Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Chao Ch'ing-hua

Mr. Chao Ch'ing-hua

趙慶華字燧山

Mr. Chao Ching-hua was born at Chinghua, Chekiang Province in 1879. He received his education at the Diocesan School of Hongkong from which institution he graduated in 1890. After his graduation, he entered the Government School of Telegraphy at Canton and completed this course in 1892. At this time he became director of the Telegraph Administration of Kwangtung province. He remained in this position until 1897 when he became assistant secretary to C. W. Kinder, the engineer-in-chief of the Peking-Mukden railway. It was in this position that Mr. Chao first gained insight into his career. In 1904 Mr. Chao became secretary to T. J. Bourne, chief engineer of S. Pierson and Sons, who were the contractors undertaking the construction of the Taikow-Chinghua railway and continued further his study of railway operation and construction. During this time he brought 2,000 skilled laborers from the Taibow Chinghua railway for the grades and earthwork between Shanghai and Woosung. He also laid the track between Shanghai and Nanziang. Completing this work in 1907, Mr. Chao became Secretary to Tang Shao-yi, who was then Director General of Railways of the Ministry of Communications. In 1909 he resigned from this position to take that of managing director of the Canton-Kowloon Railway and made the agreement with the Canton government for the Chinese-British section of the railway. In 1914 Mr. Chao became managing director of the Tientsin-Pukow Railway and reorganized the administration of both the north and south sections. In 1916 he was appointed manager of the Shanghai branch of the Bank of Communications and while there modernized the accounting system, bridged over the moratorium and resumed the issue of specie notes. In 1917 he became director of the sequestered Austrian and German river vessels and wharfs along the Yangtse River. In 1918 Mr. Chao was conferred the Third Order of Wenfu and in September 1920 the Third Order of Chiaho. In November 1920 Mr. Chao was appointed a Member of the Railway Finance Reorganization Commission. In February 1921, he received the Second Order of Chiaho. In June 1921 he was appointed a Member of the office of Councillors of the Ministry of Communications. In December 1921 Mr. Chao was appointed a Secretary of the Cabinet when Liang Shih-i was the Premier. He was removed from this post after the Chihli-Fengtien war in June 1922. In August 1922 Mr. Chao was ordered by the Peking government to be arrested for trial on a charge of having instigated the railway. He is still a political refugee.