China, Engineering, and Ethics: A Sketch of the Landscape by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783031534645
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Trends, People, and Places

In China, the notion of “engineering” is somewhat foreign. The terms “engineering” (gongcheng, 工程) and “engineer” (gongcheng shi, 工程师) – used in their modern senses – are imported from the West. The term “engineer” does not exist in ancient Chinese. It comes from terms such as 工正 (gongzheng) and 工师 (gongshi), denoting craft work more broadly, and were used together with工程司during the later Qing dynasty and early period of the Chinese Republic. This usage is related to educational programs started during the late Qing dynasty.

Between 1872 and 1875, the Qing government sent four groups of 120 students to study in the US. This initiative was the result of Chinese-American diplomat Rong Hong (容闳), with support from Zeng Guofan (曾国藩) and Li Hongzhang (李鸿章), Chinese statesmen and generals who supported the study of Western science and technology. When they went abroad, the average age of these students was only twelve years old. Zhan Tianyou (詹天佑) was one of these students, who would grow up to become a successful railway engineer and establish the Chinese Society of Engineers in 1913. He was inspired by what he saw in the US and Europe.

Between the late 19th and first half of the twentieth century, grand engineering projects throughout Europe and the US—facilitated by industrial and electrical revolutions—included canals and railroads. After World War II, with military technologies put to civilian use, engineering gradually became a mainstream profession with social status. A similar trajectory has characterized the development of engineering in China.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China’s engineering projects have developed significantly. Large-scale military and so-called “Great Third Front” projects have received national support. These include the development of the atomic bomb and different kinds of aerospace technologies, and the construction of large-scale defense, power, and transportation infrastructures, in preparation for war and to prevent famine. These efforts laid the foundation for China’s industrialization. Since the beginning of “Reform and Opening Up” (gaige kaifeng, 改革开放) in 1978, the number of Chinese engineering majors and graduates has increased dramatically. (See Chap. 5 for more on this). China has undertaken various largescale projects, such as the Three Gorges Dam, South-North Water Transfer Project, Qinghai-Tibet Railway, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and Shenzhou 13 spacecraft. China is now exporting its advanced engineering capabilities abroad, including hydropower stations and high-speed railways.

China has entered an “era of engineering,” and China’s development has been based on its capacity to mobilize advanced technologies. From government officials to average citizens, Chinese have applauded the transformative power of engineering, as well as showed concern with the destructive potential of technologies for both human beings and the environment. (See Chap. 3 for more on this.) As a result, education on engineering ethics has become gradually more important.

In 1999, Xiao Ping, of Southwest Jiaotong University (Xi Nan Jiaotong Daxue, 西南交通大学), published Engineering Ethics Research, the first engineering ethics textbook in mainland China. In 2000, the same university began offering “Engineering Ethics,” an elective course, marking the birth of engineering ethics education in China.

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