Saturday, October 18, 2008

Dong Xi

Dong Xi was a general during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He hailed from Yuyao county, Kuaiji commandery . He first entered service with the Sun family under Sun Ce. Dong Xi was supposedly eight feet tall and his warrior skills surpassed many.

Life


Under Sun Ce's service, he slew the Shanyin bandit leaders Huang Longluo and Zhou Bo , earning him several ranks and a thousand more soldiers under his command. He later followed Sun Ce on his solidification campaigns throughout the region.

When Sun Ce was assassinated in 200, his mother Lady Wu was worried that his successor Sun Quan would be too young to govern the region. She consulted Dong Xi about the area's security, and Dong Xi replied, "The lands east of the Yangzi have security from mountains and rivers, while the good government and virtue of Sun Ce have already attracted the people. Sun Quan can build on these foundations, so that great and small follow his commands. Zhang Zhao can look after affairs of government, while others like me act as claws and teeth. With both strategic advantage and popular support, there is certainly nothing to worry about." And the others agreed with him.

Later, the bandits of Poyang rebelled with over ten thousand men, Dong Xi was dispatched with Ling Tong, Jiang Qin and Bu Zhi to suppress them. Wherever Dong Xi went, the rebels under Peng Hu fled, and the rebellion was dealt with in ten days.

In 208, Sun Quan led a punitive expedition against Huang Zu. Huang Zu set two ships covered with ox-hide to guard the channel across Miankou , and he had a great rope of coir-palm fibre, with stones attached as anchors. Above all this were a thousand crossbow men to give covering fire. The arrows poured down like rain and the army could not get forward. Dong Xi along with Ling Tong were together in the van, each in command of a hundred volunteers in double armour. They boarded a great barge, charged the covered ships, and Dong Xi cut the two ropes with his sword, clearing the blockade. The main body of the army then advanced. Huang Zu escaped through a gate but was pursued and beheaded by enemy troops. At a great gathering the next day, Sun Quan raised his goblet to Dong Xi saying, “Today’s gathering is to celebrate the achievement of the one who cut the two ropes!”

At the Battle of Ruxukou against Cao Cao's great army, Sun Quan sent Dong Xi to command the “five-storied ship” and station at the mouth of Ruxu. During the night, there was a large storm and the “five-storied ship” was about to capsize. His subordinates scattered and fled and pleaded for Dong Xi to come out, and Dong Xi replied sternly, “As generals who have received responsibility to get ready to face the rebels, how can anyone flee? Anyone who dares utter this will be beheaded!” And so no one dared to persuade him. Finally, the ship foundered and Dong Xi went down with the ship.

Ding Lei

Ding Lei , is the founder and CEO of NetEase. He made significant contributions to the development of computer networks in mainland China.

Early life


Ding Lei, also known as William Ding, was born in Fenghua, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. He graduated from Chengdu College of Electronic Science and Technology and obtained a Bachelor's degree.

Career


After graduation he first worked in a local government department in Ningbo as an engineer, and then he went to Guangzhou and worked for Sybase there. He founded NetEase and became the richest individual in Chinese mainland in the year of 2003 . According to , his net worth is estimated to be 1.1 billion.

Chen Din Hwa

Chen Din Hwa , is a Hong Kong , billionaire and philanthropist. He's regarded as the Magnate of Cotton Yarn in Hong Kong .

Life


Chen was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China in 1923. His father was a Shanghai-based industralist mainly did business in textile. When Chen was 22 years old, he already became the chief manager of his family business and owns several shops and factories in Shanghai and Ningbo.

1949, Chen's family shifted to Hong Kong and developed business there.

Business


Chen is the chairman of Nan Fung Textiles Consolidated Limited and Nan Fung Development Limited.

In 2005, Chen was reported to be worth US$1,400,000,000.
In 2008's Hong Kong's 40 Richest by Forbes , Chen was ranked as one of Hong Kong's top 10 billionaires.

Bei Shizhang

Bei Shizhang is a renowned biologist and educator. He is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He was born in Zhenhai, Zhejiang province on 10 October 1903. He is now the oldest member of both the Academia Sinica and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is the founder, the first chief director and current honorary director of the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He is a pioneer of Chinese cytology, embryology and the founder of Chinese biophysics. He is considered the "Father of Chinese Biophysics". The asteroid 31065 Beishizhang was named in his honour on the occasion of his 100th birthday.

He obtained his doctorate from the University of Tübingen in 1928.

Zhuang Xiaotian

ZHUANG Xiaotian , is a renowed politician and senior banker. He is the first President of the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank .

Biography



Zhuang was born in 1933 in Zhenhai County , Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. 1945, he graduated from Weidou Elementary School. He went to Shanghai with his brother. He is a graduate of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

Zhuang is the former vice mayor of Shanghai. He was mainly in charge of Shanghai's commerce, trade and industry. He's the current President of the Foundation for Shanghai Elderly, the President of the Shanghai Urban Development Foundation, the Chief Supervisor for the Shanghai Charity Foundation, the President of Shanghai-Ningbo Economic Association , and the President of the Shanghai-Ningbo Chamber of Commerce .

Yue-Kong Pao

Sir Yue-Kong Pao, often referred to as "Sir Y.K. Pao" or just "Y.K.", was the founder of which in the 20 years from purchasing its first second-hand ship in 1955 became by far the largest shipping company in the world with over . Astutely anticipating the seriousness of the shipping downturn starting in the late 1970s he drastically reduced his fleet and was able to pay off associated debt and raise cash to diversify his interests notably through the purchase of a controlling stake in The Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company Limited and later Wheelock Marden giving an exposure to Hong Kong real estate, shipping terminals, retail, ferries and trams. He was noted for his unmatched access to leaders in both the commercial and political arenas and was equally at ease with Western political leaders and the Chinese leadership in the run up to Hong Kong's ceasing to be a British colony in 1997 . He was also a generous philanthropist notably in educational projects . He died in 1991 but his corporate legacy continues to be controlled and run by his family.

Early Days


Pao was born in 1918 in Ningbo, the 3rd of seven children of a prosperous upper middle class family. In 1931 he went to Hankou to work in his father's shoe manufacturing business whilst continuing his education at night. However, he decided that the shoe business did not suit him and he secured a traineeship with a foreign insurance company. By the age of twenty he was established in his new position and married a young girl selected by his parents, which marriage was to endure until death separated them.

In 1937 Hankou came under attack from the Japanese and Pao along with 70 colleagues moved to Hunan and then Shanghai whilst leaving his wife in the relative safety of Ningbo. In Shanghai he found a position in the insurance department of the Central Trust of China and as tension eased sent for his wife to join him. He was soon moving up the corporate ladder, moving into the area of banking, and moving to Hengyang and Chongqing as the progress of the war dictated. At the end of the war in 1945 he was sent by the Government back to Shanghai to help set up and manage the new Municipal Bank and in a short time had worked his way to Deputy General Manager, effectively in charge.

Move to Hong Kong


With the approaching fall of the "Bamboo Curtain", Pao and all his family had moved to Hong Kong by the spring of 1949 having managed to remit much of the family's assets and money before events made it impossible. It being impossible to resume a banking career and, given the prevailing uncertainties, not wishing to commit to investing in machinery and land in Hong Kong Pao started an Import / Export business dealing in Chinese goods. Following the UN trade embargo resulting from China's entry into the Korean War the company broadened its scope to Europe although trade with China continued in a circuitous way through skilful exploitation of legal loopholes in the embargo. It was during the first half of the 1950s that Pao first made contact with Jake Saunders and Guy Sayer at the . Both were later to become Chief Manager and Chairman of the bank and the relationship was to be a decisive element in the growth of Pao's businesses.

Founding of World-Wide Shipping


As his business grew Pao looked around for suitable new ventures and in 1955 decided to branch into shipping and embarked on an intensive learning process. Shipowning in Hong Kong had a poor reputation at that time with the banks and so the first vessel, a 28 year old coal burning 8,200 tonne freighter, was purchased without finance. Having seen this and the rigorousness employed by Pao in the purchase process, the Hongkong Bank extended a loan for the second purchase, the start of long and fruitful fruitful relationship which lead to Pao being appointed to the board of the bank in 1971 and later to become its Vice Chairman.

The shipping business grew rapidly driven by the post war economic miracle taking place in Japan and the resulting need for freight and oil carrying capacity. Pao devised a system whereby he was able to secure bank guaranteed three year charters prior to purchasing ships thus significantly reducing the business risks and creating a very attractive lending opportunity for the banks financing the ship purchase. This basic scheme was extended when World-Wide moved into commissioning construction of new ships in 1961.

By 1979 the fleet was some 202 vessels with a total of , by far and away the largest fleet in the world. Indeed, the fleet was larger than the combined fleets of the famous , and Lemos families. In recognition of his achievements Pao was made an Honorary Doctor of Law by the in 1975 and in 1976 appeared on the front cover of Newsweek magazine with the heading "King of the Sea". He was knighted in 1978.

Diversification


1978 saw the start of a severe downturn in the shipping business. Pao and his managers were quick to spot the problem and commenced a programme to reduce the fleet, especially crude oil carriers, selling ships as they came off charter. 140 ships were sold and the fleet reduced by half over a period of 4 to 5 years allowing debt to be paid off and cash resources built up. Although this was a difficult time for World-Wide, the company, through early action and conservative financial management, was able to ride the recession with little of the problems seen elsewhere in the industry.

In the mid 1970s Pao had bought from Li Ka Shing a ten per cent holding in the Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co. Ltd and by 1977 had built this to 30%. Wharf had historically been in the sphere of influence. Friction with the Jardine camp broke out in the late 1970s over board appointments which concluded with the Pao camp being allowed two more directorships . Hostilities broke out again in June 1980 with Jardines launching a cash and shares bid for Wharf. Although in Europe at the time, Pao and his team were able rapidly to put together a successful cash tender for shares to take his holding to 49% and securing control of Wharf. Pao then took over the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive. Wharf gave World-Wide exposure to prime Kowloon waterfront property as well as ownership of Hong Kong Tramway and the Star Ferry.

In 1985 Pao was able to take control of Wheelock Marden, one of Hong Kong's premier companies established in 1857, when John Cheung sold his 34% stake to Pao forming a core shareholding from which to launch a bid in opposition to the bid from who had bought John Marden's stake in the company. Wheelock gave World-Wide exposure to more prime central Hong Kong property as well as the Lane Crawford department store.

Other Activities


In 1986 Pao retired from day to day management of the group handing over the shipping business to his son-in-law Helmut Sohmen and the Wheelock / Wharf interests to Peter Woo, another son-in-law. By 1989 he announced that he had given up his interests in the Trusts that held the Pao family assets and gave up his title as Honorary Chairman of World International. He had already retired from his directorship of the Hongkong Bank in 1983 when he hit the mandatory retirement age of 65 but continued to lead a very active life taking in advisory roles and philanthropic activities. Over the years, Pao was on a number of corporate advisory committees including , , AT&T, and .

Pao was active in philanthropic works and was particularly interested in educational projects. Among notable gifts were US$20m to found Ningbo University, a ?14m contribution to the Sino-British Friendship Scholarship scheme to enable Chinese students to attend British Universities and a US$10m gift to build a library at Jiaoting University in Shanghai.

Legacy


The YK Pao School in Shanghai was founded in memory of Sir Yue-Kong Pao.

Yue-Kong Pao Hall at Purdue University was named in his honor.

Yu Shiji

Yu Shiji , courtesy name Maoshi , was an official of the dynasties Chen Dynasty and Sui Dynasty. He was particularly powerful during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui and became prime minister, and was faulted by traditional historians for placating Emperor Yang and not reacting properly to agrarian rebellions. When Emperor Yang was killed in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji in 618, Yu was also killed.

During Chen Dynasty


It is not known when Yu Shiji was born. His father Yu Li was a mid-level official during Chen Dynasty. Yu Shiji was considered knowledgeable and quiet in his youth, and was particularly good at . The high level officials Kong Huan and Xu Ling were both impressed with him, and Xu was so impressed that he compared Yu Shiji to Pan Jun and , and gave a niece to him in marriage. He initially served on the staff of Chen Shuyin the Prince of Jian'an -- the brother to Chen's last emperor Chen Shubao, and later served in the imperial administration as well. Once, Chen Shubao was impressed with an essay Yu wrote on historical uses of the military and he awarded Yu a horse.

During Emperor Wen's reign


In 589, Chen was conquered by Sui Dynasty, and Yu subsequently served in Sui's legislative bureau as a low-level official during the reign of . Despite his position, however, he had little money, and he was forced to take retainers in writing calligraphy in order to support his parent. He once wrote a poem about his poverty, and the poem became famous and praised for its beauty. Eventually, he was promoted within the legislative bureau.

During Emperor Yang's reign


In 604, Emperor Wen died and was succeeded by his son . Emperor Yang was impressed with Yu's talent and began to promote him, particularly after Liu Guyan , the head of the archival bureau , endorsed Yu, and Yu was promoted to be the deputy head of the legislative bureau. His mother soon died, however, and he left imperial service to serve a mourning period, although Emperor Yang soon recalled him to governmental service. Emperor Yang made him, along with Niu Hong , Su Wei, Yuwen Shu, Zhang Jin , Pei Yun , and Pei Ju in charge of selecting and promoting officials, and they were known as the "seven nobles of officialdom." However, it was said that the actual selective powers were in Yu's hands, and that Yu became exceedingly corrupt, making recommendations based on the amount of bribes that he received. It was further said that he was so enamored with his second wife Lady Su that he spent much of his gains in impressing and decorating her. He thus became despised by the people, particularly in comparison to his brother Yu Shi'nan , who was praised for his integrity. It was said that a major reason why Emperor Yang trusted Yu greatly was that Yu was good at figuring out what he intended and following it, notwithstanding any adverse impact such decisions might have on the government or the populace. He appeared to suffer no adverse consequences from his son Yu Zirou 's joining the rebellion of Yang Xuangan in 613, and even Yu Zirou was not executed after Emperor Yang's forces defeated Yang Xuangan.

In 615, while Emperor Yang was visiting the city of Yanmen , Tujue's Shibi Khan Ashina Duojishi made a surprise attack on Yanmen and put it under siege. Emperor Yang was frightened, but Yu suggested that he try to restore the morale by announcing publicly that he was terminating the campaigns against Goguryeo and would award the soldiers greatly if they could lift the siege. Subsequently, Ashina Duojieshi lifted the siege when his wife Princess Yicheng falsely informed him that Tujue was under attack from the north. After the siege was lifted, however, Emperor Yang reneged on both his promises to terminate the Goguryeo campaigns and to reward the soldiers greatly, and much resentment from the people became aimed toward Yu.

In 616, because much of Sui territory had become engulfed in agrarian rebellions, Yu suggested that an army be stationed at Luokou Storage to protect it from pillagers, and Emperor Yang rebuked him for being fearful. From that point on, Yu no longer suggested any tactics against the rebels, figuring out that Emperor Yang did not want to hear about the rebels. When the general was able to defeat several major rebels north of the Yellow River and forced many rebels to surrender, Emperor Yang was surprised at how many rebels surrendered -- and Yu responded by stating, falsely, that Yang Yichen had been able to get all of them to surrender and that Emperor Yang no longer needed to worry. Subsequently, at Yu's instigation, probably because both Yu and Emperor Yang were apprehensive of Yang Yichen's responsibilities, Yang Yichen's forces were disbanded, and Yang Yichen himself was recalled to the imperial government around the new year 617 and ostensibly promoted but was detached from the army. Once Yang Yichen's campaigns terminated, the rebellions went unchecked.

Later in 617, against the advice of a number of officials, Emperor Yang left Luoyang to go to Jiangdu . After Emperor Yang left Luoyang, the rebels became particularly encouraged, and one of the major rebels, Li Mi, seized not only Luokou Storage but also Huiluo Storage , making his army well-supplied while depriving the Sui forces at Luoyang of food supplies. Emperor Yang's grandson Yang Tong the Prince of Yue, left in charge of Luoyang, sent his staff member Yuan Shanda to Jiangdu to request help from Emperor Yang, and Yuan tearfully reported to Emperor Yang, "Li Mi has several million men. He has put Luoyang under siege and occupied Luokou Storage, making Luoyang lack food. If Your Imperial Majesty shall return quickly, his band of men will disband; otherwise, the eastern capital will surely fall." Emperor Yang was touched, but Yu responded, "The Prince of Yue is young and easy to deceive. If the bandits are really that strong, how could Yuan Shanda get here?" Emperor Yang thus became convinced that Yuan was deceiving him and ordered him to go to a rebel-occupied commandery to collect food supplies, and Yuan was killed by the rebels. Thereafter, few officials dared to speak about the rebels.

By spring 618, Emperor Yang, aware that rebels had occupied much of the northern empire, no longer had any intent to return to the north, wishing to take refuge at Danyang , south of the Yangtze River. Yu endorsed the plan, and despite opposition by the general Li Cai , Emperor Yang began building a palace at Danyang in anticipation of moving the capital there. The elite Xiaoguo Army, then with Emperor Yang at Jiangdu, was protecting Emperor Yang, but their ranks, stricken with homesickness, was suffering many defections. Several of its commanders believed that they would be punished, and they decided to carry out a coup, with Yuwen Shu's son Yuwen Huaji the Duke of Xu as their leader. The general Zhang Huishao heard about the plot and reported it to Pei Yun, and Pei and Zhang planned to issue a false edict to have Yuwen Huaji arrested and then mobilize the troops against the coup leaders. They report to Yu, and Yu, believing that the report was false, refused to support the plan. The coup soon went into action, and the coup leaders killed Emperor Yang, and then killed many of his relatives and high level officials. Yu was one that they were ready to execute. Yu's sons Yu Xi , Yu Rou, and Yu Hui all offered to die before their father, and were executed first. Yu Shi'nan offered to die instead of Yu Shiji, but the coup leaders did not accept the offer and executed Yu Shiji.

Yu Fan

Yu Fan a notable district supervisor of Hu Ji, later coming into the service of Sun Ce. After Sun Ce defeated the prefect Wang Lang, Yu Fan submitted to Sun Ce. When Zhou Tai suffered a very serious injury in battle, Yu Fan was the one to recommend the famous physician, Hua Tuo. Through Yun Fan's persuasion of Fu Shiren who was also a officer, he helped in the capture of Jing.

Xu Shaoshi

Xu Shaoshi is the current of the People's Republic of China.

Xu was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. He joined the Communist Party of China in December 1974.

In April 2007, he was appointed to be the Minister of Land and Resources and the party chief of the Ministry. He is also the general supervisor of national land and a member of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Weng Wenhao

Weng Wenhao was a Chinese geologist, educator, and paramount politician.

He was one of the earliest modern Chinese geologists, and is regarded as the founder of modern Chinese geology and the father of modern Chinese oil industry in many literature.

From May to Nov. 1948, Weng served as the President of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China. The position is most commonly referred to as prime minister or premier.

Life



Early years


He was born in 1889 in Cixi , Ningbo , Zhejiang Province in late Qing Dynasty, and his courtesy name was Yongni . His father was a locally-famous businessman.

In 1902, he was only a 13-year old boy but won the title of "skillful writer" in the Imperial Examination. Later, he went to Shanghai and then entered a -speaking Catholic school there.

He obtained his doctor's degree on geology from the Catholic University of Leuven, Flanders, Belgium, in 1912. He was the first Chinese who held the western doctor's degree in geology.

ROC period


1912, after obtaining his doctor's degree in geology, he went back to China. He served as the Minister of Mine Industry and the Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, Beiyang Government. At the same time, he was also a lecturer and the chief professor of the National Research Institute of Geography.

He was also a professor of geology in both Beijing University and Tsinghua University. He once was the head of the Department of Geography, Tsinghua University. In Jul. 1931, he start serving as the president of Tsinghua University.

In he assisted Canadian paleoanthropologist Davidson Black in the establishment of the Cenozoic Research Laboratory for the research and appraisal of Peking Man fossils unearthed at Zhoukoudian.

During the period of Central Military Government of the Republic of China, he served in the central government as the General Secretary of the Executive Yuan ; the Minister of Industry , Minister of Education , and the Minister of Economy .

Invited by Chiang Kai-shek, He served as the first President of the Executive Yuan of Nationalist Government .

Mar. 1948, he was selected to be a member of the Academia Sinica. After the establishment of the PRC, he also became a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences). The Academia Sinica is based in Taipei, with most members living in Taiwan and the United States.

After 1949 & Late years


After Chinese Civil War, he remained in Chinese Mainland and served in People's Political Consultative Conference.

During the Cultural Revolution, he was specially protected by Zhou Enlai. In 1971, he died in Beijing.

Academic achievements & activities


One of the founders of modern Chinese geography;
Set up modern Chinese oil industry;
Studies of the Peking Man;
Studies of earthquake in China.

Family


He had two sons, the elder one named Weng Xinyuan , was a famous petroleum engineer who was killed in Cultural Revolution, the younger one was a pilot who was killed in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The founder of Chinese modern geophysics - Weng Wenbo , an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is his cousin.

Weng Xinzhi , academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, is his nephew.

Major works


Studies of Earthquakes in Gansu Procince
A Brief Record of Minerals in China
Literary Collection of Zhuizhi
Mourn for Mr. DING Zai-Jun
Earthquake
Quadrumana Fossils in China
The First Record on Chinese Mine Industry
Paleozoic Plant Fossils in the Middle Part of Shanxi Province
An Elementary Introduction to Earthquake
Lectures on Geology

Books on him


Chronicle of Weng Wenhao, , Oct. 2005
Weng Wenhao's Outstanding Contributions to Chinese Oil Industry,
Selected Works of Weng Wenhao

Tung Chao Yung

Tung Chao Yung , also known as C. Y. Tung, was a shipping magnate, the founder of the Orient Overseas Line . He was the father of Tung Chee Hwa, the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.

Life


C. Y. Tung was a legend in China. He built his shipping empire from virtually nothing. At the peak of his career, he owned a shipping fleet with over 150 freight ships; his fleet's cargo capacity exceeded 10 million tons. He was one of the world's top seven freight moguls; he was often called the of the Orient.

Tung believed in the importance of education. In September 1970, he bought the famous oceanliner RMS Queen Elizabeth to convert it into a floating university S.S. Seawise University to keep the World Campus Afloat program alive. On January 9, 1972, the ship caught on fire during refurbishing and sank into Hong Kong's harbor. The wreckage of the ship was featured in a James Bond movie. He did not give up the plan because of this setback. He bought a smaller oceanliner Atlantic to complete the plan. He cooperated with various Universities to run the academic sea program with the Institute of Shipboard Education entitled "Semester at Sea".

Politically Tung was aligned with Kuomintang regime of the Republic of China on Taiwan; indeed the company emblem of the OOCL is a plum blossom, the national flower of the Republic of China. After his death, however, the OOCL went into financial trouble, and it was the government of the People's Republic of China which rescued the company from the brink. This paved the way for C.Y.Tung's son, Tung Chee Hwa, to become the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China in 1997.

Trivia


In the past, all ships of the OOCL had names that began with the word "Seawise", which was a pun on C. Y. Tung's initials.
At the time of his death, C. Y. Tung was the owner of Seawise Giant, the largest ship ever built.

Tong Dizhou

Tong Dizhou was a remembered for his contributions to the field of cloning. He was the former vice president of Chinese Academy of Science

Born in Yinxian, Zhejiang province, Tong graduated from Fudan University in 1924 with a degree in psychology, and received a PhD in 1930 from Free University Brussels.

In 1963, Tong inserted DNA of a male carp into the egg of a female carp and became the first to successfully a fish. He is regarded as "the father of China's clone".

Tong was also an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the first director of its Institute of Oceanology from its founding in 1950 until 1978.

Tang Yuhan

Tang Yuhan , or Hans Tang, is an eminent and cancerologist in Hong Kong. He was the president of Hong Kong Chinese Medical Association and the founder of Tang Fund .

Life


Early years


He was born in Zhenhai , Ningbo , Zhejiang Province. He entered his elementary school in Ningbo, and spent part of his childhood in Shanghai.

He obtained his first M.D. from Shanghai Medical University .

Then he went to Western Europe and continued his study in medicine especially in cancer therapy there. He obtained his second doctor's degree from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

1930s, 40s


After finishing his study in Europe, he went back to Shanghai. He served as the president of the Sino-Belgium Cancer Hospital of Radiation Therapy , which was the first Chinese hospital specialized in cancer therapy and treatment.

1950s


He went to Hong Kong, not only an excellent doctor, he's also a successful businessman. He cooperated successfully with Henry Fok in a series of investments.

During this period, he became the member of Royal College of Physicians of London and Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

He was selected to be the president of Hong Kong Chinese Medical Association .

1990s & Later


He visited Chinese mainland for many times. As a member of Ningbo Group , Tang made a great contributions to Chinese education.

A hospital affiliated to Ningbo University in Ningbo is named after him. He donated more than 10 million for this hospital, which was opened in 2005.

To honor his donations, Ningbo Government awarded him Honorary Citizenship of Ningbo in 1998, and Zhejiang Government awarded him honorary title of "Loving-Homeland Model" in 2000.

Family & trivia


Tang's wife - Chen Yunchang , was a popular actress during 1940s in Hong Kong and Shanghai. They got married in 1943.

Tang is a vegetarian, and he can speak several western languages.

Membership, etc


Member, Royal College of Physicians of London
Member, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
Member, Hong Kong College of Physicians
Member, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine
Member, FHKAM
Member and former president of Hong Kong Chinese Association of Medicine
Honorary director of the Medical School, Ningbo University

Tan Jiazhen

Tan Jiazhen , or C. C. Tan, is a famous . Academician of Chinese Academy of Science.

Biography


He did his undergraduate work at Soochow University and received a PhD from the California Institute of Technology in 1937 under the supervision of Theodosius Dobzhansky. Thomas Hunt Morgan and Alfred Henry Sturtevant also were his teachers. He later taught at Columbia University.

"As part of the Morgan group in the 1930s, Tan helped make the leading species for evolutionary studies and did pioneering work in insect genetics. In spite of interruptions by Lysenkoism and by the Cultural Revolution, Tan is still scientifically active in China."

Foreign member of United States National Academy of Sciences

A review by Professor James Crow of the life and work of C C Tan can be found at[ A remarkable man as well as a remarkable scientist he is still active at this writing at 99. Professor Crow has listed many of the honors accorded to Tan after the end of the Cultural Revolution. His career at Fudan University may be found at http://life.fudan.edu.cn/english/cctan.asp.

Shi Jiuyong

Shi Jiuyong is a judge at the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations located in The Hague, Netherlands. He was elected to the ICJ on 6 February 1994, and became president nine years later on 6 February 2003 at the age of 77.

Life


Shi was born in the port city of Ningbo, in 's Zhejiang province. His father, an importer and merchant of dyes who had six children, relocated the family to Shanghai in 1927.

Shi Jiuyong, growing up in a relatively wealthy household, was educated in at the British-run Lester Institute and went on to study law at the former St. John's University, Shanghai and obtained a bachelor's degree on politics. Afterward he went to United States and studied at Columbia University, New York City, where he obtained postgraduate degree on international law.

From 1956 to 1958, he held various teaching and fellowship positions at international affairs colleges and institutes around Beijing.


He became a professor of international law at the , Beijing, in 1984. Since the 1980s he has served as an international law representative of the People's Republic of China through various important international conventions and treaties, including the Sino-British negotiations on the status of Hong Kong. President Shi is also a former member and chairman of the International Law Commission. He has lectured on international law throughout China and the English-speaking world, including a stint at the Hague Academy of International Law.

Rise to the Hague


Shi was elected to the ICJ on 6 Feb. 1994, and became the president on 6 Fe. 2003 at the age of 77. It was also the first time that Chinese judge became the preident of ICJ. The foreign minister of the People's Republic of China Tang Jiaxuan sent his personal warm congratulations to Shi .



Selected works


He is the author of numerous publications on international law.
《外交庇护》
《条约法讲演集》
《南极的法律问题》
《普遍优惠制度与国际贸易》
《香港与关税和贸易总协定》

Positions


Fellow; Chinese Society of International Law
Senior Advisor; China's Legal Advice Centre

Runme Shaw

Tan Sri Runme Shaw was the chairman and founder of the Shaw Organisation of Singapore. Runme Shaw and his brother, Run Run Shaw , together known as the Shaw Brothers, were pioneers in the film and entertainment industry in Singapore and , and brought to life the movie industry in Asia, especially the Southeast Asian region.

Runme Shaw was also a philanthropist who started the Shaw Foundation, a . In addition, Runme was the chairman and president of several government s, and a patron of many organisations. As a result, Runme won many local and foreign awards for his philanthropic work and contribution to the movie industry in Southeast Asia.

Shaw's given name "Runme" connotes "kindness" in .

Early life and education


Runme Shaw was the third of six sons of Shanghainese textile merchant Shaw Yuh Hsuen . A native of Zhenhai in China, Shaw Yuh Hsuen married Wang Shun Xiang , and had a total of 10 children, three of whom died at an early age. He had his own import-export company, and was also the owner of an opera hall in which Runme Shaw's brother, Runje Shaw , was its principal playwright and . However, the opera business failed.

Runme was educated in traditional Shanghainese schools, learning Confucian classics and classical Chinese literature.

Business in Shanghai


With the Chinese movie industry still in its infancy in the early 20th century, Runje Shaw saw the potential in and films in China. He established his own movie company, Unique Film Production Company in Shanghai, and started off with silent movies. Run Run and Runme soon joined Runje in the .

Not satisfied with their domestic market, the Shaw brothers wanted to seek business opportunities elsewhere. Runme, who was the distribution manager, was given this task. Originally, Runme's destination was Indochina where he hoped to meet with the film distributors, but he was denied permission to land there. When the Shaw brothers saw great distribution potential in the Southeast Asian market where many Chinese migrants lived, Runme chose Singapore as his base.

Establishment of Shaw Organisation


The Empire


Runme Shaw arrived in Singapore in 1923 to test the market for the Shaw brothers' films. He was later joined by Run Run and they together founded the Hai Seng Co in Singapore in 1924.

However, for new arrivals like Runme, finding distributors and exhibitors for their brand of silent movies proved a hurdle. As Shanghainese, Runme and Run Run found themselves locked out of the highly market by the dominant s – , and – who controlled the local film business. The film distributors believed that these businessmen imported films from China directly and showed them in their cinemas, and so very few wanted to release the Shaw's silent films. There was also an alliance between a major exhibition circuit run by Malayan cinema king Wang Yu Ting and Shanghai's Liuhe Film Company, a cartel that boycotted Shaw films.

Undaunted by the opposition and prejudice, Runme and Run Run persevered to carve out a market share for themselves. By 1927, they began operating their own cinema in Tanjong Pagar so as to show their films. The makeshift timber cinema, known as The Empire, was leased to the Shaw brothers at a monthly rent of S$2,000, a large amount by today's value.

The first film shown at The Empire was a Chinese theatre play, called "Romance of the Opera", produced by Runme's own company. White cloth hung from the ceiling served as the projection screen for the cinema, where the audience sat on hard wooden benches and chairs. During screening, musicians, usually pianists, were hired to accompany the action, and this was meant more to mask the noise from projectors and the audience than to provide the sound effect. Only two evening shows were screened per day. Despite this, the theatre attracted crowds with its offering of Chinese movies.

Expansion into Malaya


As profits grew, Runme ventured into Malaya in the 1920s and 1930s, with Run Run taking charge of business in Singapore. He travelled to small towns and major cities, including Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Ipoh, to distribute and show his films. Ipoh was chosen as his base in Malaya, from where smaller towns could be explored for business potential.

Many of the small towns in Malaya did not have cinemas. One of the ways the Shaw brothers would test the market was to set their own temporary cinemas in open fields. Another means was to retrofit local Malay opera houses into cinemas, by entering into joint ventures with the local owners. Wherever their films proved very popular, the Shaw brothers would build a permanent theatre. In more rural areas, mobile cinemas were operated.

In setting up cinemas throughout Malaya, the Shaw brothers usually bought more land than was needed around the theatres. These were Runme's first real estate ventures, as he reasoned correctly that a successful cinema would benefit surrounding businesses thereby raising land value. With the growing of cinemas in Malaya, the Shaw brothers split their duties, with Runme eventually taking charge of northern Malaya while Run Run the southern half, which included Singapore.

Expansion in the pre-war years


Although the Great Depression of the late 1920s affected their business, it recovered sufficiently for the Shaw brothers to buy over more movie theatres. By 1939, the Shaws operated a chain of 139 cinemas across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Indochina. All the cinemas were managed under Malayan Theatres Limited, a subsidiary of Shaw Brothers Limited. In Singapore, the Shaw brothers expanded The Empire and moved to a brick building, the Alhambra, on . The Alhambra was the first Singapore cinema to have air conditioning and played films like Errol Flynn's .

The Shaw brothers not only made their own movies, but also imported foreign ones which Runme brought in the early 1930s. Runme attributed the success of the Shaw brothers' film business to hard work and consumer foresight, knowing the public's taste in films and what appealed to them.

Besides the film industry, the Shaw brothers also expanded into the business of amusement parks, first in Singapore, then in Malaya. These were modelled after the ones in Shanghai where they were popular with the locals. They acquired and operated two of the three amusement parks in Singapore — New World Amusement Park at Jalan Besar and Great World Amusement Park at River Valley — from the mid-1930s to the 1980s. The Shaw brothers also started amusement parks in major cities in Malaya like Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh.

Japanese Occupation


In 1942, the beginning of the Japanese Occupation of Singapore put an immediate stop to all the Shaw brothers' cinema and amusement park shows. Runme and Run Run had planned to leave for Australia with their families, but their plans were dashed when a quota based on age was enforced on young men leaving the country which Run Run did not qualify. Leaving their respective homes, the families of Runme and Run Run moved in to the newly built Shaw villa at Queen Astrid Park in December 1941.

With the surrender of the British forces to the Japanese in 1942, the Shaw brothers and their families fled from their home at Queen Astrid. The Imperial Japanese Army wanted Runme to produce and distribute propaganda films. Despite his attempts to hide, Runme was eventually captured by the Japanese. All Shaw cinemas were immediately seized by the Japanese propaganda body known as the Bunka Eiga Gekijio and the Shaw brothers interrogated. Runme was paid 350 each month to run the films during World War II, and he continued to supervise the operation of theatres in Singapore and Malaysia. The Shaw brothers were also allowed to reopen their amusement parks to the public.

After the Japanese occupation, the Shaw brothers returned to their movie business. With the impending invasion of Singapore, the Shaw brothers converted their assets into gold, jewellery and cash, and buried them in their back garden. After the war, Runme dug these up, and rebuilt his theatres and re-started his movie business.

Post-war years


The movie industry thrived after the end of World War II, and Runme saw his company's profits multiply. By 1965, the Shaw brothers owned 19 cinema halls in Singapore. There were also 30 independent halls in Singapore contracted to play only Shaw's distributed films. The Shaw brothers had the widest cinema network in Singapore. They also expanded rapidly into the region, and had a chain of more than 150 cinemas and 6 amusement parks in both Malaya and Singapore.

From the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, Runme became famous for bringing kung-fu films to cinemas in Singapore. By 1988, the company was reorganised under the of The Shaw Organisation Pte Ltd. Besides movies, the Shaw brothers had also diversified into various commercial and residential property developments, and have more than 15 subsidiaries operating office blocks, apartment buildings, shopping arcades, hotels, amusement centres and multiplexes.

Other appointments


Runme Shaw also served on the boards of several government bodies and corporations, besides his own Shaw Organisation group of companies.

Runme was the chairman of the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board from 1969 to 1976. During his tenure, Runme revamped the running of the board, added more staff and input, and opened tourist offices abroad in countries such as Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and United States.

His success in turning the Board around prompted an offer for Runme to run as chairman for the Singapore Turf Club which he accepted. He was also a at Fraser and Neave, presidents of St. John Ambulance Brigade and Alliance Francaise, and served at the Bank of Singapore, Bukit Timah Saddle Club, National St. John Council and the .

Runme was a patron of the National Kidney Foundation, Metropolitan YMCA, Singapore Association for Mental Health, Singapore National Heart Association, St. John's Council, Society for Aid to the Paralysed, Diabetic Society of Singapore and the Singapore Academy of Medicine.

Philanthropist


Runme Shaw set up the Shaw Foundation in 1958. The 's main purpose was to "return" his company's profits to society.

The Shaw Foundation donated millions of dollars to many charitable organisations and causes. Many of the beneficiaries were schools, such as Maris Stella High School and the Anglo-Chinese School, where a part of its buildings are now named after the Shaw Foundation. As the chairman of the Singapore Turf Club for 19 years, Runme instituted the club's charitable use of funds for medical research and charitable purposes.

Personal life


Runme Shaw was to Peggy, and had two sons and four daughters .

Honours


For his contributions to the society, Runme Shaw received numerous awards including the Panglima Mangku Negara by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia. This award gave him the title Tan Sri, an honorific which is the second most senior in the system of Malay titles. Among his many honours, Runme Shaw also received a from the Singapore Government and a Doctor of Letters awarded by the National University of Singapore.

Death


On 1 September 1982, in Singapore, Runme Shaw fell accidentally. Although he was able to walk home, he soon thereafter collapsed and went into a coma for two and a half years. On March 2, 1985, Runme Shaw died at the age of 84.

Runje Shaw

Runje Shaw was the eldest of the Shaw brothers . Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China, he was one of six sons of Shanghai textile merchant Shaw Yuh Hsuen , Shaw was originally a lawyer and worked for firms like Hsin Hwa Foreign Firm, the prestigious Chinese-French Chen Ye Bank. His entrepreneurial success included a venture in the Huayou Egg Factory.

Shaw later enter the film business and became a film director, producer and writer. Unlike his younger brothers, he never left China. In 1934 he established Unique studio in Hong Kong and remained studio boss until 1937.

Shaw was married three times, once to Unique’s starlet Chan Yoke-mui.

Filmography



His works included:

Reunion
Flying General
Incident In The Pacific
Deadly Rose
Compassion
Fisherman's Girl
Love And Morality
Monster Of The Secret Chamber
My Friend, The Ghost
Patriotic Woman
Woman Of Guangzhou
Burning Of The Efang Palace
Butterfly Lovers, Part One
Butterfly Lovers, Part Two
Country Bumpkin Tours The City, Part Three
Country Bumpkin Tours The City
Country Bumpkin Tours The City, The Sequel
Life
Nocturnal Morning
Unworthy Of Love
Mourning Of The Chaste Tree Flower
Platinum Dragon
Nightclub Colours
Humanities
Lady Mengjiang
Love Eternal
Heroine Li Feifei
New Leaf
Duel Between Monkey King And Gold-Spotted Leopard

Run Run Shaw

Sir Run Run Shaw , is a Hong Kong media mogul.

Overview


Sir Run Run Shaw was born in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China and raised in mainland China, but received his education in -run schools. He is one of the six sons of Shanghai textile merchant Shaw Yuh Hsuen .

At age 19, during his summer vacation, he followed his third elder brother Run Me Shaw to Singapore to start a film market and establish Shaw Organisation. Following that, he developed a deep interest in the movie business.
He and his brother founded the South Seas Film studio in 1930, which later became Shaw Studios. In 1967, he launched in Hong Kong, growing it into a multi-billion dollar TV empire ranking today as one of the top 5 television producers in the world.

His wife died at age 85 in 1987.

Shaw Studios stopped filming in the same year. He remarried in in 1997 to Mona Shaw .

In 2000, through his company, Shaw Brothers Limited, he sold his unique library of 760 classic titles to Celestial Pictures Limited. His name is credited even in western movies which he has backed, such as in Blade Runner under the The Ladd Company logo.

Continuing to show perseverance, Shaw Studios entered a new era with Run Run Shaw's majority investment in the US$180 million Hong Kong Movie City project, a studio and production facility. The facility features one of the largest, fully air-conditioned and sound and vibration-insulated soundstages in Asia, a full-service color lab and digital imaging facility, over 20 sound and editing suites, a 400-seat dubbing and screening theatre, executive and production office space, banqueting facilities, and visual effects and animation capabilities. This facility serves as the center-piece of Shaw Studios and indeed the whole Chinese film industry as a whole moving forward.



Sir Run Run Shaw holds significant other business interests around the world. His construction of the 23-story Shaw Tower at Cathedral Place located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is just one example of his real estate interests.

Over the years, he has donated billions of dollars to charity, schools and hospitals. His name is on many buildings in Hong Kong and China mainland due to his generous donations. The fourth constituent college of the collegiate Chinese University of Hong Kong is also named after Sir Run Run, whose patronage made the establishment of the college possible.

He donated $100 million Hong Kong Dollars for disaster relief after the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.

Awards


In 1974, he was awarded the . He received his in 1977 and the Grand Bauhinia Medal from the Hong Kong Special Administration government in 1998.

The Shaw Prize


He recently established an international award, the Shaw Prize, for scientists in three areas of research, namely astronomy, mathematics, and and medical science. The award is up to 1 million. The press called it the "Nobel Prize of the East". The first prize was awarded in 2004.

Children


Shaw's eldest son, Dr. Shaw Vee Meng, is head of the Shaw Foundation in Singapore. Shaw graduated as a barrister-at-law at Gray's Inn, London. He has been in the family's movie business and heads a number of academic and charitable organizations.

Shaw's daughter, Violet, lives in Hawaii and is married to Former Morgan Stanley Executive Director Paul Loo.

Ren Mei'e

Ren Mei'e , was a famous Chinese expert on geophysical and coastal science. He was the modern founder of these subjects in China.

Ren was born in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province in 8th Sep 1913.

In 1934 Ren graduated from Central University , Nanjing.

In 1939 Ren received his doctorate from University of Glasgow, Scotland.

He was the professor of Nanjing University in Jiangsu Province.

During his late years, he was the honorary chairman of Chinese Geographical Society and the honorary chairman of China Society for Oceanography.

Ren was selected to be an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980.