General Wang T'ing-chen was born at Tientsin, Chihli province, in 1876. He joined the Peiyang Naval School through competitive examinations; and subsequently became student draftsman in the Peiyang Arsenal. Later he was admitted to the Peiyang Military School. In 1898 an order was issued by Yu Lu, Viceroy of Chihli, enjoining that three senior students be selected by public examination from among various Peiyang schools and sent to study in military schools in Japan. General Wang Ting-cheng successfully passed the examinations in which more than four hundred students participated. In April of 1899, General Wang sailed for Japan and entered a Japanese school for preparation. Later he joined a Japanese battalion, and was admitted to the Military Cadets' Academy in October 1901 and being one of the First Group of Chinese Students sent to that academy. Upon his graduation in 1903 he re-joined the battalion in order to get practical training, and was awarded by the Japanese government the rank of sub-lieutenant. The late President Yuan Shih-kai gave him an appointment as instructor in the training battalion. While serving as instructor, General Wang Ting-cheng devoted part of his time to the translation of books on military science from foreign languages into Chinese. Yuan Shih-kai admired his work and General Wang received rapid promotions. In a period of less than ten years, General Wang became a division commander. In 1911 he was sent by decree to witness the manoeuvres and study military affairs in France. In the fall he returned to China, when the first revolution was on. His position at that time was that of the assistant commander of the Palace Guards which were composed of Manchu and Manchu nobles. In the first year of the Republic, 1912, General Wang was given the position of Lieutenant General of the Mixed White Banner of Mongolia. In July 1913 he was transferred to be Acting Defence Commissioner of Tientsin and given the rank of Lieutenant General, when the late President Feng Kuo-chang was Tutuh or Military Governor of Chihli. In August 1913 he accompanied Feng Kuo-chang to the South for the suppression of the second revolution. Upon the restoration of peace he was appointed Defence Commissioner of Yanking: Concurrently he acted as commander of the troops stationed as the strategic points in the Yangtse. In December 1914 he was given the Fifth Order of Merit. In 1916 he comnianded the Sixteenth Army Division at Nanking and Pukow which formerly was the Imperial Guards. In December 1916 he was given the Fourth Order of Merit. In December 1917 he was appointed Deputy High Inspecting Commissioner of the Yangtze Garrison. In the winter of 1916 he was made a Changchun with "Cheng-Wei" as special title. At the same time President Hsu Shih-chang awarded him the Second Class Wenfu and the First Class Tashoa Chiaho and also the brevet rank of Full General. In June 1919 he was awarded the First Class Wenfu. In December 1919 General Wang was appointed Tutung of Charbar Special District. In January 1920 he was awarded the First Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho. In February 1920 he was ordered to hold concurrently the command of the 16th Army Division. In September 1920 he was relieved of the Tutung post. And since then he was High Military Advisor to the President. In October 1922 he was awarded the Third Order of Merit. In November 1922 he was appointed Tutung of the Chinese Units of the Bordered Yellow Banner Division of the Manchu Banner Forces, which position he is still holding. In January 1923 he was commissioned to be a member of the Mongolian Front Defence Commission.
