English: Although the Qing Government was capable of making and importing ships, the training of senior naval officers required a great deal of time and effort. Therefore, recruiting professionals from abroad and sending soldiers to study overseas became a contingency strategy for the Qing Court. Because the former could show immediate results, therefore, the Qing Court commenced the hiring of Western naval professionals.

Captain William Metcalfe Lang (1843–1906) served in the Royal Navy after graduating from the Royal Naval College in 1859. He was the Vice Admiral in 1899, and passed away in 1906 at the age of 63. During his 40+ years of military service, he shared a very close relationship with the Qing Navy. In 1879, the British-made ships Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta which were purchased by the Northern Naval Squadron arrived Tianjin. Meanwhile, Li Hongzhang began recruiting Western professionals, and later, under the recommendation of Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Zeng Jize and British Admiral Coote, came upon William Metcalfe Lang who was leading the four aforementioned ships to Taku. After watching Lang's command of the army, Li made the decision to hire Lang. Finally, on Nov. 15, 1882, Lang officially signed the contract with the Qing Government and became the Brevet Rank of Vice Admiral and the Chief Inspector of the Northern Naval Squadron, earning a salary of 600 taels of kuping silver. However, in March 1884, that is, before Sino-French War, the British provisions which prohibited its statesmen from fighting for the other countries resulted in a recall from the Navy Department, forcing Lang to resign his post and return to his country.

After the experience from the Sino-French war, the Qing Government placed an even greater emphasis in terms of its coastal defense, and attempted to hire more British professional to train its naval forces. Custom Service Inspector-General Robert Hart vigorously engaged in the promotion of this resolution. Finally, on Dec. 1, 1885, Lang again left from UK and arrived China in the spring of the following year. Lang arrived at a time when Prince Chun was about to begin his patrol of inspection, and Lang used the next three months to train his troops, making them well-coached and formidable. The Qing Court generously rewarded the admiral, and granted him the second-rank star medal. However, on Mar. 6, 1890, Lang became involved in a heated dispute with naval right wing General-in-Chief Liu Buchan over the unauthorized change of naval flags. It eventually led to Lang's resignation in a fury and ultimately resulted in all the English statesmen leaving the Chinese navy.

The Sino-Japanese War erupted in Aug. of Guangxu's 20th year of reign (1894). Because of the utter defeat in the land wars, it led to the Northern Naval Squadron being almost completely wiped out. After the war, the Qing Court once again asked for Lang to offer his assistance to train the navy, and ordered Hart to issue a decree requesting Lang's immediate arrival to China to assume his post as well as asking him to bring along high-quality crew members. This exhibition item was the last decree sent requesting Lang's acceptance as a trainer. Unfortunately, the request was later declined by the British Foreign Office. (By Zhou Wei-Qiang)