A Study on the Influence of Hubei Military Students Studying in Japan in the Late Qing Dynasty on Modern Chinese Military Affairs (1896‑1912)

Abstract

The dispatch of military students to study abroad constituted an important part of the overseas‑education movement in the late Qing Dynasty and stood as one of the crucial symbols of the transformation and development of modern Chinese military affairs. Following China’s defeat in the First Sino‑Japanese War, the Qing government turned its eyes eastward and sought to learn from Japan. During Zhang Zhidong’s governorship of Hubei, military study in Japan became a popular choice among Hubei students. This phenomenon stemmed from shifts in domestic and international circumstances as well as Zhang Zhidong’s admiration for Japanese military education. Concerning Hubei military students pursuing studies in Japan, the Qing government guaranteed their overseas training through a mechanism combining government‑funded and self‑funded enrollment and by negotiating with Japan to establish military schools. After returning home, these students devoted themselves to military service and advanced the modernization of Hubei’s military establishment and even the military modernization of the whole nation.