清朝官派闽侨留美先行者——薛有福教育活动研究

The Pioneer of Government-Funded Fujian Overseas Student in America——The Educational Study on Sit Yau Fu

薛有福,是清朝留美幼童120人中,唯一一位顺利回国的福建籍学子。作为福建官派留美的先行者,他在国内自幼接受中国传统文化,同时由于父亲的缘故也接受了西方文化的熏陶。在留美7年的时间里,他感受到美国中等教育,并初识高等教育,在麻省理工学院就读一年后随其余留美幼童回国。1883年,他在福建船政学堂顺利毕业,并被派往"扬武"号任见习军官,1884年,年仅23岁的薛有福于"马江海战"中殉职。利用《东山薛氏家谱》中对他的记载、他给美国女友的两封信、外国报纸对他的报道及MIT学生手册等资料,可更真实还原这位福建官派留美先行者的跨文化教育生涯。

Sit Yau Fu,was the only returned Fujian student among the 120 students in the Chinese Educational Mission to America from 1872-1875,which was funded by the Qing government.As one of the pioneers of the government-funded Fujian student,Sit Yau Fu was raised in a mixed environment of traditional Chinese culture and western culture due to his father’s passion and career.During his 7 years in America,he also experienced the high school education in Holyoke High School and college education in MIT.He returned to China with the other students after 1-year study in MIT.In 1883,after his graduation in Fujian Naval School,he was assigned as a probational navy officer in the wooden corvette“Yang Wu”.He was killed in the“Battle of Pagoda Archorage”in 1884 as young as 24 years old.The following material are used to recover his cross-cultural education:his family genealogy,two letters from Sit Yau Fu to his girlfriend in America,some reports about him and Course Catalogue of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1880-1881,to name just a few.