Admiral who survived the Sino-Japanese War to rebuild the Qing navy, acting Beiyang premier in 1920
Born in Fuzhou in 1859 to a Semu family of Qarluk origin settled there since the late Yuan, he studied at the Fuzhou Naval Academy and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. At Weihaiwei in 1895 he held an island fort against the Japanese and, as the only surviving captain, carried out the surrender. He became admiral-in-chief of the Qing fleets in 1905, but when sent against the Wuchang Uprising in 1911 he left his post on seeing his sailors' sympathies. As Beiyang navy minister he briefly acted as premier in 1920, and he was governor of Fujian from 1922 to 1926. He joined the Fujian People's Government in 1933, refused to leave for Taiwan in 1949, declared for the Communist Party, sat in the CPPCC and died in Fuzhou in 1952.
Also known as: Sah Chen-ping
Activities and affiliations
-
1905–1911
Qing dynasty state institutionsCommander-in-chief of the Qing navyMain
Military command -
1919–1921
Beiyang government and warlordsMinister of the Navy
Military command -
1920
Beiyang government and warlordsActing PremierHeads of state, government and party of China
Political and party leadership -
1922–1926
Beiyang government and warlordsGovernor of Fujian
Government and administration -
1949–1952
People’s Republic of China state institutionsMember of the CPPCC National Committee
Government and administration
Career Timeline
- 1869–1872Studied at the Fuzhou Naval Academy
- 1877–1880Studied at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich
- 1895Defended an island fort at Weihaiwei and carried out the surrender
- 1905Admiral-in-Chief of the Beiyang, Nanyang and Guangdong fleets
- 1910–1911.11.01Commander-in-chief of the Qing navy
- 1919–1921Minister of the Navy, Beiyang government
- 1920.07.02–08.09Acting Premier
- 1922–1926Governor of Fujian
- 1933Chairman of the Fujian provincial government under the Fujian People's Government
- 1949–1952Member of the CPPCC National Committee