Prosper Marie Giquel (20 November 1835 – 19 February 1886) was a French naval officer[1] who played an important role in the modernization of 19th century China.

Taking the opportunity that service in the Guangzhou (Canton) occupation force allowed, Giquel began the study of Chinese.

In late 1861 he joined the Imperial Maritime Customs Service under Robert Hart,[2] as the director of the Ningbo office and remained there until the city was captured by the forces of the Taiping Rebellion in December 1861.

The objective of the dockyard was to create a modern Chinese fleet of warships and transports, and to educated technicians in Western sciences.

[4] Having completed his direct administration of the project by 1874, Giquel continued to serve the dockyard by working as a consultant, purchasing agent, and co-director of the European Educational Mission in 1877.