Today, 153 years ago, on December 23, 1872 (November 23, 1872 in the lunar calendar), Li Hongzhang requested the trial establishment of the China Merchants Bureau of Steamship. On December 23, 1872, Li Hongzhang requested the trial operation of the China Merchants Bureau of Steamship. In the 1860s, the military industry organized by the Westernization School with the slogan of "self-improvement" was faced with many difficulties due to the lack of a solid foundation for social and economic development in China: exhausted funding sources, insufficient supply of raw materials and fuels, backward technology, lack of talents and so on. This made the Westernization School realize that it must be "strong from rich" and "strong than rich". Since the 1970s, the Westernization School has been "self-improving" and "seeking wealth". While continuing to organize military industries, it has also started to organize civil industries such as transportation, mining, smelting and textiles. In order to save the shipping industry along the Yangtze River and resist the invasion of foreign ships, Li Hongzhang appointed Zhu Qi'ang and Zhu Qishao, a wealthy sand ship merchant, Zhejiang Shipping Committee member, and alternate magistrate, to set up a bureau in Yongan Street, Jingbin, Shanghai to recruit merchant shares, and named it "Steamship Investment Promotion Company". This is the first enterprise in the Westernization Movement that has changed from a military enterprise to a civilian enterprise, and from a government-run enterprise to a government-supervised commercial enterprise. At the time of its establishment, there were 6 ships engaged in passenger transportation and water transportation, and it was the first modern shipping company in China. After the start-up, Zhu Qiang was forced to resign due to serious losses. In July of the following year, Li Hongzhang changed the Steamship Merchants Company to the Steamship Merchants Bureau, and appointed Shanghai comprador businessman Tang Tingshu as the general office, and Xu Run, Zhu Qiang and Sheng Xuanhuai as the conference officers. In 1876, there were 11 ships, and in 1877, 16 old ships of American merchant Qichang Yanghang, as well as their docks, warehouses and other properties, were bought for 2.22 million taels of silver. China Merchants Bureau began to take shape. The General Administration of China Merchants is located in Shanghai, and its branches are located in Tianjin, Niuzhuang, Yantai, Hankou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and foreign places such as Yokohama, Kobe, Luzon and Singapore. With a total capital of more than 4.2 million, it is one of the most successful civilian enterprises. After the establishment of China Merchants Group, it launched fierce competition with foreign ships in a difficult and sinister environment. Shipping companies in China, such as Swire Pacific, Jardine Matheson and Qichang of the United States, have joined forces and tried to crush China Merchants by greatly reducing freight rates. Li Hongzhang took measures such as borrowing official funds, allocating more grain and carrying official goods, and fought back, which turned China Merchants Group from loss to profit. As a result, Qichang Company went bankrupt, while Swire Pacific, Jardine Matheson and other companies had to sign "uniform price contracts" with China Merchants Group three times (1877, 1883 and 1889 respectively): Chinese and foreign companies jointly agreed on a uniform price on each route, and determined the water feet income and supply distribution plan. This is a compromise between the two sides. However, from the perspective of China Merchants, it has the positive significance of breaking the monopoly of foreign ships on China's shipping industry, which protects China's rights to a certain extent.