开办直隶工艺总局,是袁世凯推行“新政”的重要内容。光绪二十九年(1903)3月,袁世凯派周学熙到日本考察工商业。回国后,周学熙根据自己所见、所闻、所感、所思,写成《东游日记》,讲了日本的富强,是由于搞练兵、兴学、制造3事,中国如要富强,也必须从军事、教育、经济3方面振兴。他主张效法日本,兴办工厂,走明治维新的道路。
        周学熙是北洋官僚中的主要 “实业家” 。其父周馥,从清同治九年(1870),李鸿章任直隶总督,到清光绪二十六年(1900),先后任永定河道、天津海关道兼北洋行营翼长、清代第100任长芦盐运使、直隶按察使、水师营务处臬司、直隶布政使等等。在天津为官、居住达半个世纪之久,协助李鸿章办理洋务30年,建树颇大。光绪二十七年(1901)九月二十七日,李鸿章在北京病死,清廷命袁世凯署理直隶总督兼北洋大臣; 并在袁世凯到任以前,由周馥暂行护理。周馥留京与外国侵略者交涉撤销天津都统衙门,归还津榆(山海关)铁路。事情办定后,赴任山东巡抚; 后又任两江、两广总督等,70岁告归,长居天津。
        袁世凯同意周学熙开办工厂的意见,光绪二十九年(1903 )九月,直隶工艺总局在天津开办。周学熙任总办。该局以提倡维持全省工艺为宗旨,以奖励全省绅民勃兴工业思想为义务,以全省工业普及、人有自立技能为目的。“括全省工学界之枢纽,以创兴实业” ,并管辖附属津埠各官办学堂、工厂,还负责兴办各属工学。
        工艺总局地址,初设在天津旧城东南隅草厂庵,光绪三十三年(1907),迁至玉皇阁内。创办了高等工业学堂[前身是光绪二十九年(1903)二月一日,凌福彭创办的北洋工艺学堂,成立典礼时,袁世凯出席; 光绪三十年(1904),易名直隶高等工业学堂; 1913年又改称直隶公立工业专门学校。校址初设在城内贡院和草厂庵; 光绪三十四年(1908),迁至新开河]。
        还先后创办了教育品制造所、劝工陈列所(初名考工厂)、实习工场、劝业铁工厂、种植园、劝业会场,以及第一、二小学堂工场; 并且附设有夜课补习所、仪器讲演会、工商研究所等。

        

·直隶工艺总局

        其助办的学堂及公司有: 初等工艺学堂、织染缝纫公司等,并提倡劝说成立了民立第一、第二学徒学堂、民立织布及造胰工场等。
        直隶工艺总局的创办,倡兴工艺,培养了技术人才; 发展生产,提高了产品质量; 扶植国货,广开了销路。从而造成民智大开,“一时风气丕变,人人思奋,颇有明治维新之象” 。截至光绪三十三年(1907)11月,仅三四年间,在直隶140余府、州、县中,开办工业局和工厂的达六七十处之多。在其影响下,对天津和直隶早期城乡工商业、教育及社会经济的发展,都起到了一定的促进作用。所谓“北洋实业” ,实际上是以此为创端。

        

·周学熙与考工厂及高等工艺学堂所聘日本管理和技术人员

        The founding of the Zhili Industry General Bureau wasone of the important events of Yuan Shikai`s New Deal.In March 1903 (the 29th year of Emperor Guangxu),Yuan Shikai sent Zhou Xuexi to Japan to investigateindustry and commerce. Back from Japan,Zhou Xuexiwrote Diary of Journey to the East on the basis ofwhat he had seen,heard and reflected on the journey,in which he wrote that the power and wealth of Japanwere greatly attributed to military strength,educationand manufacturing,and that China also should developits military,education and economics to make itselfprosperous. In a word,he advocated following theexample of Japan`s Mingzhi Reform and setting upfactories in large scale.
        Zhou Xuexi (1865-1947) was an importantindustrialist among officials of the Beiyang government.Zhou Fu,the father of Zhou Xuexi,had been the officialin charge of the Yongding River,official of Tianjincustoms,official of barracks in the Beiyang government,the 100th envoy of salt transportation,inspector ofZhili,official of the Navy and official of cloth mattersin Zhili from 1870 (the ninth year of Emperor Tongzhiwhen Li Hongzhang was the chief governor of Zhili)to 1900 (the 26th year of Emperor Guangxu). ZhouFu had been living in Tianjin for around fifty years,helping Li Hongzhang with Westernization Movementfor thirty years and making tremendous achievements.In September 27,1901 (the 27th year of EmperorGuangxu),Li Hongzhang died of illness in Beijing.The Qing royal government then appointed Yuan Shikaias Governor-general of Zhili and Grand Minister ofBeiyang Navy and Zhou Fu as the Deputy Governorbefore Yuan Shikai formally came to office. Zhou Fuwas responsible for negotiating with foreign invadersmatters of canceling Tianjin yamen and returning Jinyu(Shanhaiguan) railway to China. After the negotiation,Zhou Fu was appointed as Governor of Shandong.He had also been appointed as Governor-generalof Jiangxi and Jiangsu and Governor-general ofGuangdong and Guangxi. He retreated to Tianjin in hisseventies.
        Yuan Shikai agreed with Zhou Xuexi in setting upfactories. In September 1903 (the 29th year of EmperorGuangxu),the Zhili Industry General Bureau wasset up in Tianjin,and Zhou Xuexi was appointed asGeneral Director by Yuan Shikai,whose tenet,duty andpurpose were to promote industries of Zhili province,toencourage people in Zhili to prosper industries,to helppeople learn self-support skills. Its business includedadministering matters of all key industries in Zhili soas to boom them as well as administering all publicschools and factories. Besides,it was also responsiblefor setting up industrial schools.
        The Zhili Industry General Bureau was first locatedin Caochang`an in the southeast of the old Tianjin city,then it moved to Yuhuangge in 1907 (the 33rd yearof Emperor Guangxu). In the name of Zhili IndustryGeneral Bureau,Zhili Advanced Industry School wasfounded based on Beiyang Industry School (foundedby Ling Fu-peng in February 1st 1903,the 29th year ofEmperor Guangxu). Yuan Shikai attended the openingceremony of Northern Industry School. It was renamedZhili Advanced Industry School in 1904 and then ZhiliPublic Industry School in 1913. The school was firstlocated in Caochang`an and Gongyuan and movedto Xinkai River in 1908,the 34th year of EmperorGuangxu.
        In the name of Zhili Industry General Bureau,Stationery Manufacture Factory,Quangong Exhibition(first named as Kaogongchang),Pilot Plant,QuanyeIron Factory and Plantation,Quanye Assembly House,Beijing Primary and Secondary Elementary SchoolFactories were founded. To support these industrypromotion activities,night schools were founded,andapparatus lectures and industry & commerce researchwere organized.
        Under the help of Zhili Industry General Bureau,the following companies and schools were founded:companies dealing respectively with spinning,dyeingand sewing; private plants such as those dealing withweaving and manufacturing soaps; elementary industryschool; the primary and secondary private apprenticeschools,and so much and so forth.
        The Zhili Industry General Bureau promotedindustries,trained people with technical skills,developed manufacture of its time,improved productquality,supported and expanded sales of nationalproducts. Due to its influence,the social genius of thatperiod in Zhili province was greatly changed,and themass were inspired to strive for better life,like whathappened in Mingzhi Reform. Within three to fouryears (calculated until November 1907,the 33rd year ofEmperor Guangxu),around seventy factories and plantshad been set up in 140 counties of Zhili. Zhili IndustryGeneral Bureau stimulated the development of earlytrade and commerce,education and social economicsof Tianjin and Zhili. The so-called Beiyang Enterprisesactually can be traced from activities of Zhili IndustryGeneral Bureau.