Zheng Xiaoxu(Cheng Hsiao-hsu;simplified Chinese:Trịnh hiếu tư;traditional Chinese:Trịnh hiếu tư;pinyin:Zhèng Xiàoxū;Wade–Giles:Cheng4Hsiao4-hsu1;Hepburn:Tei Kōsho) (2 May 1860 – 28 March 1938) was a Chinese statesman,diplomatandcalligrapher.He served as the firstPrime Minister of Manchukuo.
Zheng Xiaoxu | |
|---|---|
| Trịnh hiếu tư | |
 | |
| Prime Minister of Manchukuo | |
| In office 9 March 1932 – 21 May 1935 | |
| Monarch | Puyi(since 1935) |
| Chief Executive | Puyi (until 1935) |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Zhang Jinghui |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 May 1860 Suzhou,Jiangsu,Qing dynastyChina |
| Died | 28 March 1938(aged 77) Xinjing,Manchukuo |
| Political party | Concordia Association |
Early life and diplomatic career
editAlthough Zheng traced his ancestral roots toMinhou,a small town nearFuzhou,Fujian, he was born inSuzhou,Jiangsu.In 1882, he obtained the intermediate degree in theimperial examinations,and three years later he joined the secretariat of the prominent statesmanLi Hongzhang.In 1891, he was appointed secretary to the ChineselegationinTokyo,and in the following years he performedconsular dutiesat the Chinese consulates inTsukiji,OsakaandKoberespectively. During his tenure in Kobe, he worked closely with the Chinese community and played an instrumental part in establishing theChinese guild(Zhōnghuá huìguǎnTrung hoa hội quán ) there. In Japan, Zheng also interacted with a number of influential politicians and scholars, such asItō Hirobumi,Mutsu MunemitsuandNaitō Torajirō.
Government service
editFollowing the outbreak of theFirst Sino-Japanese warin 1894, Zheng was forced to leave Japan. Having returned to China, Zheng joined the secretariat of the reformist statesmanZhang ZhidonginNanjingand followed him toBeijing,where Zheng obtained a position in the Qing foreign office, theZongli Yamen.Following the abortiveHundred Days' Reformin 1898, Zheng left his post in Beijing and took up a number of important government positions in central and southern China. After thecollapse of the imperial systemin 1911, Zheng remained loyal to theQing dynastyand refused to serve under China'sRepublican government.Instead, he withdrew from public life entirely and retired comfortably inShanghai,where he devoted his time to calligraphy,poetryand art, while also writing extensive articles critical of theKuomintangleadership, whom he characterized as “thieves”.[citation needed]
Qing loyalist and collaboration with the Japanese
editIn 1923, the former Qing emperorPuyisummoned Zheng to Beijing in order to reorganize the imperial household.[citation needed]Zheng became a close adviser of Puyi and helped arrange for his flight to theforeign concession at Tianjinafter his expulsion from theForbidden Cityby GeneralFeng Yuxiang.Zheng remained loyal to the throne and secretly met with Japanese officials and groups such as theBlack Dragon Societyto discuss a restoration of the Qing dynasty inManchuria.Following theMukden Incidentand theinvasion of Manchuriaby theImperial Japanese Armyin 1931, Zheng played an important role in the establishment ofManchukuo,becoming its firstprime ministerthe following year. Zheng also composed the lyrics of theNational Anthem of Manchukuo.Zheng had hoped that Manchukuo would become a springboard for the restoration of Qing rule in the whole of China, but he soon found out that the real rulers of Manchukuo, the JapaneseKwantung Army,did not share his ambitions.
As Prime Minister of Manchukuo, Zheng frequently disagreed with the Japanese Army leadership. In May 1935, he was pressured to resign from his office. Three years later, he died suddenly under unclear circumstances, which led to speculation that he may have been poisoned by the Japanese. He was accorded astate funeralin April 1938.
Legacy
editAlthough Zheng Xiaoxu is mostly remembered today for his collaboration with the Japanese, he is still recognized as an accomplished poet andcalligrapher.Zheng was one of the most respected and influential calligraphers of the 20th century. His calligraphy brought high prices during his lifetime and he supported himself in later life with the proceeds from its sale. His calligraphy continues to be influential in China and his style has been incorporated into the logos of current Chinese corporations.
Zheng kept an extensive diary, which is still valued by historians as important source material.
Further reading
edit- Aisin-Gioro Puyi (with assistance fromLao She).From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi.Translated byW.J.F. Jenner.Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 2002.ISBN7-119-00772-6.
- Boorman, Howard L., Richard C. Howard, and Joseph K. H. Cheng, eds.Biographical Dictionary of Republican China.New York: Columbia University Press, 1967.
- Kowallis, Jon Eugene von.The Subtle Revolution: Poets of the 'Old Schools' during late Qing and early Republican China.Berkeley: University of California, Institute of East Asian Studies, China Research Monographs #60, 2006.ISBN1-55729-083-0.
- Mitter, Rana (2000).The Manchurian Myth: Nationalism, Resistance, and Collaboration in Modern China.University of California Press.ISBN0-520-22111-7.
- Yamamuro, Shinichi (2005).Manchuria Under Japanese Dominion.University of Pennsylvania Press.ISBN0-8122-3912-1.
External links
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