開辦直隸工藝總局，是袁世凱推行“新政”的重要內(nèi)容。光緒二十九年(1903)3月，袁世凱派周學(xué)熙到日本考察工商業(yè)?；貒?，周學(xué)熙根據(jù)自己所見、所聞、所感、所思，寫成《東游日記》,講了日本的富強(qiáng)，是由于搞練兵、興學(xué)、制造3事，中國如要富強(qiáng)，也必須從軍事、教育、經(jīng)濟(jì)3方面振興。他主張效法日本，興辦工廠，走明治維新的道路。
周學(xué)熙是北洋官僚中的主要 “實(shí)業(yè)家” 。其父周馥，從清同治九年(1870),李鴻章任直隸總督，到清光緒二十六年(1900),先后任永定河道、天津海關(guān)道兼北洋行營翼長、清代第100任長蘆鹽運(yùn)使、直隸按察使、水師營務(wù)處臬司、直隸布政使等等。在天津?yàn)楣?、居住達(dá)半個(gè)世紀(jì)之久，協(xié)助李鴻章辦理洋務(wù)30年，建樹頗大。光緒二十七年(1901)九月二十七日，李鴻章在北京病死，清廷命袁世凱署理直隸總督兼北洋大臣； 并在袁世凱到任以前，由周馥暫行護(hù)理。周馥留京與外國侵略者交涉撤銷天津都統(tǒng)衙門，歸還津榆(山海關(guān))鐵路。事情辦定后，赴任山東巡撫； 后又任兩江、兩廣總督等，70歲告歸，長居天津。
袁世凱同意周學(xué)熙開辦工廠的意見，光緒二十九年(1903 )九月，直隸工藝總局在天津開辦。周學(xué)熙任總辦。該局以提倡維持全省工藝為宗旨，以獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)全省紳民勃興工業(yè)思想為義務(wù)，以全省工業(yè)普及、人有自立技能為目的?！袄ㄈ」W(xué)界之樞紐，以創(chuàng)興實(shí)業(yè)” ,并管轄附屬津埠各官辦學(xué)堂、工廠，還負(fù)責(zé)興辦各屬工學(xué)。
工藝總局地址，初設(shè)在天津舊城東南隅草廠庵，光緒三十三年(1907),遷至玉皇閣內(nèi)。創(chuàng)辦了高等工業(yè)學(xué)堂[前身是光緒二十九年(1903)二月一日，凌福彭創(chuàng)辦的北洋工藝學(xué)堂，成立典禮時(shí)，袁世凱出席； 光緒三十年(1904),易名直隸高等工業(yè)學(xué)堂； 1913年又改稱直隸公立工業(yè)專門學(xué)校。校址初設(shè)在城內(nèi)貢院和草廠庵； 光緒三十四年(1908),遷至新開河]。
還先后創(chuàng)辦了教育品制造所、勸工陳列所(初名考工廠)、實(shí)習(xí)工場、勸業(yè)鐵工廠、種植園、勸業(yè)會(huì)場，以及第一、二小學(xué)堂工場； 并且附設(shè)有夜課補(bǔ)習(xí)所、儀器講演會(huì)、工商研究所等。

·直隸工藝總局

其助辦的學(xué)堂及公司有： 初等工藝學(xué)堂、織染縫紉公司等，并提倡勸說成立了民立第一、第二學(xué)徒學(xué)堂、民立織布及造胰工場等。
直隸工藝總局的創(chuàng)辦，倡興工藝，培養(yǎng)了技術(shù)人才； 發(fā)展生產(chǎn)，提高了產(chǎn)品質(zhì)量； 扶植國貨，廣開了銷路。從而造成民智大開，“一時(shí)風(fēng)氣丕變，人人思奮，頗有明治維新之象” 。截至光緒三十三年(1907)11月，僅三四年間，在直隸140余府、州、縣中，開辦工業(yè)局和工廠的達(dá)六七十處之多。在其影響下，對(duì)天津和直隸早期城鄉(xiāng)工商業(yè)、教育及社會(huì)經(jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展，都起到了一定的促進(jìn)作用。所謂“北洋實(shí)業(yè)” ,實(shí)際上是以此為創(chuàng)端。

·周學(xué)熙與考工廠及高等工藝學(xué)堂所聘日本管理和技術(shù)人員

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.