Bridging the Gap: Hijacking the British Boxer Indemnity to Complete the Guangzhou–Hankou Railway

Abstract: In 1926, a bilateral committee of overseas-educated Chinese representatives and established British administrators debated the future use of the British Boxer Indemnity. This article argues that Chinese educated abroad played a decisive role in redirecting the funds, initially designated for education, toward infrastructure development, paving the way for the union of the previously separated halves of the Guangzhou–Hankou Railway. Drawing on archival material—including diaries, committee reports, and diplomatic protocols—the article demonstrates how the bilateral consensus reached by the committee transcended simplified notions of political realism and state self-interest. Instead, shared sociopolitical concerns, coupled with mutual respect, “bridged a gap” between British and Chinese commissioners. The unexpected outcome of the negotiations underscores the agency of young, foreign-educated Chinese professionals who engaged in a new form of technodiplomacy and leveraged their specialized expertise gained abroad to frame infrastructure investments as the keystone of solutions to Chinese problems.