Engineering Trouble: US–Chinese Experiences of Professional Discontent, 1905–1945

Thorben Pelzer, Dr. (2022), Leipzig University, is a postdoc researcher in Chinese history at that university. He has published monographs, essays, and datasets on China, including 100 Karten über China (Katapult, 2022) and Einstieg in die Chinastudien (De Gruyter, 2019).

• AcknowledgmentsList of Figures and TablesList of AbbreviationsGlossary of Recurring Civil EngineersNote on TranscriptionsIntroductionOpen Roads in China1 Historical Background2 The Segment of US-Trained Civil Engineers3 “Specialized but Equally Ordinary Men” 4 Engineering and Its Discontents5 Chapter Overview1 Nationalism and the CosmopoliticalEducation Overseas, 1905–19181 Early Ways Into the United States2 Engineering Education3 Engineering Practice4 The Cosmopolitan Dimension5 The National Dimension6 Bringing the Profession Home7 Conclusion2 Financial ConstraintThe Grand Canal Board, 1918–19221 A Transnational Venture2 Recruiting a Team3 Surveying an Unstable Environment4 The Money Goes Astray5 Solidarity—The Yellow River Bridge Controversy6 Frustration—Huai River Improvement Schemes7 Conclusion3 Political DependencyWang Jingchun at the Chinese Eastern Railway, 1919–19241 The Nationalist Paradigm2 The Efficiency Paradigm3 Wang Jingchun’s Ascend to Power4 The Chinese Eastern—“A Railroad Born in Sin”5 The Wang–Ostroumov Dyad6 The End of Expert Management7 Conclusion4 The Visible CollegeThe Early Association of Chinese & American Engineers, 1919–19271 Formation and Organizational Makeup2 Functions of the Association and Its Journal3 Ethics and Socialization4 Career Opportunities5 Network for Collaboration6 Transnational Friendship7 Conclusion5 Cohesion and ExclusionThe Relief Commission Paves the Provinces, 1926–19341 “Good Roads” and Labor Relief2 Contested Authority in Yunnan3 Guizhou—The Strong State4 Guizhou—Mass Mobilization5 Guizhou—Beneficiaries and Burden Bearers6 Continuities Between Xi’an and Lanzhou7 Conclusion6 Demise without ExhaustionThe Withdrawal of US Engineers, 1928–1941 Early Troubles of the ACAE2 Support for the Command Economy3 The Resurrection of the ACAE4 Crisis of Repute—The Salaqi Irrigation Project5 The Militarization of Civil Engineering6 The Plight of US Engineers7 Conclusion7 Wartime EngineeringLing Hongxun under Pressure, 1932–19451 A Career Start of Ups and Downs2 Abortive Western Expansions 3 From Guangzhou to Hankou: Cutting Time4 Lessons Learnt and Lessons Dealt5 Drawbacks of the Strong State6 The Xinjiang–Gansu Railway7 Conclusion8 Conclusion1 Summary2 Findings3 Implications4 Outlook5 Coda: Loose EndsBibliographyIndex