Gao Lingwei
Encyclopedia
Gāo Língwèi (1868–1939) was a Chinese politician during the late Qing dynasty
and the Republic of China
.
A Tianjin
native, he was appointed to Hubei
where he held many offices relating to finance and education including a stint as superintendent of the provincial military academy. There he became a protege of Zhang Zhidong
in China's modernization effort and was appointed governor of Hunan
.
After the Xinhai Revolution
broke out at Hubei, he returned to Tianjin and help modernize the banking system. He later became minister in many militarist
cabinets. In 1923, he became the Acting President
while Cao Kun
was "campaigning" for the presidency by bribing the National Assembly
. He served briefly as Cao's first premier.
In 1935, he became the Mayor of Tianjin. During the Second Sino-Japanese War
, he collaborated with the invaders in exchange for the governorship of Hebei
.
Gao Lingwei was born in Tianjin
in 1868. He successfully passed the literary examinations and was afterwards assigned to the province of Hubei for official appointment. He was the sub-director of the High School of the Chin Hsin College, and superintendent of the Military Academy in Hubei. Later he became the director of the Hubei Government Mint. While holding the position of Viceroy of Hunan and Hubei, Zhang Zhidong
ordered the establishment of an arsenal, industrial plants and copper and silver mints, and also encouraged the establishment of learning in his territory. Gao Lingwei participated in all these activities to the satisfaction of the great Viceroy. In 1906 he was promoted to be the Commissioner of Education in Hubei. It was at a time when the Central Government tried to concentrate power in Beijing and local finances were consequently stringent and the fund for education became very scant. In such circumstances Gao Lingwei accepted the new appointment, but in a few months he was able to increase the number of schools in that province by ten and find the necessary funds for the purpose. In 1909 Gao Lingwei was promoted to be the Provincial Treasurer, a very high provincial appointment at that time. After serving in that important capacity for some time, one of his parents died, and according to the ancient custom, he had to retire from official duties for three years. Then, the first revolution came in 1911, and Gao Lingwei went to Tianjin to continue living in retirement. During his retirement in Tianjin, at the request of his friends, he did all he could to direct the organization of banks along modern lines in the different parts of the country. In August 1913 Gao Lingwei was appointed as the Acting Chief of the Financial Bureau of Chihli. In September 1913 he was ordered to act concurrently as Chief of the Preparation Bureau for the Collection of National Taxes in Chihli. He was relieved of these two posts in April 1914. In 1915 Gao Lingwei was the High Advisor to the Office of the Tuchun of the Three Eastern Provinces. In August 1917, a new Parliament was convened and Gao Lingwei became a member of it from Chihli. In August 1920 Gao Lingwei was appointed as the Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. In January 1921 he received the Second Class Tashou Chiaho. In July 1921 he was appointed as the Vice-President of the Bank of Agriculture and Commerce. In October 1921 he was appointed as the Minister of Finance and awarded the First Class Tashou Chiaho. In November 1921 he was ordered to become the concurrent Director General of the Currency Bureau and also the Director General of the Salt Administration. In December 1921, he was transferred to become the Minister of the Interior. In this capacity he served in January 1922 the following concurrent positions: Director-General of Famine Relief; Director General of the Metropolitan Municipal Administration; and President of the Yangtze Rier Commission. In March 1922 Gao Lingwei was awarded the First Class Wenfu. In May 1922 he was ordered to act concurrently as Minister of Communications. This acting post was only held by him for half a month. In June 1922 Gao Lingwei was relieved of the portfolio of the Interior. On the 18th of the same month he was appointed to be the Civil Governor of Chihli, but he did not assume office and on the 24th he was relieved of the post of governor. In August 1922 he was appointed as the Acting Minister of Finance, in September he was transferred to become the Acting Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. In October 1922 Gao Lingwei was awarded the First Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho. In November 1922 he was transferred to be the Acting Minister of the Interior. In January 1923 he was appointed as the Minister of the Interior. In February he was ordered to hold concurrently the Presidency of the Yangtze River Commission. In October 1923 Gao Lingwei was appointed to act as the Premier of China. This position was held by him until January 1924, when he was appointed to be the Director General of the Dustoms Administration to succeed Sun Paochi, who had been appointed as the Premier.
|-
|-
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
and the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
.
A Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
native, he was appointed to Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
where he held many offices relating to finance and education including a stint as superintendent of the provincial military academy. There he became a protege of Zhang Zhidong
Zhang Zhidong
Zhang Zhidong ; Pseudonyms: Xiāngtāo , Xiāngyán , Yīgōng , Wújìng-Jūshì , later Bàobīng ; Posthumous name: Wénxiāng ) was an eminent Chinese politician during the late Qing Dynasty who advocated for controlled reform...
in China's modernization effort and was appointed governor of Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
.
After the Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
broke out at Hubei, he returned to Tianjin and help modernize the banking system. He later became minister in many militarist
Warlord era
The Chinese Warlord Era was the period in the history of the Republic of China, from 1916 to 1928, when the country was divided among military cliques, a division that continued until the fall of the Nationalist government in the mainland China regions of Sichuan, Shanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia,...
cabinets. In 1923, he became the Acting President
President of the Republic of China
The President of the Republic of China is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the Republic of China . The Republic of China was founded on January 1, 1912, to govern all of China...
while Cao Kun
Cao Kun
|-...
was "campaigning" for the presidency by bribing the National Assembly
National Assembly of the Republic of China
The National Assembly of the Republic of China refers to several parliamentary bodies that existed in the Republic of China. The National Assembly was originally founded in 1913 as the first legislature in Chinese history, but was disbanded less than a year later as President Yuan Shikai assumed...
. He served briefly as Cao's first premier.
In 1935, he became the Mayor of Tianjin. During the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, he collaborated with the invaders in exchange for the governorship of Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
.
Biography
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
in 1868. He successfully passed the literary examinations and was afterwards assigned to the province of Hubei for official appointment. He was the sub-director of the High School of the Chin Hsin College, and superintendent of the Military Academy in Hubei. Later he became the director of the Hubei Government Mint. While holding the position of Viceroy of Hunan and Hubei, Zhang Zhidong
Zhang Zhidong
Zhang Zhidong ; Pseudonyms: Xiāngtāo , Xiāngyán , Yīgōng , Wújìng-Jūshì , later Bàobīng ; Posthumous name: Wénxiāng ) was an eminent Chinese politician during the late Qing Dynasty who advocated for controlled reform...
ordered the establishment of an arsenal, industrial plants and copper and silver mints, and also encouraged the establishment of learning in his territory. Gao Lingwei participated in all these activities to the satisfaction of the great Viceroy. In 1906 he was promoted to be the Commissioner of Education in Hubei. It was at a time when the Central Government tried to concentrate power in Beijing and local finances were consequently stringent and the fund for education became very scant. In such circumstances Gao Lingwei accepted the new appointment, but in a few months he was able to increase the number of schools in that province by ten and find the necessary funds for the purpose. In 1909 Gao Lingwei was promoted to be the Provincial Treasurer, a very high provincial appointment at that time. After serving in that important capacity for some time, one of his parents died, and according to the ancient custom, he had to retire from official duties for three years. Then, the first revolution came in 1911, and Gao Lingwei went to Tianjin to continue living in retirement. During his retirement in Tianjin, at the request of his friends, he did all he could to direct the organization of banks along modern lines in the different parts of the country. In August 1913 Gao Lingwei was appointed as the Acting Chief of the Financial Bureau of Chihli. In September 1913 he was ordered to act concurrently as Chief of the Preparation Bureau for the Collection of National Taxes in Chihli. He was relieved of these two posts in April 1914. In 1915 Gao Lingwei was the High Advisor to the Office of the Tuchun of the Three Eastern Provinces. In August 1917, a new Parliament was convened and Gao Lingwei became a member of it from Chihli. In August 1920 Gao Lingwei was appointed as the Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. In January 1921 he received the Second Class Tashou Chiaho. In July 1921 he was appointed as the Vice-President of the Bank of Agriculture and Commerce. In October 1921 he was appointed as the Minister of Finance and awarded the First Class Tashou Chiaho. In November 1921 he was ordered to become the concurrent Director General of the Currency Bureau and also the Director General of the Salt Administration. In December 1921, he was transferred to become the Minister of the Interior. In this capacity he served in January 1922 the following concurrent positions: Director-General of Famine Relief; Director General of the Metropolitan Municipal Administration; and President of the Yangtze Rier Commission. In March 1922 Gao Lingwei was awarded the First Class Wenfu. In May 1922 he was ordered to act concurrently as Minister of Communications. This acting post was only held by him for half a month. In June 1922 Gao Lingwei was relieved of the portfolio of the Interior. On the 18th of the same month he was appointed to be the Civil Governor of Chihli, but he did not assume office and on the 24th he was relieved of the post of governor. In August 1922 he was appointed as the Acting Minister of Finance, in September he was transferred to become the Acting Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. In October 1922 Gao Lingwei was awarded the First Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho. In November 1922 he was transferred to be the Acting Minister of the Interior. In January 1923 he was appointed as the Minister of the Interior. In February he was ordered to hold concurrently the Presidency of the Yangtze River Commission. In October 1923 Gao Lingwei was appointed to act as the Premier of China. This position was held by him until January 1924, when he was appointed to be the Director General of the Dustoms Administration to succeed Sun Paochi, who had been appointed as the Premier.
|-
|-