Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Wu Tsung-tzu

Mr. Wu Tsung-tzu

吳宗慈字葛林

Mr. Wu Tsung-tzu was born at Nan-feng Hsien, Kiangsi province, in 1879. He was a Yu-Kung-Sheng or Meritorious Senior Licentiate in the Ching Dynasty and distinguished himself as an educationalist by his works in Canton, Kiangsu and Kiangsi. In the late days of the Ching Regime, Mr. Wu made an extensive trip to Japan studying educational conditions in that country. There he made acquaintances with the leaders of the Chinese , revolutionary organs. Upon his return to China, he took up journalistic work in Kuangtung, Kiangsi and Shanghai spreading revolutionary ideas. The daily paper Hsing Hua Pao, a noted revolutionary organ in Peking which had a short life before the First Revolution was also founded by Mr. Wu. Upon the outbreak of the First Revolution he returned to Kiangsi and effected the declaration of independence of that province. In 1913 Mr. Wu became a representative of the First Parliament. Subsequently he was elected a Member of the Constitution Drafting Commission. The Parliament being dissolved in January 1914, he went to Szechuan. From December 1914 to May 1915 he was Chief of the Civil Administration Bureau of that province. He also acted as Civil Governor of Szechuan for a short period of time. Mr. Wu was very much opposed to the monarchical movement of Yuan Shih-kai. At that time he was holding two positions, namely, commandant of the precautionary forces of Szechuan and Chief Justice of the Marshal Court of the same province. He was about to be arrested by the order of the Peking government when the Yunnan Revolt broke out to which he subsequently joined. The First Parliament was reconvoked in 1916 after the death of Yuan Shih-kai. Mr. Wu was in the Lower House until June 1917 when it was again dissolved and he went down to the south. Mr. Wu played an important part in the Extraordinary Parliament at Canton. He also held several responsible posts in the administrative side of the Canton Military government. The First Parliament being reconvoked in Peking in 1922, Mr. Wu took up his seat again in the Lower House and was still on the Constitution Drafting Committee. Mr. Wu is the author of "The History of China's Permanent Constitution” which was promulgated in October 1923. This work in two volumes has been considered by the general public as one of the best literary productions in the recent years in China.