東瓊州之線逕達越南，奉天旅順之線逕達朝鮮，總期脈絡聯貫，呼應靈通，遇有警報，瞬息可至。」 下所司議行。 十年，法、越事起，海防急，設線北塘以訖山海關，遞及於營口、旅順。 江督左宗棠則設長江線以通武漢，粵督張樹聲則設廣西線以達龍州。 二十一年，中日戰事亟，慮直東一線有阻，接設老河口至西安線。 是役江蘇增上海至獅子林、金山衛、乍浦，清江至青口、板浦，揚州至通州、泰州，鎮江至圌山關、天都廟，崇明至吳淞等線，而奉天至仁川電線先成於十一年。 台灣以瀕海要區，十四年亦水陸線並設焉。 此因海防緊要而次第安設者也。
Before coastal land lines existed, the ten-thousand-li maritime frontier was cut off from timely news, leaving no way to respond to emergencies. Censor Chen Qitai submitted six proposals for coastal defense, one of which argued: "Since gunboats are already stationed at sea, telegraph lines must be installed to relay intelligence. Critics will surely object that this is a non-urgent expense that would squander large sums. They fail to see that extraordinary undertakings cannot be accomplished through penny-pinching alone. Even now, regarding Vietnam, we depend on foreign newspapers for our intelligence. This year's crisis in Korea: had Japan not sent a telegram, China would still have been in the dark. Military situations shift by the hour. The relay post is too slow and risks missing critical moments; relying on foreigners creates further complications. It would be better to hire Western technicians and install our own lines. China's telegraph network should be extended to every provincial port, with offices wherever naval vessels are stationed. A line from Qiongzhou, Guangdong, should run directly to Vietnam; one from Lüshun, Fengtian, directly to Korea. The goal is a connected network with rapid mutual response, so that alarms can be relayed in moments. The memorial was referred to the relevant offices for deliberation and implementation. In 1884, with the Franco-Vietnamese conflict erupting and coastal defense urgent, lines were laid from Beitang to Shanhaiguan and onward to Yingkou and Lüshun. Zuo Zongtang, Governor-General of Jiangsu, built Yangtze lines to Wuhan; Zhang Shusheng, Governor-General of Guangdong, built Guangxi lines to Longzhou. In 1895, with the Sino-Japanese War urgent and the Zhili-Shandong line at risk of disruption, a connecting line from Laohekou to Xi'an was built. During that war Jiangsu added lines from Shanghai to Shizilin, Jinshanwei, and Zhapu; from Qingjiang to Qingkou and Banpu; from Yangzhou to Tongzhou and Taizhou; from Zhenjiang to Tuanshan Pass and Tiandu Temple; and from Chongming to Wusong. The Fengtian-Incheon line had been completed earlier, in 1885. Taiwan, a critical coastal region, had both submarine and land lines installed in 1888. These lines were built in stages in response to urgent coastal defense needs.
5
滇、桂密邇越南、緬甸，邊備為急。 滇省電線，其始僅通鄂通蜀，與南寧接線之議，光緒十一年得請而未果行。 十三年，滇督岑毓英復言：「由緬入滇，以騰越為入境門戶，猶蒙自之于越南也。 今英國有開辦通商之請，自當先事籌維。 擬就粵西工匠到滇之便，即將省城至騰越一路安設電線，以通英緬聲息。」 時粵督張之洞亦言：「廣西南界接壤滇邊，桂、滇皆西鄰越南，滇則西接緬甸。 若僅恃由鄂入滇一線傳達電音，設有雷雨折斷電杆，阻滯堪虞。 且遇有軍務之時，由滇、川、滬、鄂展轉至粵，恐有交會壅滯之患。 已商之滇督，自剝隘至蒙自，由粵接造，並增騰越之線。」 疏入，報聞。 蓋剝蒙設線，所以備越南； 騰越設線，所以備緬甸也。
Yunnan and Guangxi lie adjacent to Vietnam and Burma, making frontier defense a pressing concern. Yunnan's telegraph lines initially connected only to Hubei and Sichuan. A proposal to link with Nanning was approved in 1885 but never implemented. In 1887, Cen Yuying, Governor-General of Yunnan, argued again: "Entry from Burma into Yunnan passes through Tengyue, just as entry from Vietnam passes through Mengzi. Britain has now requested to open trade routes—we must prepare in advance. While Guangxi artisans are available in Yunnan, we propose installing telegraph lines from the provincial capital to Tengyue to monitor developments in British Burma. Zhang Zhidong, Governor-General of Guangdong, also argued: "Guangxi's southern border adjoins Yunnan. Both provinces border Vietnam to the west; Yunnan also adjoins Burma. If we rely solely on the single line from Hubei into Yunnan, a thunderstorm could snap the poles and cut communications—a serious risk. In wartime, messages relayed from Yunnan, Sichuan, Shanghai, and Hubei through to Guangdong risk congestion at junction points. I have consulted the Yunnan governor-general: Guangdong will build the connecting line from Bao'ai to Mengzi and add the Tengyue line as well. The memorial was submitted and acknowledged. The Bao'ai-Mengzi line was built to monitor Vietnam; the Tengyue line was built to monitor Burma.
6
吉林、黑龍江偪處俄疆，邊防尤要。 十五年，自吉林省城設線至松花江南岸，歷茂興站、齊齊哈爾、布特哈、墨爾根、興安嶺、黑龍江以達黑河鎮，從練兵大臣穆圖善之言也。 十八年，陝甘總督楊昌濬言：「新疆西北鄰俄，西南與英屬部接壤，文報濡滯，貽誤必多。 宜由肅州設線至新疆省城，及於伊犁、喀什噶爾。」 宣統元年，桂撫張鳴岐疏陳設柳邕電線二千三百餘里。 俱得請。 此因邊備而增設者也。
Jilin and Heilongjiang border Russian territory, making frontier defense especially critical. In 1889, following Mutushan's proposal, a line was built from Jilin city to the south bank of the Songhua River, passing through Maoxing Station, Qiqihar, Buteha, Mo'ergen, Xing'an Ridge, and Heilongjiang to Heihe Town. In 1892, Yang Changjun, Governor-General of Shaanxi-Gansu, argued: "Xinjiang borders Russia to the northwest and British territories to the southwest. Delayed dispatches will surely cause serious errors. Lines should be built from Suzhou to the Xinjiang capital, and onward to Ili and Kashgar. In 1909, Zhang Mingqi, Governor of Guangxi, memorialized proposing a Liuzhou-Nanning telegraph line of over twenty-three hundred li. All were approved. These lines were added for frontier defense.
7
初，奏設南北洋陸線，北端僅至天津。 法事將起，出使大臣曾紀澤請接營近畿電線，謂可壯聲威以保和局，靈呼應以利戰事。 事下所司，與鴻章議展拓之法。 鴻章言：「神京為中外所歸鄉，發號施令，需用倍切。 前於創辦電報之初，頗慮士大夫見聞未熟，或滋口舌，是以暫從天津設起，漸開風氣。 其于軍國要務，裨益實多。 今總理衙門與曾紀澤皆以近畿展線為善策，擬暫設至通州，逐漸接展至京。」 允行。 逾年，津線遂逾通州達京師。 自時厥後，各省咸知電報之利。 或本無而創設，或已有而引伸。 其尤要之區，則陸線、水線兼營，正線、支線並設，縱橫全國，經緯相維。 直、蘇、粵、桂、滇、魯、鄂諸省，設局多至二十餘所，餘省亦十餘局或數局有差。 其互相銜接者，京師之線所達，曰庫倫、濟南、太原。 天津之線所達，曰奉天。 奉天之線所達，曰天津、旅順、吉林。 吉林之線所達，曰海參崴、齊齊哈爾、奉天。 黑龍江之線所達，曰吉林、海蘭泡。 江蘇之線所達，曰京師、蕪湖。 安徽之線所達，曰江寧、九江。 山西之線所達，曰京師、西安。 山東之線所達，曰京師、開封、清江浦。 河南之線所達，曰京師、濟南、西安。 陝西之線所達，曰開封、太原、蘭州、漢口。 甘肅之線所達，曰迪化、西安。 新疆之線所達，曰蘭州。 浙江之線所達，曰上海、福州。 江西之線所達，曰廣州、蕪湖、河口。 湖北之線所達，曰九江、成都、長沙、鄭州。 湖南之線所達，曰漢口、桂林。 四川之線所達，曰漢口。 福建之線所達，曰杭州、廣州。 廣東之線所達，曰福州、梧州、九江。 廣西之線所達，曰長沙、廣州。 雲南之線所達，曰漢口、重慶、八莫、南寧。 貴州之線所達，曰重慶。 外蒙則達京師、張家口焉。 瀕海之區則設海線。 直隸自大沽以通之罘。 江蘇自上海東通長崎，北通之罘、大沽，南通廈門、香港。 廣東自香港通海防、新嘉坡、廈門、上海、馬尼喇。 山東自之罘通大沽、旅順、威海衛、青島、上海。 福建自川石山通台灣淡水，自廈門通上海、香港。 蓋總計陸線之設，不下四萬里有奇，而水線不與焉。
When the north-south coastal land lines were first proposed, the northern terminus reached only Tianjin. As the French crisis loomed, Envoy Zeng Jizi requested extending telegraph lines into the capital region, arguing this would bolster prestige to preserve peace and enable rapid coordination in wartime. The matter was referred to the relevant offices to discuss extension plans with Li Hongzhang. Li Hongzhang replied: "The capital is the center to which all look. Issuing commands from there demands the utmost urgency. When telegraphy was first introduced, I feared that unfamiliar scholar-officials might raise objections. We therefore started from Tianjin to gradually acclimate public opinion. Its benefits for military and state affairs have been considerable. Both the Zongli Yamen and Zeng Jizi now agree that extending lines into the capital region is sound policy. We propose building first to Tongzhou, then gradually extending to Beijing. This was approved. A year later the Tianjin line passed through Tongzhou and reached the capital. From that point on, every province recognized the value of telegraphy. Some provinces built lines where none existed; others extended existing networks. In the most critical regions, land and submarine lines were built together, main and branch lines side by side, forming a nationwide crisscross network. Zhili, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Shandong, and Hubei each had as many as twenty offices or more; other provinces had ten or more, or a varying number. Lines from the capital connected to Urga, Jinan, and Taiyuan. Lines from Tianjin reached Fengtian. Lines from Fengtian reached Tianjin, Lüshun, and Jilin. Lines from Jilin reached Vladivostok, Qiqihar, and Fengtian. Lines from Heilongjiang reached Jilin and Blagoveshchensk. Lines from Jiangsu reached the capital and Wuhu. Lines from Anhui reached Jiangning and Jiujiang. Lines from Shanxi reached the capital and Xi'an. Lines from Shandong reached the capital, Kaifeng, and Qingjiangpu. Lines from Henan reached the capital, Jinan, and Xi'an. Lines from Shaanxi reached Kaifeng, Taiyuan, Lanzhou, and Hankou. Lines from Gansu reached Dihua and Xi'an. Lines from Xinjiang reached Lanzhou. Lines from Zhejiang reached Shanghai and Fuzhou. Lines from Jiangxi reached Guangzhou, Wuhu, and Hekou. Lines from Hubei reached Jiujiang, Chengdu, Changsha, and Zhengzhou. Lines from Hunan reached Hankou and Guilin. Lines from Sichuan reached Hankou. Lines from Fujian reached Hangzhou and Guangzhou. Lines from Guangdong reached Fuzhou, Wuzhou, and Jiujiang. Lines from Guangxi reached Changsha and Guangzhou. Lines from Yunnan reached Hankou, Chongqing, Bhamo, and Nanning. Lines from Guizhou reached Chongqing. Outer Mongolia was linked to the capital and Zhangjiakou. Coastal regions were served by submarine cables. In Zhili, Dagu was linked to Yantai. From Shanghai in Jiangsu, cables ran east to Nagasaki, north to Yantai and Dagu, and south to Xiamen and Hong Kong. From Hong Kong in Guangdong, cables ran to Haiphong, Singapore, Xiamen, Shanghai, and Manila. From Yantai in Shandong, cables ran to Dagu, Lüshun, Weihaiwei, Qingdao, and Shanghai. From Fujian, Chuanshi Mountain was linked to Tamsui in Taiwan, and Xiamen to Shanghai and Hong Kong. Land lines totaled over forty thousand li—not counting submarine cables.
8
電報設局，亦如輪船招商之例，商力舉辦而官董其成，謂官督商辦也。 津滬一線，其始倡以官帑，未幾即歸商局，醵貲至二百餘萬。 而各省電線不盡由商辦者，良以商人重利，入貲則權子母、計盈虧，其于海防邊備情勢緩急，國內交通利便與否，不以措意。 往往一線，官辦商辦，參互錯綜，大率以官辦補商辦之不足。 兩粵電線，廣州至龍州則屬之官，至梧州則屬之商。 欽、廉、雷、瓊及鎮南關、虎門，則官商協力。 而滇線一自鄂入，一自蜀入，一自桂入。 西安迄嘉峪關、甘、新、奉、吉、黑等省，通州至承德，陸線俱官為之。 此類是也。 然由滬達粵之線，本為防止外線而設，需費四十餘萬兩，咸由商力措備。 其時香港英人並欲引線達廣州，亦賴華合公司預設線至九龍，其謀始戢。 方華合公司設線九龍也，華民抗拒，英商撓阻，其勢洶洶。 公司商人何獻墀等排眾難而為之，不為所屈，卒底於成。 中日戰事棘，引襄陽線千餘里直達西安，俾京、滬軍報不至梗阻。 而張家口至恰克圖一線，以俄使援約相促，亦由商局集金六十餘萬兩，接線二千七百餘里，經營至二三年之久，工鉅費繁，為全國最。 此外造成之線，不能里數，其所裨殆非淺鮮矣。
Telegraph offices were established on the China Merchants model: merchants provided capital while officials supervised operations—the government-supervised, merchant-operated system. The Tianjin-Shanghai line was initially funded by the government, but soon passed to the merchant bureau, which raised over two million taels in capital. Not all provincial lines were merchant-operated, because merchants prioritize profit—investing capital to calculate returns, with little regard for coastal and frontier defense or the convenience of domestic communications. A single line often combined government and merchant operation in complex ways, with government operation generally filling gaps left by merchant operation. In the two Guang provinces, the Guangzhou-Longzhou line was government-operated, while the line to Wuzhou was merchant-operated. Qinzhou, Lianzhou, Leizhou, Qiongzhou, Zhennan Pass, and Humen were built through joint government-merchant effort. Yunnan's lines entered from Hubei, Sichuan, and Guangxi. Land lines from Xi'an to Jiayuguan and in Gansu, Xinjiang, Fengtian, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and other provinces, as well as from Tongzhou to Chengde, were all government-built. These fell into that category. The Shanghai-Guangdong line, however, was originally built to forestall foreign encroachment. It cost over four hundred thousand taels, all raised by merchants. British interests in Hong Kong then sought to extend a line to Guangzhou, but the Chinese Merchants' Union Company's preemptive line to Kowloon forced them to abandon the plan. When the Chinese Merchants' Union Company built its Kowloon line, Chinese residents resisted and British merchants obstructed—the confrontation was fierce. Company merchants including He Xianci pressed ahead despite fierce opposition, refusing to yield, and ultimately completed the project. During the Sino-Japanese War, a line of over a thousand li from Xiangyang directly to Xi'an was built to keep military dispatches between Beijing and Shanghai from being cut off. The Zhangjiakou-Kyakhta line, pressed by the Russian envoy under treaty obligations, was also funded by the merchant bureau with over six hundred thousand taels, spanning over twenty-seven hundred li. Two or three years in the making, it was the largest and costliest project in the country. Countless other lines were built as well—their contributions were considerable.
9
二十五年，大學士徐桐言電報局獲利不貲，並無裨益公家之實。 廷臣亦有以招商、電報各局假公濟私為言者。 俱下協辦大學士剛毅查復。 剛毅時以事銜命赴蘇，尋疏陳：「電局自恰線成後，所虧至鉅，俟有贏餘，歲輸南北洋學款十二萬四千兩。」 報可。 明年，廷臣復言電局利權太重，宜遴員接辦。 詔飭宣懷按年冊報收支款目，官電應免收費。 宣懷上疏，略言：「電局本系集華商合眾之力，以與洋商爭衡，旁觀每驚為大利所叢，其實析分千百股商，仍皆寸寸銖銖之微利。 近年電線開拓日廣，則局用及修線養線之費亦日增。 上年因中俄條約，接造恰克圖之線用費六十餘萬兩，未請官款，悉系電商集貲辦成。 沙漠荒僻之區，絕少報費，而常年用數尤鉅。 至本年應辦之工，因辦理鐵路，盧溝橋至保定線已造成，又須造保定至漢口幹線。 因辦理海防，乃須造寧波至溫州之線。 總理衙門因洋人之請，則須造山東泰安、沂州之線。 此外各路加線要工，絡繹不絕，官款並無可籌，皆借股商之力，以赴公家之急。 總局收支各賬，均系按年刊布。 各局詳細坐簿，亦任股商隨時查閱。 一出一入，眾見眾聞，非如官中所辦報銷，出於一二人之手者可比。 原奏所疑各節，似屬不知此中原委。 至官報之費，前定章程，擬一半報效，一半給貲，期於官商兼顧，持久不廢，仍宜照舊辦理，以維大局。」 報聞。
In 1899, Grand Secretary Xu Tong argued that the telegraph bureau reaped enormous profits while bringing no real benefit to the state. Court officials also charged that the China Merchants and telegraph bureaus used public office for private gain. All were referred to Associate Grand Secretary Gangyi for investigation. Gangyi was then on assignment in Suzhou. He soon reported: "Since the Kyakhta line was completed, the telegraph bureau's losses have been enormous. When surpluses arise, it remits 124,000 taels annually for Northern and Southern Seas educational funds. The report was approved. The following year, court officials again argued that the telegraph bureau wielded too much profit and authority, and that suitable officials should be appointed to take over. An edict ordered Sheng Xuanhuai to submit annual accounts of income and expenditures, and mandated that official telegrams be sent free of charge. Sheng Xuanhuai submitted a memorial arguing: "The telegraph bureau was founded to pool Chinese merchant capital against foreign competition. Outsiders marvel at its profits, but divided among thousands of shareholders, each earns only modest returns. As telegraph lines have expanded in recent years, bureau expenses and line maintenance costs have risen accordingly. Last year, under the Sino-Russian treaty, the Kyakhta connecting line cost over six hundred thousand taels—all raised by telegraph merchants, with no government funds requested. Desert and remote regions generate almost no telegram revenue, yet operating costs remain enormous. This year's projects include the completed Lugou Bridge-Baoding line for railway construction, and the Baoding-Hankou trunk line still to be built. For coastal defense, the Ningbo-Wenzhou line must be built. At foreign request through the Zongli Yamen, lines to Taian and Yizhou in Shandong must be built. Branch lines and essential work continue without cease. With no government funds available, merchant shareholders bear the burden of meeting the state's urgent needs. The head office publishes all income and expenditure accounts annually. Detailed ledgers at each office are open for shareholder inspection at any time. Every transaction is open to public scrutiny—unlike official reimbursements handled by one or two individuals. The doubts raised in the original memorial seem to stem from ignorance of these facts. Regarding official telegram fees, the established regulations split costs evenly between tribute and payment to balance government and merchant interests for long-term sustainability. These arrangements should remain in place to preserve stability. The memorial was submitted and acknowledged.
10
宣懷時綜司輪、電兩局，疊被指摘。 二十八年，言於直督袁世凱：「電報宜歸官有。 輪船純系商業，可易督辦，不可歸官。」 世凱謀諸執政者，以為然，聞於上。 尋命世凱督辦電局，候補侍郎吳和喜副之。 明詔發還商股，不遽予行。 眾商洶懼，爭欲持券售之外人。 宣懷力遏之，乃已。 尋詔原有商股一仍其舊，蓋其時僅易一商股官辦之局而已。
Sheng Xuanhuai, then overseeing both the steam navigation and telegraph bureaus, faced repeated criticism. In 1902, he told Yuan Shikai, Governor-General of Zhili: "Telegraphy should be placed under government ownership. Steam navigation is purely commercial—it can change supervisors but should not be nationalized." Yuan Shikai consulted the ruling officials, who agreed, and reported to the throne. Yuan Shikai was soon appointed to supervise the telegraph bureau, with Expectant Vice Minister Wu Hexi as his deputy. An explicit edict ordered the return of merchant shares, but this was not immediately carried out. Merchants panicked and rushed to sell their shares to foreigners. Sheng Xuanhuai forcefully stopped them, and the crisis passed. An edict soon restored the original merchant shares. At that point, only the bureau's designation changed from merchant to government operation.
11
三十四年，郵傳設部已二年，將以全國電局為實行部轄之計。 郵傳部尚書陳璧疏言：「電報為交通全國機關。 各國電報之權皆操諸國家。 中國電報，創始原歸商辦。 而光緒初年，商股微薄，仍賴官力以為補助，非完全商辦也。 歷年獲利，約計五六百萬。 果使全國交通推行無阻，則富商即可富國，亦何必別議更張？ 乃觀商線所至之處，皆屬市鎮都會，而邊遠省分，如云、貴、廣西、甘肅、新疆，商人以無利可圖，均推歸官辦。 雖商力實有未逮，而顧私利、忘遠略，實悖朝廷立部之初心。 衡以中國近狀，自非改為官辦，無以定區畫之方，即末由收擴充之效。 東西各國，電線如織，策應靈通，故伏莽方生，旋就撲滅。 中國電報，無論要荒，即腹地稍僻者，亦多缺而未舉。 一旦有事，道途修阻，聲息不通，實于軍務有礙。 況當百度維新，外交內政關係非輕，稍滯交通，輒形扞格。 近來科布多、川、藏、蒙古、閩、浙、江西、蘇、松紛紛請設電線。 本年四月，奉旨迅設貴陽至義興電線。 又陸軍部以秋間江、鄂各軍在安徽會操，請設安慶至太湖電線。 外務部請設川、藏通印度電線，以為收贖英人江孜線路張本。 湖北官電局以賠累不堪，請改歸部辦。 紛來沓至，均為不可稍緩之圖。 核計各省請設各線，不下萬有餘里，工程當在一百餘萬以上。 且此萬餘里，半皆荒村僻壤，報務不多，增一線即賠一線之本，修一里即虧一里之費。 前此添設雲、貴一二邊省電線，各股商尚慮虧損。 今統籌荒瘠之區，更難著手。 至利則歸己，損則歸公，恐亦無此情理。 此展線之宜歸官辦者也。 各省線路，待修者眾，朽敗難支，而陝、豫、閩三省尤甚。 設遇軍興倉猝，何堪設想。 現在遴員調查，通盤籌畫，尚有應移近鐵路者，有關係交涉亟須先佔者，有文報日多應行添線者。 次第修舉，工費浩繁，需銀約五六十萬兩。 此項巨費，即盡括商股餘利息項，亦難支抵。 此大修之宜歸官辦者也。 中國報費昂貴，甲於全球。 遠省一二字之費，幾與各國二十字相等。 近據寧夏副都統志銳，請核減報費以利交通。 又據赴葡部員周萬鵬稱，葡國公會亦以中國報費太昂為詞。 自當酌減，使價目與各國略同，為入萬國電政會之預備。 惟核減電費，以歲入三百餘萬元計算，若減一二成，即在五六十萬以上。 若遞減至四五成，或減至與東西洋相等，為數尤多。 此事一行，則商股年息恐不可保，餘利更不待言。 此減費之宜歸官辦者也。 凡此三事，實為電政今日最要之圖，即為商股今日最損之策。 與其苟且因循，日積月累，致官商之兩病，曷若平價收贖，期上下之交益。 實見夫今日電報有必須擴充之勢，即有不免折閱之時。 在商人祗課贏餘，在國家必求利便。 事實不同，斷難強合。 臣等擬恪遵光緒二十八年諭旨，改為官辦，籌還商股。 即由部備價收贖，於每股股本外特予加價，以示國家恤商之意。」 奏入，允行。
In 1908, two years after the Ministry of Posts and Communications was established, plans were made to bring all telegraph bureaus nationwide under ministry jurisdiction. Minister Chen Bi of Posts and Communications memorialized: "The telegraph is the mechanism for connecting the entire country. In every country, telegraph authority rests with the state. China's telegraph was originally merchant-operated. But in the early Guangxu era, merchant capital was thin and relied on government support—it was never fully merchant-operated. Accumulated profits over the years totaled roughly five or six million taels. If nationwide communications functioned smoothly, wealthy merchants could enrich the nation—why change the system? Yet merchant lines reach only market towns and major cities. In remote provinces—Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Gansu, Xinjiang—merchants, finding no profit, pushed responsibility back to the government. Though merchant capacity was genuinely limited, prizing private profit over long-range strategy betrayed the court's purpose in establishing the ministry. Given China's current condition, only government operation can establish a comprehensive plan and achieve meaningful expansion. In Western nations, telegraph lines crisscross the land with swift coordination, suppressing unrest almost as soon as it arises. China's telegraph network has gaps everywhere—from frontier wilderness to moderately remote interior regions. In an emergency, long distances and obstructed routes would cut communications—a serious handicap in military affairs. At a time of comprehensive reform, foreign and domestic affairs depend heavily on communications—any delay creates friction. Recently Kobdo, Sichuan, Tibet, Mongolia, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Songjiang have all petitioned for telegraph lines. In April of this year, an imperial edict ordered the rapid installation of the Guiyang-Yixing telegraph line. The Army Ministry also requested an Anqing-Taihu line for autumn joint exercises by Jiangsu and Hubei troops in Anhui. The Foreign Ministry requested a Sichuan-Tibet-India line as groundwork for recovering the British line at Gyantse. The Hubei official telegraph bureau, unable to sustain its losses, requested transfer to ministry operation. Requests poured in—all projects that could not be delayed. Lines requested by the provinces total over ten thousand li, with engineering costs exceeding one million taels. Moreover, half of these ten thousand li traverse remote villages and wasteland with little traffic. Each new line loses money; each li repaired adds to the deficit. When lines were added in Yunnan, Guizhou, and other frontier provinces, shareholders already feared losses. Planning lines through barren, impoverished regions makes the task even harder. Profits to oneself while losses fall on the state—surely no one would accept such terms. This is why line expansion should fall under government operation. Many provincial lines await repair, decayed and barely functional—especially in Shaanxi, Henan, and Fujian. If war broke out suddenly, the consequences are unthinkable. Officials are now surveying and planning comprehensively: some lines should be relocated near railways; some involving diplomatic relations must be secured first; others need expansion as official dispatches increase. Repairs proceeding in sequence would cost roughly five or six hundred thousand taels. Even pooling all remaining merchant share dividends would not cover this enormous expense. This is why major repairs should fall under government operation. China's telegram fees are the highest in the world. In remote provinces, the fee for one or two characters nearly equals twenty characters elsewhere. Recently, Zhi Rui, Deputy Commander of Ningxia, requested a reduction in telegram fees to improve communications. Zhou Wanpeng, an official sent to Portugal, also reported that the Portuguese assembly cited China's excessively high telegram fees. Fees should be reduced to bring prices in line with other countries, as preparation for joining the international telegraph union. However, with annual revenue exceeding three million yuan, a ten- or twenty-percent fee reduction would cost five or six hundred thousand yuan or more. A progressive reduction to forty or fifty percent, or matching Western rates, would cost even more. Once implemented, annual dividends on merchant shares would likely become unsustainable—not to mention any remaining profits. This is why fee reduction should fall under government operation. These three matters are the telegraph administration's most urgent priorities—and the most damaging policies for merchant shareholders. Rather than muddling through and harming both government and merchants, it is better to buy out shares at fair prices and restore mutual trust. Telegraphy must expand today, even if losses are inevitable at times. Merchants seek profit; the state must seek public convenience. Their interests diverge—they cannot be forcibly combined. We propose to follow the 1902 edict, converting to government operation and repurchasing merchant shares. The ministry will buy out shares at a premium above par value to show the state's regard for merchants. The memorial was submitted and approved.
12
八月，電股收贖完竣。 陳璧疏言：「臣部收贖商電，酌核市值贖之，每百圓電股，給予一百七十圓。 旋復從眾商之請，加價十圓，作為優待費。 計共二十二萬圓。 自頒發收贖章程後，旬月之間，共收回商股二萬一千四百餘股。 其未到之五百餘股，委系外埠及內地僻處，遞寄維艱，擬請寬予限期，照章給價，提存現款，以便續領，仍給優待費，以示體恤。 此後即全歸國有，與商無涉。 收贖之款三百九十六萬，臣部暫由路款借撥，仍須另行設法歸還，以清款目。」 又言：「電政為交通樞機，圖擴充方期發達。 今既改歸國有，應將減費、展線、修線諸事次第整頓。 而減價為中外眾目所睹，非實行籌辦，尤不足以饜人望而廣招徠。 擬自光緒三十五年正月始，酌減電費二成，以所收商報約三百萬圓之額計之，即少收約六十萬圓，不敷在二十萬圓以上。 減費之後，報費必增，可供挹注。 而一時添線、修線，並擴充電話，在在需款。 所增之數，必須抵撥，逐漸推廣工程之用。 預算短額，擬暫由臣部各路餘利項下，每年分撥二十萬圓，以三年為限，自第四年起至六年止，每年勻還二十萬圓，一律還清。 一轉移間，路款均歸有著，電政亦可漸興，不煩續借他款，實收財政統籌之益。」 報可。 自時厥後，事權統一，呼應靈通，每歲展拓電線三四千里以為常。 而取值之廉，迥異疇昔，此則非商辦之所及也。
In August, the buyout of telegraph shares was completed. Chen Bi reported: "Our ministry bought out merchant telegraph shares at assessed market value, paying 170 yuan for every 100-yuan share. At merchants' request, an additional ten yuan was added as a preferential bonus. The total bonus amounted to 220,000 yuan. Within six weeks of issuing buyout regulations, over 21,400 merchant shares were recovered. The remaining 500-odd shares are held in remote ports and interior regions where delivery is difficult. We propose extending the deadline, paying according to regulations, holding cash in deposit for later collection, and still granting the preferential bonus. Thereafter the telegraph would be entirely state-owned, with no further merchant involvement. The 3.96 million yuan buyout was temporarily advanced from railway funds and must be repaid through other means to settle accounts. He also argued: "Telegraph administration is the pivot of communications; only through expansion can it develop. Now that it is state-owned, fee reduction, line expansion, and repairs should be systematically reorganized. Fee reduction is watched by Chinese and foreign observers alike. Without actual implementation, it would not satisfy public expectations or attract broader use. A twenty-percent fee reduction is proposed beginning January 1909. Based on commercial telegram revenue of roughly three million yuan, this would reduce income by approximately six hundred thousand yuan—a shortfall exceeding two hundred thousand yuan. After fee reduction, increased traffic should provide supplementary revenue. Meanwhile, adding lines, repairing lines, and expanding telephone service all require funds. Increased revenue must be allocated to fund expansion projects gradually. For the projected shortfall, 200,000 yuan annually would be temporarily allocated from railway surplus profits for three years, then repaid at 200,000 yuan per year from years four through six until fully settled. With this transfer, railway funds would be properly accounted for, telegraph administration could gradually prosper, and no further borrowing would be needed—a genuine benefit of fiscal coordination. The report was approved. From that point on, with unified authority and swift coordination, expanding telegraph lines by three or four thousand li annually became routine. Low fees, vastly different from before, were something merchant operation could never have achieved.
13
中國幅員遼闊，文報稽延，至於變起倉猝，往往因消息遲滯，坐誤機宜，釀成鉅患。 歷朝變亂之起，大率以此。 自有電報，舉向來音信隔絕之弊，一掃而空。 若朝陽教匪之倡亂，雲南猛喇游匪魏名高之滋事，均因電報之告警，與軍事布置之迅速，得以立即剿平。 而外則朝鮮之二次內訌，越南事變之先事防禦，亦惟電報是賴。 此其明效大驗也。 而然當創辦之初，鄉僻囿於見聞，外人多所撓阻，艱難曲折，乃克成功。 設線之處，若系邊疆瘴癘、塞外荒涼之地，措手之艱，什伯內地。 以故在事人員，得邀獎敘，而近省不得援例以請者此也。
China's vast territory made official dispatches slow. When sudden crises arose, delayed intelligence often caused missed opportunities and bred great calamity. Rebellions throughout history have largely begun for this reason. Telegraphy swept away the longstanding problem of cut-off communications. The sectarian uprising in Chaoyang and the roving bandit Wei Minggao's disturbances in Mengla, Yunnan were both suppressed immediately thanks to telegraph alerts and rapid military deployment. Abroad, Korea's second internal conflict and advance defense against disturbances in Vietnam also relied solely on the telegraph. These were clear and decisive proofs of its value. Yet at its founding, remote regions were ignorant of the technology, foreigners obstructed at every turn, and success came only through hardship. Installing lines in frontier malarial regions or desolate lands beyond the frontier was ten or a hundred times harder than in the interior. Personnel involved received commendations and promotions, while those in nearby provinces could not cite precedent to request the same.
14
至於意外之損壞，其事尤夥。 貴州畢節鄉民之拆線； 山西霍山鄉民之毀桿； 湘省澧州民誤以電線為外人所設，集眾毀棄； 陝之長武、乾州、醴泉、邠州、永壽，甘之涇州、平涼等處，人民謂旱疫為電線所致，拆毀殆盡。 俱由地方官出貲修復，首犯有論重辟者。 二十六年拳匪之變，京師至保定電線先為所毀，京津、京德繼之，山西、河南又繼之。 馴至晉、豫、直隸、山東四省境內，蕩然無一線之遺。 南北隔閡，中外阻塞，消息不通者數月。 而外兵盤踞京、津，初設行軍電線，嗣擬設大沽至上海水線，以大東、大北兩公司主其事。 宣懷密行作價，購其機器料物，屬於中國商局，其謀竟不得逞。 宣懷尋請修復已毀各線。 其經戰事損壞者，商局任之。 晉、豫未有戰事，地方官保護不力，甚且指使拆壞者，援畢節、霍山之例，分別賠修。 報可。 三十年，東三省線再毀於日俄之戰。 迨三十四年，總督徐世昌修復之。 此已毀復修各線之大略情形也。
Accidental damage, meanwhile, was especially frequent. Villagers in Bijie, Guizhou, dismantled lines; villagers in Huoshan, Shanxi, destroyed poles; people in Lizhou, Hunan, mistaking the lines for foreign installations, gathered to destroy them; in Changwu, Qianzhou, Liquan, Binzhou, and Yongshou in Shaanxi, and Jingzhou, Pingliang, and elsewhere in Gansu, people blamed drought and plague on telegraph lines and destroyed them almost entirely. Local officials paid for repairs in all cases, and ringleaders received severe punishment. During the 1900 Boxer uprising, the Beijing-Baoding line was destroyed first, followed by the Beijing-Tianjin and Beijing-Dezhou lines, then Shanxi and Henan. Eventually not a single line remained in Shanxi, Henan, Zhili, and Shandong. North and south were cut off, domestic and foreign communications blocked, for months. Meanwhile foreign troops occupied Beijing and Tianjin, installing field telegraph lines and planning a Dagu-Shanghai submarine cable through the Eastern Extension and Great Northern companies. Sheng Xuanhuai secretly negotiated to purchase their equipment for the Chinese merchant bureau, and their scheme failed. Sheng Xuanhuai soon petitioned to repair all destroyed lines. Lines damaged by warfare were the merchant bureau's responsibility. Shanxi and Henan saw no warfare, but local officials failed to protect lines and even directed destroyers. Following the Bijie and Huoshan precedents, they were required to pay for repairs. The report was approved. In 1904, the Three Eastern Provinces' lines were again destroyed in the Russo-Japanese War. By 1908, Governor-General Xu Shichang had restored them. This summarizes the destruction and restoration of telegraph lines.
15
電報之利於交通，與鐵路相輔而行，缺一不可。 然鐵路需費過鉅，每有興築，擬假外貲集事，非如電報工省費輕，商力已足舉辦，其借外債而成者，僅滬、煙、沽正副水線而已。 光緒二十六年，外兵方據京、津，謀設大沽至滬水線。 宣懷以其侵我主權，密向承辦之大東、大北公司購歸商局辦理。 方是時，兩公司因利乘便，故昂其值。 中國官商交困，復絀於力，於是以購價作為息借，分三十年償還。 殆迫於勢之不得已也。 前外人在中國設線，由商股購回者，如丹國所設之淞滬旱線、德國所設之京沽幹線、鐵路至天津支線是也。 電報非僅達於國內已也，必行馳域外，而其用益宏。 於是與外國通線，若法、若英、若俄，既訂通線費之約，並分訂聯合其價攤分之約，以相約束焉。
Telegraphy's benefit to communications complements railways—they work together, and neither can be omitted. Railways, however, require enormous expense and often rely on foreign loans. Telegraphy, with its lighter costs, could be fully funded by merchants. Only the Shanghai-Yantai-Dagu main and auxiliary submarine cables were completed through foreign borrowing. In 1900, foreign troops occupying Beijing and Tianjin planned to install a Dagu-Shanghai submarine cable. Sheng Xuanhuai, seeing this as an infringement on sovereignty, secretly purchased the project from the Eastern Extension and Great Northern companies for the merchant bureau. The two companies, seizing the opportunity, inflated the price. Chinese officials and merchants were both strapped for cash. The purchase price was therefore treated as an interest-bearing loan, repaid over thirty years. They had no choice under the circumstances. Foreign lines previously bought back by merchants included the Danish Wusong-Shanghai land line, the German Beijing-Tianjin trunk line, and the railway branch line to Tianjin. Telegraphy must extend beyond China's borders to reach its full utility. Connecting lines with France, Britain, and Russia, agreements were made on connection fees and on joint price allocation for mutual regulation.
16
電局既日漸擴充，尤以培養人才為要。 電報學堂創於光緒六年。 嗣分設按報、測量、高等諸塾，以宏造就。 二十五年，並設電話學科以附益之。
As the telegraph bureau expanded, cultivating talent became especially important. The telegraph academy was founded in 1880. Separate schools for telegraph operation, surveying, and advanced studies were later established to broaden training. In 1899, a telephone curriculum was added as well.
17
電話初名曰「德律風」。 二十五年，宣懷疏言：「德律風創自歐、美。 入手而能用，著耳而得聲，坐一室而可對百朋，隔顏色而可親謦欬，此亙古未有之便宜。 故創行未三十年，遍於各國。 其始止達數十里，現已可通數千里。 新機既辟，不可禁遏。 日本電報、德律風，統歸遞信省。 學生教於一堂，機器出於一廠。 中國之有德律風也，自英人設於上海租界始。 近年各處通商口岸，洋人紛紛謀設。 吳淞、漢口則請借桿掛線矣，廈門則請自行設線矣。 電報公司竭力堅拒，但恐各國使臣將赴總理衙門要求，又滋口舌。 一經應允，為患甚鉅。 況西人眈眈逐逐，欲攘我電報之權利而未得其間。 沿江沿海通商各埠，若令皆設有德律風，他日由短線而達長路，由傳聲而兼傳字，勢必一縱而不可收拾。 不特中國電報權利必為所奪，而彼之消息更速於我。 防備不早，補救何從？ 現在官款恐難籌措。 臣與電報各商董再四熟籌，惟有勸集華商貲本，自辦德律風，與電報相輔而行。 自通商各口岸次第開辦，再以次及於省會各郡縣，庶可預杜彼族覬覦之謀，保全電報已成之局。」 報可。 自是京師、天津、上海、奉天、福州、廣州、江寧、漢口、長沙、太原皆設之，此則連類而及者也。
The telephone was initially called de li feng. In 1899, Sheng Xuanhuai memorialized: "The telephone was invented in Europe and America. Take it in hand and it works; put it to the ear and hear sound. Sit in one room and speak with a hundred people; be separated by distance yet hear whispers as if face to face—an unprecedented convenience. Within thirty years of its introduction, it had spread to every country. At first it reached only a few dozen li; now it spans thousands of li. Once a new technology emerges, it cannot be suppressed. In Japan, telegraph and telephone are both under the Ministry of Communications. Students are trained in one school; equipment comes from one factory. China's first telephone was installed by the British in the Shanghai concession. In recent years foreigners have sought to install telephones at treaty ports across the country. At Wusong and Hankou they requested to hang lines on existing poles; at Xiamen they requested to install their own lines. The telegraph company firmly resisted, but feared foreign ministers would petition the Zongli Yamen and provoke further disputes. Once granted, the consequences would be enormous. Moreover, Westerners watch greedily for any chance to seize our telegraph rights. If telephones were permitted at every coastal treaty port, short lines would extend to long routes and voice would add text transmission—once unleashed, the situation would become uncontrollable. China's telegraph rights would be seized, and foreign intelligence would travel faster than ours. Without early prevention, how can the damage be remedied? Official funds are probably unavailable at present. After repeated deliberation with telegraph merchant directors, the only option is to encourage Chinese merchants to establish telephone service independently, operating alongside telegraphy. Beginning at treaty ports and extending to provincial capitals and counties, this could forestall foreign designs and preserve the established telegraph system. The memorial was approved. Telephones were subsequently installed in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Fengtian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Jiangning, Hankou, Changsha, and Taiyuan—a related development noted here.