Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/I Tsung-k'uei

Mr. I Tsung-k'uei

易宗夔字騎儒

Mr. I Tsung-k’uei was born at Hsiang-tan Hsien, Hunan province, in 1875. He was poor but was anxious to educate himself and finally became a learned man. After his return to China Mr. I took up teaching work at several schools and colleges in Changsha, Hunan province. In 1909 Mr. I was sent by his province to Peking to join the People's Delegation urging the opening of a parliament. Subsequently he was appointed a Member of the Constitutional Council. He was prominent in the impeachment of Prince Ching. Mr. I was connected with the revolution started by Tang Tsai-tsang. On the failure of Kang Yu-wei's reform scheme in 1898, Mr. I retired into seclusion and wrote several volumes on the subject of Reforms, until the time when schools were started everywhere when he took up teaching. In 1904 Mr. I went to Japan to study. While in Japan be edited a revolutionary periodical. It was at this time he joined the Kuomingtang. In 1912, the First Year of the Republic, Mr. I was appointed Compiler of the Law Compilation Office under the Cabinet. In 1913 he was elected a Member of the House of Representatives, representing Mongolia, and when Yuan Shih-kai proscribed the Kuomingtang as a seditious organization and in November 1913 unseated all members of the two House belonging to that Party. Mr. I then went south. This Parliament was reconvoked by Li Yuan-hung in June 1916 following the death of Yuan Shih-kai. Mr. I took his seat in Parliament, and remained until June 1917 when it was again dissolved. In June 1919 Mr. I was awarded the Third Class Chiaho and in January 1920 the Third Class Wenfu. In February 1920 he was appointed Councillor of the Government Economic Bureau. In February 1921 he received the Second Class Chiaho. In August 1922 the Old Parliament of which Mr. I was relieved of the councillor post to become a Member of the House of Representatives. In October 1922 Mr. I was awarded the Second Class Tashou Chiaho and in January 1923 the Second Class Wenfu. In April 1923 he was appointed Chief of the Law Compilation Bureau in the Cabinet. This position he is still holding.