Zhan Tianyou (1861-1919) was a renowned railway engineering expert and the founder of China's railway industry during modern times. His courtesy name was Chuncheng, and he was born in Wuyuan, Huizhou. Coming from a poor family, Zhan Tianyou received support from his father-in-law to study in Europe. From 1905 to 1909, he supervised the construction of the Jing-Zhang Railway, which was the first railway in China to be designed and constructed by Chinese engineers. Zhan Tianyou introduced innovative construction methods and trained the first group of railway engineering experts in China, laying the foundation for the development of China's railway industry.