Yinchang or In-ch'ang (; 1859 –1928 or 1934) was a Chinese military official, ambassador to Germany, and educational reformer in the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China. He was appointed the nation's first Minister of War in the late Qing dynasty. During the Republic era he served as the military Chief of Staff for all presidents of the Beiyang Government. He was ethnic Manchu, and his family belonged to the Plain White Banner Clan of the Manchu Military Organization (滿洲正白旗); he held the title of Prince of the Plain White Banner Clan headed by Prince Chun, Zaifeng; at court he was addressed as Wu-lou (五/午楼). His Chinese surname was Yú (毓).
Education in Germany
Originally, Yinchang was a student of the Guozijian, and by 1872 he was studying German at the Tongwen Guan, Beijing.
In 1877, he was sent to Germany as an attaché to the recently established Chinese Embassy in Berlin which had offices in Vienna and Amsterdam. On his arrival in Berlin he was not fluent with spoken German and changed from a 3rd to 4th class translator. Yinchang quickly compensated for this deficiency by mastering High German as well as the Berlin vernacular and the colloquial language of the imperial grenadiers. Georg von der Gabelentz, the founding father of German sinology, acknowledged his friendship with Yinchang in the introduction of his 1883 publication "Chinesische Grammatik", praising Yinchang's work in reviewing the book's manuscripts as well as his command of German grammar. While in Berlin, Yinchang took a German wife, with whom he had a daughter.
In 1879 Yinchang enrolled in the Royal Prussian Military Academy in Groß-Lichterfelde for four years. He studied military science at the same time as fellow student Crown Prince Wilhelm II. His studies would have a formative influence, decisive for his later career. During this time he was first introduced to the Krupp family, producers of ammunition and armament, and cultivated a friendship with them. To further his military training, Yinchang was sent as a Lieutenant to the 84th Austrian Infantry Regiment stationed in Vienna under the command of Baron von Bauer in 1883. He became an enthusiastic adherent of the Viennese way of life.
Chinese Ambassador to Germany
In China
Tianjin and Shandong
Yinchang was recalled to China in 1884 and initially assigned to the Tianjin Naval Academy; however in December he was summoned to Beijing to serve as translator for the German military envoy to the Emperor. By June 1885 Yinchang was appointed an instructor in military science at the Tianjin Military Academy (天津武備學堂), where he introduced German officers to teach the study and practice of German military techniques. The following year he was promoted to superintendent of the academy. The future President of the Republic of China, Feng Guozhang, was a student under his direction. When Yinchang returned to China, he was reunited with his young Manchu wife, the product of his family's pre-arranged marriage.
After the First Sino-Japanese War, Germany entered the negotiations of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and used the assassination of two German missionaries to claim the Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory in Shandong Province. In 1898, Prince Heinrich of Prussia, with his East Asia Naval Squadron, sailed into Tianjin. Yinchang was summoned to negotiate German claims on the region of Kiaochow Bay and the port of Qingdao. Yinchang turned Prince Heinrich's mission into a diplomatic rather than military success, by making him the first foreign potentate to be received by the Imperial Court. In the winter of 1899, Yinchang headed the negotiations with Germany for railway and mining rights in Shandong province, and the concession in Qingdao. His negotiations became part of the Boxer Protocol, signed on September 7, 1901, in Beijing. Subsequently, these terms were integrated into the Tianjin Protocol, which in 1918 became part of the peace treaty with Germany that ended World War I.U.S. Congress Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 66th Congress. “Treaty of Versailles, Part 1,” p. 1090. U.S. Govt. Printing Office, 1919.
Boxer Rebellion
During the Boxer Rebellion, when the troops of the Eight-Nation Alliance stormed Beijing to relieve the besieged Legations, Yinchang, with his German-equipped soldiers, escorted the Emperor Guangxu and the Empress Dowager Cixi to safety through the back gates of the Forbidden City into the safety of Shaanxi Province, where the foreigners could not reach them. In 1899 he became a staff officer of the Wuwei Corps (or Guards Army), a foreign-trained force under the command of Grand Councilor Ronglu. In 1901 Yinchang was named Lieutenant-General of the Plain White Banner Garrison (正白旗漢軍副都統)Xu (main ed.) (2007), p.2209. Translated by Erich GütingerWho's Who in China 3rd ed. (1925), p.938.Gaimusyô Zyôhôbu (1928), p.4. That August 1901 he was appointed the Chinese Ambassador to Germany (Berlin). Additionally, in September 1901, by Imperial Edict,
In Germany
Yinchang was charged with accompanying Prince Chun to Germany with the special mission to convey China's regret to Kaiser Wilhelm II for the murder of Baron Clemens von Ketteler during the Boxer Rebellion. The mission proved an unexpected success, with Prince Chun, the first member of the Imperial family to venture outside China, eagerly awaited by curious, enthusiastic crowds.London Times, "The Sketch: A Journal of the Arts," September 4, 1901. After some negotiation the Kaiser accorded Prince Chun a splendid reception and delighted with the young prince, invited him to review the military maneuvers of 50,000 troops in Danzig.Japan Daily Mail, September 18, 1901, Vol. 36, p. 303. The international press covered his every step and his popularity created some anxiety in the Empress Dowager causing her to curtail the rest of his European tour.Pu-Yi, Aisin-Gioro, From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro, Pu-Yi. Beijing: Foreign Language Press, 1989.
As ambassador Yinchang was a polyglot, brought up speaking Manchu and Chinese (Mandarin), and in addition to his mastery of German, he knew French, the diplomatic language, and English. The Kaiser and his court were charmed by his command of the Berlin dialect making him a popular figure. During Ambassador Yinchang's time in Germany, it has been noted in Ambassadorial reports that he was the Kaiser's occasional drinking companion. Kaiser Wilhelm II was interested in the problems of modernizing a country's military forces.Afflerbach, Holger, Falkenhayn: Politische Denken ang Handeln im Kaiserreich. Oldenburg: Wissenschaft verlag, 1994. The Kaiser taught Yinchang much about the organization, training, discipline, and the equipment of a modern army. Also during this time, Yinchang was asked to step in as ambassador to the Netherlands for a term. Back in Germany he arranged a state visit to China for Prince Adalbert of Prussia, the third son of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Appointments in the late-Qing Dynasty
In 1905 he was recalled to China and appointed the director of the Nobles' College (貴冑學堂總辦) in Beijing.“Yin Chang interview: The Defiant Chinese.” The Christian Register, March 22, 1906. The Christian Register Association, Boston, Mass. Since Yinchang had cut his hair, he attached a wig braid to his official hat worn during his frequent summons at court, much to the disapproval of the old bureaucrats. He began his campaign for modernization first by changing the traditional uniforms of the Chinese Army to uniforms modeled on those of the German Army. For equipment, he ordered arms and ammunition from Krupp.Morrison, G. E. The Correspondence of G. E. Morrison, 1895-1912. Page 615 Yinchang was a leading advocate for the abolition of the Imperial Examination, which he thought was essential to the modernization of China. Most importantly, this had far-reaching effects; supplanting the Confucian classics opened the curriculum to the modern disciplines of the sciences and humanities. Instead of social advancement solely through civil service appointments, students could pursue their own interests to prepare for any profession, such as the military.
In September 1906 Yinchang became Commander-in-Chief in northern Jiangsu province, and two months later, became Army Chief of Staff. By September 1908 he was reappointed as Chinese Ambassador to Germany, but because of the autumn military maneuvers in Anhui he delayed his departure. Then the sudden death of the Emperor Guangxu on November 14, followed by the death of the Empress Dowager Cixi on the 15th, and the subsequent investiture of Prince Chun as Regent, Yinchang could not proceed to his post until spring 1909. The regent Prince Chun wanted to execute Yuan Shikai for his betrayal of his brother the Emperor Guangxu and the Hundred Days' Reform. Yinchang pleaded on Yuan Shikai's behalf and Prince Chun commuted his sentence which was to be exile from Beijing. On his arrival in Berlin with his wife and entourage, Yinchang, in General's dress, with monocle and sword, was met by the press as a social notable and ladies’ man. In 1910 Yinchang went to China to take up the position of acting President of the Board of War (陸軍部尚書).Who's Who in China 3rd ed. (1925), p.939.Gaimusyô Zyôhôbu (1928), pp.4-5. Reluctant to leave his work in Germany, Yinchang remarked, “I do not think that our country is yet sufficiently far advanced for a man to be able to achieve great results in a short space of time. I do not look upon my appointment either as an enviable one or one in which I am likely to be able to achieve any very striking results.”
Xinhai Revolution
In SeptemberAccording to Xu(main ed.) (2007), p. 2209. Who's Who in China 3rd ed. (1925), p. 938. 1910 Yinchang became the Chief of Staff of all the Army divisions stationed in the vicinity of Beijing (訓練近畿陸軍各鎮大臣). Three months later, Yinchang was appointed the first Minister of War in Prince Qing's Cabinet and he consolidated the different branches of the military under his aegis. As Minister of War Yinchang set out to achieve three objectives: greater efficiency and economy in his ministry; improving the military profession; establishing a national chain of command for the military. To instill a sense of professionalism he ordered all officers to wear uniforms at work and to use military salutes on all occasions, official and civil. His actions succeeded in fostering patriotism and pride in the military.Edmund S.K. Fung, The Military Dimension of the Chinese Revolution: The New Army and Its Role in the Revolution of 1911. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1980, pp. 47-53; 277-278 As the first Minister of War, Yinchang was dedicated to educating the population of the country with general information about the military and the function and responsibilities of the army. He wanted to create a sense of patriotism by making the military a subject in schools, and the Imperial University added a military course to the curriculum. He required military drills and instruction as well as physical education included in the curriculum of middle and primary schools. Yinchang's efforts at reform encountered opposition from traditionalists, officials protecting their interests and sinecures, and provincial governments guarding their power. The Manchu dynasty fell before the results of his work became evident. Different aspects of it were taken up by succeeding regimes for their own purposes.