JemeTienYow(Chinese:詹天佑;pinyin:ZhānTiānyòu;previouslyromanizedasJemeTienYow)(26April1861–24April1919)wasadistinguishedChineserailroadengineer.HewaseducatedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaandwastheChiefEngineerresponsibleforconstructionoftheImperialPeking-KalganRailway(BeijingtoZhangjiakou),thefirstrailwayconstructedinChinawithoutforeignassistance.

　　Biography

　　JemewasborninNam-hoiprefecture(nowLiwanDistrict,Guangzhou)inGuangdongofChina.In1872,twelve-years-oldJemewaschosenbytheQingimperialofficialstobesenttotheUnitedStatesforeducation.Togetherwiththirtychildrenofsimilarage,JemearrivedinConnecticut.AfterstudyingataprimaryschoolinNewHaven,hethenenteredasecondaryschoolthere,andin1878,JemewasadmittedtoYaleUniversity.Jeme'smajorwasCivilEngineering,withanemphasisinrailroadconstruction.Jemereceivedhisbachelor'sdegreein1881,andhewasconsideredluckybecauseonlyafewmonthsafterhisgraduation,theQinggovernmentdecidedtorecallallstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStates.Amongthosewhoweresentabroad,onlyJemeandanotherstudentwereabletoobtaintheircollegedegrees.

　　ThestatueofJemeTienYow,inZhangjiakousouthrailwaystation.

　　JemeTienYow'sformerresidenceinCanton(Guangzhou)LifewasnotgoodforthestudentsrecalledtoChina.TheQinggovernmentofficialsfoundbehaviorsoftheforeigneducatedstudentsunorthodox,theyalsohadnoplantoputtheiracquiredknowledgetogooduse.Mostoftherecalledstudents,includingJeme,weresimplysenttothenewlyformedImperialNavytobere-trainedasseamen.JemewassenttoFuchowinFujianProvince.Afewyearslater,in1884,theImperialNavyinFuchowwasdestroyedduringthebriefwarwithFrance.Jemesurvivedthewar,andin1888,hefinallyfoundhiswaytobecomearailroadengineer.ViceroyLiHongzhanginPekingwasconstructingarailroadthatwouldlinkTientsintothecoalminesinTangshan.ABritishengineerClaudeW.Kinderwashiredasthechiefengineeroftherailroad.ThroughconnectionswithhisoldschoolmatesworkinginPeking,JemejoinedKinderasaninternengineer.Jemewassoonpromotedtofullengineer,andlaterdistrictengineer.TherailwaythatJemeworkedonwaslaterextendedtobecomethePekingMukdenLine.Jemespent12yearsonvarioussectionsofthislinebeforehisnextmajorassignment.

　　In1902,YuanShikaidecidedtobuildaspeciallineforEmpressDowagerCixitovisittheRoyalancestors'tomb.Kinderwastheoriginalcandidateforthechiefengineerposition,howevertheFrenchwereunhappythataBritishwasassignedtotheposition.Eventually,Jemegottheassignmentasthechiefengineerofthe37kmstubline.Jememanagedtoconstructtherailroadwithinbudgetandaverytightschedule.TheEmpresswaspleasedandpermissionwasgiventoconstructmorerailroadinChina.

　　In1905,theImperialQinggovernmentdecidedtobuildarailroadthatwouldlinkthecapitalofPekingtotheimportanttradecityofKalgantothenorth.ThisrailwaywouldbeofstrategicimportancetotheImperialgovernment.Adecisionwasthereforemadethattherailwaywouldbebuiltwithoutforeignassistance.Capitalwouldcomefromthegovernment,andnoforeignengineersweretobehired.JemewasonceagainappointedasChiefEngineeroftherailway.Atthebeginning,somepeoplewereskepticalthattheQingg