Fang Yi

In thisChinese name,thefamily nameisFang.

Fang Yi
Phương nghị
Fang Yi in the early 1940s
State Councilorof China
In office 1982–1988
Premier	Zhao Ziyang
Vice Premier of China
In office 1978–1982
Premier	Zhao Ziyang
Director of theState Science and Technology Commission
In office 1978–1985
Preceded by	Nie Rongzhen
Succeeded by	Song Jian
President of theChinese Academy of Sciences
In office 1979–1981
Preceded by	Guo Moruo
Succeeded by	Lu Jiaxi
Personal details
Born	(1916-02-26)26 February 1916 Xiamen,Fu gian,China
Died	17 October 1997(1997-10-17)(aged 81) Beijing,China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Spouse	Yin Sen ​ (m.1940)​

Fang Yi(Chinese:Phương nghị;Wade–Giles:Fang I;26 February 1916 – 17 October 1997) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, diplomat, and high-ranking politician. As a military leader, he participated in theSecond Sino-Japanese Warand theChinese Civil War.After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, he served as Vice Governor ofFu gian,Vice Mayor ofShanghai,economic representative at the Chinese embassy inNorth Vietnam,President of theChinese Academy of Science,and Vice Premier of China. He was also a member of thePolitburo of the Chinese Communist Party.

Early life

On 26 February 1916, Fang Yi was born inXiamen,Fu gianProvinceto a poor family. He original name wasFang Qingji(Phương thanh cát). He had an older brother, and his mother died 26 days after Fang Yi was born.His father remarried, and had another son and daughter. When Fang Yi was eight his father also died, and the family fell into abject poverty.With the help of his maternal uncle, Fang was able to attend Xiamen No. 1 Middle School, one of the best schools in Xiamen.While attending the school, he joined theCommunist Youth Leagueat age 14, and theChinese Communist Party(CCP) a year later, in 1931.

War-time career

He later went toShanghaiand worked at theCommercial Press,a leading publishing house. However, he was arrested by theKuomintangin 1934, and sentenced to eight years in prison for his Communist activism.He was released from aSuzhouprison in 1937, after theXi'an Incidentand theJapanese invasion of China.He went on to serve as apolitical commissarin northern China during the Anti-Japanese War, and in the ensuingChinese Civil War,he was Secretary General of the North China People's Government, the semi-autonomous Communist government in northern China.He also served as vice governor in the Communist government ofShandongProvince.

People's Republic of China

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 following the Communist victory, Fang Yi served as vice governor in his home province of Fu gian from 1949 to 1952,before briefly serving as vice-mayor of Shanghai from 1952 to 1953. He was then appointed Vice Minister of Finance in September 1953, but only served for a year before being posted, together with his wife Yin Sen, to the Chinese embassy toNorth Vietnamin 1954. As economic representative, he was responsible for coordinating China's assistance to North Vietnam, and served in that position until 1961.

In 1961, Fang returned to Beijing and oversaw China's foreign aid program in the Office for Economic Relations with Foreign Countries until 1976. His knowledge of multiple foreign languages, including English, German, Japanese, and Russian, was very useful to the Chinese government, which was eager to establish economic ties with foreign countries. He survived theCultural Revolutionand became an alternate member of the9th CCP Central Committeein 1969. He led economic delegations to many, mainly African, countries, and oversaw theTanzania–Zambia Railwayproject, among others.

After the death ofMao Zedongand the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976, Fang was appointed vice president of theChinese Academy of Sciences(CAS) and became close toDeng Xiaoping.

To further promote Deng's priority of science as the forerunner of China's modernization, Deng in 1977 began a campaign to promote the 1978 National Science Conference.Fang led the team implementing it, instructing schools, factories, and communes to organize youth-focused events celebrating science and technology.

When Deng rose to power, Fang was made one of China's vice-premiers in March 1978,and was elected as a member of the11th CCP Politburo(re-elected to the12th Politburoin 1982).He also served as President of the CAS from 1979 to 1981. Under Deng's leadership, China established economic contacts with the Western world, and Fang led Chinese delegations to Japan andWest Germany.He also accompanied Deng on the latter's historic visit to the United States in January 1979. Fang headed a separate delegation to American technological centers, such as theGeorgia Institute of Technology,theTexas Medical Center,and aLockheedplant near Los Angeles, with the aim of advancing China's industry.

In May 1982, Fang became astate councilor,serving until 1988. He was also a member of the Presidium of the 12th Congress of the CCP.In 1988, he was appointed aVice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference,serving until 1993.He was honorary chairman of theChinese Weiqi Associationfrom 1977 until his death.

On 17 October 1997, Fang Yi died in Beijing at the age of 81.

Personal

Fang Yi married his wife Yin Sen (Ân sâm) in 1940, when he was fighting inAnhuiProvince during the Sino-Japanese War. Because his parents died early, he did not know his own birthdate until he got in touch with relatives when he was 60.