在中国铁路早期历史上,西方人一度扮演了重要角色。基于利权失手的顾虑,清政府大员在决策和路权上对西方列强虽始终保持着警惕,但出于技术的原因,铁路的设计和施工往往由西方工程师主持。他们在中国早期铁路建设中做出了应有的贡献,除建设铁路外,还充当了铁路技术向中国转移的承担者:中国最早的一批铁 Westerners played an important role in the early history of China’s railways. Based on the concern of losing profits, the Qing government officials have always been wary of the Western powers in decision-making and road right. However, for technical reasons, the design and construction of the railway are often presided over by Western engineers. They made their due contribution to the early railway construction in China. Apart from building the railway, they also served as the undertaker of the transfer of railway technology to China: the earliest batch of iron in China