Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Hsu Fo-su

Mr. Hsu Fo-su

徐佛苏

Mr. Hsu Fo-su was born Changsha, Hunan Province, in 1880, though his native home is Chekiang. While a student, he associated with persons who later became leaders of either reform movements or revolutionary parties. He studied political science and graduated from Higher Normal College in Tokyo. While in Japan Mr. Hsu joined Mr. Liang Chi-chiao's party advocating constitutional monarchy. He assisted in the running of the famous magazine Hsin Ming Chung Pao, edited by Liang Chi-chiao. After the Boxer trouble, Mr. Hsu's political principles gradually changed and he began to advocate revolution. In 1903, he returned to China in company with over twenty persons including the late General Tsai Ao. Several members of the party were left at Shanghai where a newspaper organ was founded. Mr. Hsu and many others secretly returned to Hunan to start a revolution. They failed because their plot was discovered by the authorities. A few of their colleagues were taken prisoners and Mr. Hsu and the late General Huang Hsin fled to Shanghai disguised as coolies. Upon reaching Shanghai, Mr. Hsu found that the Shanghai members including men like Chang Tai-yen had been arrested by the Mixed Court and their organ closed in June 1903. He was also arrested and remained in prison for three months after which they were released by order of the Peking imperial government. Mr .Hsu sailed for Japan again. There he took up the study of law and political science and his principles underwent another change returning to constitutional reform and he joined Liang Chi-chiao's party again. It was at this time the Constitutional Party came into existence and openly challenged the Revolutionary Party headed by Sun Yat-sen. In 1907 Mr. Hsu returned to China, and started the movement of urging the government to adopt a constitutional system. In December 1908, as a result of repeated representations by the people, an Imperial Edict was promulgated promising to introduce constitutional government after nine years during which period of time preparations would be made. Mr. Hou then influenced the advisory councils of the different provinces to form a joint representative body demanding the government to shorten the preparation period. At the same time he established a newspaper organ in Peking called Kuo Ming Kung Pao to support the representation. In November 1910 the Peking government made a declaration to convoke a parliament in 1913 but on the other hand gave instructions to the provincial governors to dissolve all the representative bodies. Mr. Hsu's, Ming Kung Pao was at once closed and many leaders were arrested. The reaction was that most of the prominent persons who had been hitherto advocating a constitutional monarchy became revolutionists. A big revolutionary plan was laid with Mr. Hsu as agent for Hunan province. Men like the late Tong Hua-lung, General Tan Yen-kai, Ling Chang-ming Sun Hung-i, and Wen Shih-lin were in this movement as agents for their own respective provinces. The First Revolution broke out at Wuchang in October 1911. Through the efforts of these agents, many provinces responded to the revolutionary call. After the establishment of the Repulic in 1912, Mr. Hsu went to Peking where he again started his paper the Kuo Ming Kung Pao. He did not accept any official position until 1914 when President Yuan Shih-kai gave him a post political councillor. Mr. Hsu took a very strong attitude against Yuan Shih-kai when the latter launched his monarchical movement in 1915. He was one of the important members of the revolt which overthrew Yuan Shih-kai's movement, the other members being the late General Tsai Ao, Liang Chi-chiao, and several others. Mr. Hsu did not accept any offer of high position during President Li Yuan-hung's regime. The dissolution of the First Parliament prior to Chang Hsun's monarchical attempt in 1917 and the refusal of the northern leaders to reconvoke it after Chang Hsun's overthrow finally resulted in the opening of civil strife between the north and the south. In September 1918 Hsu Shih-chang was elected President by the New Parliamenta To him Mr. Hsu submitted the idea of calling a Peace Conference to accomplish China's reunification. This was accepted and was agreed to by the southern leaders. In December 1918 Peking appointed Chu Chi-chien as Chief Delegate and Mr. Hsu and eight others as members of the Northern Delegation. The experience Mr. Hsu gained in the Peace Conference, which resulted in nothing, led him to believe it was impossible to re-establish the absolute centralization of power in Peking. Then he wrote a book entitled Self-Government of the Southwestern Provinces and Peace, in which he advocated the formation of a federation among the southwestern provinces and final unification by an understanding between this Union and the Northern government. This idea on one hand received the approval of the southwestern leaders who actually put it into practice and on the other hand incurred the displeasure of the northern leaders. In the autumn of 1920 Mr. Hsu, in cooperation with Liang Chichiao, Hsiung Hsi-ling and Fang Yuan-lien, drafted a provincial constitution for the province of Hunan. It was submitted to the Hunan government and was adopted by the Hunan Provisional Assembly in the winter of 1920. During 1921-22 Mr. Hsu devoted his time and energy entirely to the promotion of a federal system throughout the different provinces. In the spring of 1921 he gathered together a number of prominent persons and organized the Federation Government Association whose object was to push through the adoption of this system of government. In June 1922 Mr. Hsu was appointed by the Peking government Director-General of the Currency Bureau. In October he received the Second Class Paokua Chiaho. In March 1923 Mr. Hsu was appointed President of the Commission for the Discussion of China's Finance and was awarded the First Class Tashou Chiaho Decoration.