Cheng Tien-fong

Cheng's ancestral hometown was Xinjian County, Jiangxi Province. Cheng was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in 1899 in the late Qing Dynasty. Cheng's birth name was Xueyu (学愉).

Cheng entered Hongdo Middle School (洪都 中学 Hóng-dōu zhōng-xué) in 1912, but soon was transferred into Xinyuan Middle School (心远中学 Xīn-yuǎn zhōng-xué). In 1917, Cheng entered Fudan Public School (复旦 公学 Fù-dàn gōng-xué; later and currently Fudan University) in Shanghai. In 1919, Cheng graduated from Fudan University. Cheng was a famous student leader of May Fourth Movement, and was elected the president of Shanghai Students' Union.

In 1920, Cheng went to study in USA. In 1922, Cheng graduated with an MA in politics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In 1926, Cheng obtained PhD in politics from the University of Toronto. Cheng was the editor-in-chief of a Canadian Chinese newspaper.

Cheng went back to China and was a lecturer at Fudan University. In 1930, Cheng was the acting Chairman, equivalent to the current Governor, of Anhui Province. In 1932, Cheng was the President of Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. From 1935 to 1938, Cheng was the ambassador of China to Germany (as the first ambassador from the Republic of China to Germany in history). From 1939 to 1943, Cheng was the President of National Sichuan University (currently Sichuan University) in Chengdu. Cheng was a representative of China to UNESCO.

In 1950, Cheng went to Taiwan. From 1950 to 1954, Cheng was the Minister of Education of Taiwan. From 1958 to 1967, Cheng was the Vice-president of Examination Yuan. On 29 November 1967, Cheng died in New York City, United States.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tien-Fong Cheng.

• Tien-Fong Cheng's biography (Hudong.com)
• Nanchang News Short biography of Tien-Fong Cheng
• Encyclopædia Britannica Online: Ch'eng T'ien-fang