Deng Shichang
Deng Shichang | |
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![]() Deng Shichang | |
Born | Panyu County, Guangzhou Prefecture, Guangdong, Qing China (present-day Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China) | 4 October 1849
Died | 17 September 1894 Korea Bay, Yellow Sea | (aged 44)
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | Imperial Chinese Navy
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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 | |||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 鄧世 | ||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 邓世 | ||||||||||||
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Zhengqing (courtesy name) | |||||||||||||
Chinese | |||||||||||||
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Zhuangjie (posthumous name) | |||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | |||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | |||||||||||||
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Deng Shichang (4 October 1849 – 17 September 1894), courtesy name Zhengqing, posthumous name Zhuangjie, was an Imperial Chinese Navy 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 Zhiyuan was sunk in battle, he refused to be rescued and eventually went down with his ship. 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.
Early life
[edit]Deng was born in Longdaowei, Panyu, Guangdong, which is in present-day Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. His given name was originally "Yongchang" (
Service in the Fujian Fleet
[edit]In 1867, Deng was accepted into the Naval Academy (
Service in the Beiyang Fleet
[edit]In 1880, Deng was transferred to the Beiyang Fleet and sent to Britain to receive and escort the cruiser Yangwei back to China. Upon his return, he was appointed as the guandai (Captain) of the Yangwei. In 1887, he was sent to Britain again to receive the protected cruiser Zhiyuan, and was subsequently appointed as its guandai. He was also promoted to the position of a fujiang (
Battle of the Yalu River
[edit]The Battle of the Yalu River broke out on 17 September 1894, as a naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895, which was fought between the Qing Empire of China and the Empire of Japan. Early in the battle, Deng moved aggressively against the Japanese command vessel Sei-Kyo Maru, inflicting considerable damage on it, and coming under counterattack by the Japanese flying squadron led by Admiral Tsuboi Kōzō (Yoshino, Takachiho, Akitsushima, and Naniwa). The Japanese cruisers circled the Zhiyuan, firing at a more rapid pace and scoring more hits than the poorly trained Chinese gunners with their obsolete cannons. Deng ordered the Zhiyuan to close on the Naniwa and attempt to ram it, but was hit in the bow by a shell fired from either the Naniwa or Takachiho at 1550 hours, which caused a massive explosion, after which the Zhiyuan rapidly sank. Some 245 officers and crewmen went down with the cruiser. Deng refused to be rescued and eventually drowned at sea with his pet dog.
Posthumous honours
[edit]At a meeting after the battle, the top brass of the Beiyang Fleet expressed strong disapproval of Deng's decision to die in battle, stating that although Deng's action was heroic, it nonetheless resulted in the loss of not only the cruiser but also its captain. They were worried that other captains might try to emulate Deng and be only too willing to give up their lives easily, hence they produced a legal instrument, the Naval Constitution on Punishing Evil and Encouraging Goodness (
In spite of such negative views, Deng's death stirred up strong nationalist sentiments throughout China. The Guangxu Emperor, while wiping away tears, wrote about Deng, "On this day, the people shed tears but your act of courage has raised the navy's morale." The Qing government also awarded Deng the posthumous name "Zhuangjie" (literally "courageous and chaste") and posthumous appointment of taizi shaobao (
Family
[edit]Deng had three sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Deng Haohong (鄧浩
PLA Navy training ship
[edit]In 1996, the People's Liberation Army Navy named its Type 0891A training ship Shichang after Deng to commemorate him.
Portrayals in the media
[edit]Actors who have portrayed Deng on screen include:
- Li Moran, in the 1962 Chinese film Jia Wu Feng Yun (
甲 午 風雲 ) - Chen Baoguo, in the 1992 Chinese television series The Beiyang Fleet
- Lu Yi, in the 2012 Chinese film The Sino-Japanese War at Sea 1894
References
[edit]- Hummel, Arthur W. Sr., ed. (1943). . Eminent Chinese of the Ch'ing Period. United States Government Printing Office.
- Paine, S.C.M. The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895: Perception, Power, and Primacy, 2003, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA, 412 pp. ISBN 0-521-61745-6