The 150 anniversary of the establishment of Fujian Shipping was marked by a symposium themed “Shipping and China’s Modernization” held in Mawei District of Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, the location of the shipping factory. Fujian Shipping marked the beginning of China’s attempt to build a modern navy, which included initiating naval education, training crew and building ships, said Yang Xiaodan, deputy director of the Academic Institute of Naval Military. Fujian Shipping successfully promoted the development of technology in modern China and trained the first group of shipbuilders and mariners despite its failure in business, said Yu Heping, a research fellow from the Institute of Modern History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Fujian Shipping was recognized as a pioneer of China’s modernization and industrialization, and its development model paved the way for later enterprises, Yu said.