詹天佑 Zhan Tianyou (1861-1919) -- Father of China's railways. By Zhang Ciyun | July 17, 2011, Sunday | Print Edition. ZHAN Tianyou, also known in the West as Jeme Tien Yow, was a distinguished railroad engineer. He was the chief engineer of the Imperial Peking-Kalgan (Beijing-Zhangjiakou) Railway, the first railway built in China without ...