In 1888, the Chinese government sent a small cohort of navy lieutenants to pursue diplomatic and legal studies at the École Libre des Sciences Politiques in Paris, France. This cohort was part of a Chinese initiative to train diplomats in Western diplomacy and international law to enable China to negotiate on a fairer footing in her relations with the Western powers. The two most notable figures were Hsu Cheou Jen and Ko Heoungnien. Using archival materials, this article aims to trace the educational experience and personal reflections of these two students to better understand their study of public international law and diplomacy in France, as well as their unique understandings of the West, international law, and China. Considering the limited scholarly attention paid to these Chinese initiatives, this article explores new archival materials and attempts to fill a gap in the existing literature.