Zhou Ziqi - Biography

Biography

He was born in Guangzhou and spoke both Cantonese and Mandarin but he later moved back to his ancestral province of Shandong. He received higher education in the United States at Columbia University. Upon returning to China, he founded Tsinghua University for the purpose of preparing students (in English and science and math) to study in America, while he was in charge of sending students to study in America. He also served as president of the university in 1911.

As the governor of Shandong Province, he supported Yuan Shikai to reverse China from a (people-governing) republic to an empire (monarch) because he believed that the Chinese people, with 98% illiteracy, were not ready to govern themselves. They could only be manipulated by politicians and bring instability and chaos to the country. He later held the following positions: President of Bank of China, Minister of Communication, Minister of Military, Minister of Finance, Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, and the Inspector General of Salt.

He helped leak information about Twenty-One Demands of the Empire of Japan to the media. Zhou may have invited Columbia University political scientist Frank Johnson Goodnow to justify monarchism for China.

During Yuan's monarchic attempt, he was sent to Japan as a special envoy. The Japanese government under Okuma Shigenobu rejected him and he returned to tell Yuan that his government lost foreign support. In 1916, Zhou fled to Japan after President Li Yuanhong ordered the arrest of Yuan's eight top monarchists. He returned to China after the charges were dropped in February 1918.

1915 He initiated a National Day for Planting Trees, which is carried on until this day in Taiwan (they only changed the day he designated from Qingming to the date of death of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, March 12); 1916 He was wanted as the "traitor of the Republic" for supporting Yuan Shikai's monarchy and took asylum in Japan; 1918 He was pardoned by President Feng Guozhang 1920 He was appointed as the Minister of Finance

As Xu Shichang's finance minister, he lost in a power struggle against Premier Jin Yunpeng in 1921 and was compelled to resign. Seeking revenge, he convinced Zhang Zuolin to replace Jin with Liang Shiyi, the head of the civilian Communications Clique. He later served as acting premier and acting president briefly in 1922 after Xu resigned. His presidency, the shortest in Chinese history, was interim as the Zhili clique tried to woo Li Yuanhong back into office. Complaining of Zhili interference, he left for the US to study film-making and returned to China to start a studio. He died the following year.

His surviving wife was beheaded by Red Guards at her Beijing home during the Cultural Revolution. Her fourth daughter was forced to witness the scene and lost her mind.

Political offices
Preceded by
Xu Shichang
President of the Republic of China
1922
Succeeded by
Li Yuanhong
Preceded by
Yan Huiqing
Premier of the Republic of China
1922
Succeeded by
Yan Huiqing
Presidents of the Republic of China
Provisional Government
  • Sun Yat-sen
  • Yuan Shikai


Beiyang Government
  • Yuan Shikai
  • Li Yuanhong
  • Feng Guozhang
  • Xu Shichang
  • Zhou Ziqi
  • Li Yuanhong
  • Gao Lingwei
  • Cao Kun
  • Huang Fu
  • Hu Weide
  • Yan Huiqing
  • Du Xigui
  • Gu Weijun
Nationalist Government
  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Lin Sen
  • Chiang Kai-shek
Constitutional Government
  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Li Zongren
  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Yen Chia-kan
  • Chiang Ching-kuo
  • Lee Teng-hui
  • Chen Shui-bian
  • Ma Ying-jeou
Italics indicates acting President
Heads of government of the Republic of China
Premiers of Cabinet
  • Tang Shaoyi
  • Lou Tseng-Tsiang
  • Zhao Bingjun
  • Duan Qirui*
  • Xiong Xiling
  • Sun Baoqi*


Secretaries of State
  • Xu Shichang
  • Lou Tseng-Tsiang*
Premiers of State Council
  • Duan Qirui
  • Wu Tingfang*
  • Li Jingxi
Prime Minister of Restored
Qing Imperial Government
  • Zhang Xun
Premiers of State Council
  • Duan Qirui
  • Wang Daxie*
  • Wang Shizhen*
  • Qian Nengxun*
  • Gong Xinzhan*
  • Jin Yunpeng
  • Sa Zhenbing
  • Yan Huiqing*
  • Liang Shiyi
  • Zhou Ziqi*
  • Wang Chonghui*
  • Wang Zhengting*
  • Zhang Shaozeng
  • Gao Lingwei
  • Sun Baoqi
  • Wellington Koo Vi-kyuin*
  • Huang Fu*
  • Xu Shiying
  • Jia Deyao*
  • Hu Weide*
  • Du Xigui*
  • Pan Fu
Presidents of Executive Yuan
  • Tan Yankai
  • T. V. Soong Tse-ven
  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Chen Mingshu
  • Sun Fo
  • Wang Jingwei
  • H. H. Kung Hsiang-hsi
  • Chang Ch'ün
  • Weng Wenhao
  • Sun Fo
  • He Yingqin
  • Yan Xishan
  • Chen Cheng
  • Yu Hung-Chun
  • Yen Chia-kan
  • Chiang Ching-kuo
  • Sun Yun-suan
  • Yu Kuo-hwa
  • Lee Huan
  • Hau Pei-tsun
  • Lien Chan
  • Vincent Siew Wan-chang
  • Tang Fei
  • Chang Chun-hsiung
  • Yu Shyi-kun
  • Frank Hsieh Chang-ting
  • Su Tseng-chang
  • Liu Chao-shiuan
  • Wu Den-yih
  • Sean Chen Chun
Warlord era in early Republic of China (1916–1930)
Main events (1916–1920) Main events (1920–1930) Northern Factions Southern Factions

Empire of China (1915–1916)
National Protection War (1915–1916)
Death of Yuan Shikai (1916)
Manchu Restoration (1917)
Constitutional Protection Movement (1917–1922)
Siberian Intervention (1918–1920)
Paris Peace Conference (1919)
May Fourth Movement (1919)
Occupation of Mongolia (1919–1921)

Zhili–Anhui War (1920)
Guangdong–Guangxi War (1920–1921)
First Zhili–Fengtian War (1922)
Second Zhili–Fengtian War (1924)
Beijing coup (1924)
Yunnan–Guangxi War (1925)
May 30 Movement (1925)
Anti–Fengtian War (1925–1926)
Northern Expedition (1926–1928)
Jinan Incident (1928) Huánggūtun Incident (1928)
Flag Replacement of the Northeast (1928)
Sino-Soviet conflict (1929) Central Plains War (1930)

Beiyang Army:
Yuan Shikai
Anhui clique
Zhili clique
Regional:
Fengtian clique
Shanxi clique
Guominjun
Ma clique
Xinjiang clique

Yunnan clique
Old Guangxi clique
New Guangxi clique
Guangdong clique
Kuomintang (KMT)
Communist Party of China (CPC)
Sichuan clique

Persondata
Name Zhou, Ziqi
Alternative names
Short description Chinese politician
Date of birth 1871
Place of birth
Date of death 1923
Place of death


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