Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Wen Tsung-yao

Mr. Wen Tsung-yao

溫宗字欽甫

Mr. Wen Tsung-yao was born in Kuangtung province, in 1876. He was graduated from the Men's College, Hongkong. Later he went to America, being one of the oldest Chinese students sent to the United States to study. Upon his return to China in 1993 he was appointed a deiegate. to the Anglo-Chinege Convention for the revision of Commercial treaties. From 1903 to 1908 he was Secretary to the Viceroy of Liang-Kuang, holding concurrently the post of Chief of Foreign Affairs Bureau, of Director of the Telephone Administration of Canton, and of Director of Military Cadets' Academy, Canton. In 1908 Mr. Wen was sent to India as Deputy Envoy to negotiate with the British government over the question of British trade in Tibet. After the signing of the British-Tibetan Trade Treaty, he was appointed Deputy President at Lhassa, the capital of Tibet. But subsequent to the flight of Dalai Lama to India, Mr. Wen who had been taking a strong attitude toward the intriguing parties was dismissed by the Peking government. In 1909 he joined the Viceroy of Liang-Kiang (Kiangsu-Anhui-Kiangsi) as his Advisor on Foreign Affairs. Later he was appointed a Councillor of the Foreign Office in Peking. In the First Revolution which brok: out in October 1911, Mr. Wen played a conspicuous part. In December 1911, the military government of the various provinces jointly elected Dr. Wu Ting-fang and Mr. Wen the Minister and the Vice-Minister of Foregn Affairs for the Republican. Mr. Wen making his headquarters at Shanghai directed the issue of Republican manifestoes and was in charge of foreign publicity service. Subsequently Wu Ting-fang was appointed Chief Delegate of the Republican government to negotiate peace terms with Tang Shao-i, the Northern Chief Delegate, Mr. Wen as one of the southern delegatas rendered valuable service in making the nogotiation a suceess. Following the establishment of the Provisional Republican government at Nanking in January 1912, Mr. Wen was appointed Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Director of Trade in Shanghaj. From these positions he resigned in April 1912. After then with General Tsen Ch’un-hsuan organized the political party called “Kuom'ng Kung Tang." Tsen and Wen were President and Vice-President respectively. Fearing the growth of this party under the direction of Mr. Wen, President Yuan Shih-kai offered him the post of Chinese Resident in Tibet. But he declined to accept it. Mr. Wen was also involved with the Second Revolution in the summer of 1913, becoming a political refuge later. In 1915 Yuan Shih-kui launched his monarchical movement. In April that year the revolting forces in Kuangtung and Kuangsi under the leadership of Tsen Ch’un-hsuan established a Military government at Shao-ching, Kuangtung, as headquarters to direct operations against Yuan's forces. Mr. Wen was appointed by that government as its Deputy Diplomatic Envoy with headquarters at Shanghai. In 1917 he was appointed Associate Director of the Pukow Port Development Bureau and also Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Nanking. In May 1918 a Military government was created at Canton by the southern leaders in open defiance of the Peking government. In the spring of 1920 a conflict occurred between Sun Yat-sen and Tsen Ch'un-hsuan, two of the seven directors of the Canton Ministry which resulted in the Sun's party being ousted. Mr. Wen was then elected a director in place of one of the ousted. In June 1920 he was appointed Chief Southern Delegate to the Internal Peace Conference that had been held at Shanghai to succeed Tang Shao-i, another one of the ousted. Subsequently the Peking government relieved him of the Pukow Port post. In October 1920. when General Ch’en Chiung-ming, the Commander-in-Chief of the Cantonese forces, drove the Kuangsi Party under Tsen Ch'un-hsuan from Canton, Mr. Wen was compelled to flee to Shanghai where he has been living in retirement during the past few years.