Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Yang I-te

General Yang I-te

楊以德字敬林

General Yang I-te was born at Tientsin, Chihli province, in 1871. In 1901 he was given by the Ching government the rank of assistant prefect. In 1902 he became a police detective of the Southern Station of Tientsin. In 1903 he was appointed railway inspector of the Shanhaikuan Railway Bureau. In July 1905, he became Chief Police Inspector of the southern section of Tientsin and concurrrently was in charge of the Detective Corps and the Fire Brigade. In September 1905 he was promoted to be Gendarmerie Detective for Tientsin. For his meritorious services, he was promoted to the rank of prefect in December 1905. In June 1906, General Yang became Chief Inspector of the Shanhaikuan Railway; in February 1907, secret service officer of the Board of the Interior with his office at Tientsin; in May 1907, detective officer of the Tientsin High Court acting concurrently as Chief of the Tientsin Secret Service and Deputy Chief of the Tientsin Police Administration; in June 1907, concurrently detective officer of the Ta Ku Bank in Peking and Tientsin. In August 1907 he was promoted to the rank of Taotai. In July 1909, he became a councillor to Prince Su, then President of the Interior. In December 1910 he was appointed Police Taotai of Chihli. In December 1912 General Yang was transferred to the post Kiang-pei Taotai. But he did not proceed to the new post and was reinstated as the Police Taotai in Chihli at once. In December 1919 he was appointed Chief of Tientsin Police Administration. In May 1914 he was promoted to the post of Prefect of the Pei-hai Circuit, Chihli, which was equivalent to the Tientsin Taotai. In June 1914 he was appointed to act concurrently as chief of the judicial department of the Peiyang Batallions and Assistant Commandant of Marshal Law Headquarters at Tientsin. In July 1914 he was made a Major General and also given the Second Class Wenfu. Subsequently he became associate director of the Bureau of Affairs for China's Neutrality. In August 1914 he was commissioned to be a member on the Committee on Waterway Improvements of Chihli. In August 1915 General Yang was appointed Police Commissioner of Chihli in addition to his post of the Chief of Tientsin Police Administration. In October 1915 he was awarded the Third Class Chiaho. In October 1916 he received the Second Class Chiaho. In February 1917 he was ordered to be concurrently Commander-in-Chief of the Tientsin Gendermerie. In the same month, after having taken over the Austrian and German Concessions, he was appointed Chief of the Special Administrative Areas of Tientsin. In September 1917 he was given the Second Class Tashou Chiaho; and in January 1918, the Second Class Paokuang Chiaho. He made a Lieutenant General in September 1918. In October 1918 General Yang was removed from the posts of the Police Commissioner of Chihli and the Chief of Tientsin Police Administration. In November 1918 he was appointed a member of the President's Body Guard. In July 1919 he was reinstated to the posts of Police Commissioner, Chief of Tientsin Police, and Chief of Special Administrative Areas. In addition he was appointed Chief of the Municipal Works Bureau of Chihli. In August 1920 he was awarded the Second Class Tashou Paokuang-Chiaho, and in October 1920 the Fifth Order of Merit. In December 1920 he was given another concurrent post as Chief of the Municipal Administration of the Special Areas of Tientsin. In October 1922 he was made a member of the College of Marshals, a post of honor. In December 1922 he received the First Class Tashou Chiaho. In November 1923 he was made a Chiangchun with “Wei-Wei" as special title.