Deng Shichang | |
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Deng Shichang
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Born |
Guangdong Province, China |
4 October 1849
Died | 17 September 1894 Korea Bay, Yellow Sea |
(aged 44)
Allegiance | Qing Empire |
Service/branch |
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Years of service | 1874–1894 |
Rank | Guandai (equivalent to Captain) |
Unit | Zhiyuan |
Battles/wars | Battle of the Yalu River (1894) |
Awards | Posthumously awarded the position of taizi shaobao (Tutor to the Crown Prince) |
Deng Shichang | |||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 鄧世昌 | ||||||||||||
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Simplified Chinese | 邓世昌 | ||||||||||||
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Zhengqing (courtesy name) |
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Chinese | 正卿 | ||||||||||||
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Zhuangjie (posthumous name) |
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Traditional Chinese | 壯節 | ||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 壮节 | ||||||||||||
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Transcriptions | |
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Standard Mandarin | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Dèng Shìchāng |
Wade–Giles | Teng Shih-Ch'ang |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Jyutping | Dang6 Sai3-coeng1 |
Transcriptions | |
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Standard Mandarin | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Zhèngqīng |
Wade–Giles | Cheng-ching |
Transcriptions | |
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Standard Mandarin | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Zhuàngjié |
Wade–Giles | Chuang-chieh |
Deng Shichang (4 October 1849 – 17 September 1894), courtesy name Zhengqing, posthumous name Zhuangjie, was a Chinese military officer who lived in the late Qing dynasty. He is best known for his service in the Beiyang Fleet during the First Sino-Japanese War as the captain of the protected cruiser Zhiyuan. He participated in the Battle of the Yalu River on 17 September 1894 against the Imperial Japanese Navy. After the Zhiyuan was sunk in battle, he refused to be rescued and eventually drowned at sea. He was posthumously awarded the position of taizi shaobao (Tutor to the Crown Prince) by the Qing government and honoured as a hero in the Shrine of Loyalty in Beijing.
Deng was born in Longdaowei, Panyu, Guangdong, which is in present-day Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. His given name was originally "Yongchang" (永昌) but was later changed to "Shichang". He was born in a relatively wealthy family that ran a tea trading business. When he was a child, his father sent him to attend a missionary school in Shanghai, where he received a Western education.
In 1867, Deng was accepted into the Naval Academy (船政學堂) in Mawei, Fujian, as part of the first batch of students. After completing seven years of education – five years of theoretical learning, and two years of practical training on board the Jianwei (建威) – he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1874 with excellent results, and impressed Shen Baozhen, the Naval Minister in the Qing government. Upon Deng's graduation, Shen assigned Deng to the Fujian Fleet and appointed him as the bangdai (幫帶; equivalent to Commander) of the scout transport boat Chenhang (琛航). In the following year, Deng was promoted to serve as the guandai (管帶; equivalent to Captain) of the gunboat Haidongyun (海東雲). In May 1874, when the Japanese invaded Taiwan, Deng was ordered to lead Qing forces to reinforce the defences at Keelung and the Pescadores. He was also appointed as qianzong (千總; seven ranks below tidu).