Kong Xiangxi

Kong Xiangxi

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Kong Xiangxi

(September 11, 1880 August 16, 1967)

Mediocrity

, No

Ziyuan

He was born in Taigu County, Shanxi Province. His ancestral home is Qufu, Shandong Province. He was born into a family of businessmen and Confucians. He is the 75th grandson of Confucius.

He is also a banker and rich businessman. Kong Xiangxi's wife is song Ailing and his father-in-law is song Jiashu. Kong Xiangxi was related by marriage to Song Ziwen and Chiang Kai Shek. Kong Xiangxi was in charge of the national government finance for a long time. His main achievements included reforming China's currency system, building China's banking system, and increasing the state's control over the capital market. He died of a heart attack in New York on August 15, 1967.

Chronology

On September 11, 1880, Kong Xiangxi was born in chengjiazhuang, Taigu County, Shanxi Province. Two years later, her younger sister was born and named Xiangzhen. Kong Xiangxi is the 75th generation grandson of Confucius. In 1884 (the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), he began to read the Three Character Classic and the Analects of Confucius. 1886 (the 12th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty): his mother Pang died of illness. After that, he went with his father to Nanzhang village, Taigu County, where his grandfather lived, and studied in the private school founded by his father. Since then, he has read the classics and practiced calligraphy for four years. In 1889, the Christian missionary established a clinic to cure his illness. This changed his view of Western missionaries from fear to admiration and trust. From 1890 to 1893 (the 16th to 19th years of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), he studied in a primary school run by the Christian congregation and graduated with excellent grades. In 1894-1899 (the 20th-25th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), he was recommended by the Christian Church to study in Luhe academy, where he converted to Christianity and became a preacher. In June 1900 (the 26th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), after the Boxer Movement spread to Beijing, Luhe academy closed. Soon after returning to Taigu's hometown, Kong Xiangxi and the local foreign missionaries were trapped in the Evangelical Church. After being rescued, he hid in the Evangelical Church until the situation eased slightly, and then he rushed to Beijing to report the situation of Shanxi to the church. Immediately accompanied wenad back to Shanxi to deal with the local "teaching plan". He studied in the United States in 1901 and graduated from the Graduate School of Yale University. In 1908 (the 34th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty), he married Han Yumei, a classmate of Luhe Academy. In 1909-1910 (the first year of Xuantong in Qing Dynasty to the second year of Xuantong), Kong Xiangxi returned to his hometown and founded Mingxian school. At that time, he moved the school from Nanguan in Taigu County to Yu's garden in Dongguan. In addition to taking charge of Mingxian's school affairs and teaching concurrently, Kong also served as an instructor of Taigu County's commercial League and was employed as a consultant of Taigu County's police station. In October 1911 (the third year of Xuantong of Qing Dynasty), the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 was successful, and immediately Shanxi and other parts of the country responded one after another. Kong Xiangxi organized the students to fight in Niangziguan. As a result, Mingxian school closed for half a year. It was in autumn that his father Kong Fanci died. In 1912 (the first year of the Republic of China), Kong Xiangxi was sure that the business of kerosene was profitable, so he founded "Xiangji company" to sell British and American kerosene, and founded "Yuhua bank". At that time, his wife Han Yumei died of lung disease. After the failure of Yuan's "second revolution" in 1913-1914, Sun Yat Sen and other revolutionaries fled to Japan again. At that time, Kong Xiangxi also died in Japan and served as the director general of the Chinese YMCA in Tokyo. At the same time, he assisted Dr. Sun Yat sen in raising revolutionary funds. At this time, I met Ms. song ailing. In the spring of 1914, he married song Ailing in Yokohama, Japan. Song Ailing was 25 years old. In 1915-1921 (the fourth year of the Republic of China), he and his wife returned to Taigu, Shanxi Province. After returning home, they continue to run schools and do business at the same time. His wife, song ailing, not only does housework, but also teaches English at Mingxian school for a period of time. Soon, the eldest daughter Kong Lingyi was born. In the following six years, the eldest son Kong lingkan, the second daughter Kong Lingjun (also known as Kong Lingwei) and the second son Kong Lingjie were born one after another. At first, Kong Xiangxi was employed by Yan Xishan as a counsellor of the governor's office of Shanxi Province. At this time, Kong also organized a drug rehabilitation association to engage in drug rehabilitation activities. Later, when the May 4th Movement broke out, Kong Xiangxi made a speech to the whole school and decided to suspend classes for 10 days in order to organize students to participate in the support activities. At the same time, due to the severe drought in Shanxi Province, Kong Xiangxi borrowed $1 million from Huayang relief association, and agreed to build two highways in Western and Eastern Shanxi by way of work relief. As a result, Kong's fame rose. In March 1922, at the invitation of Wang Zhengting, he served as the director of industry of the "Jin case" rehabilitation supervision office, and later as the director of telephone of jiaoao commercial port. He returned to Jin in the spring of 1923, and was invited by Wang Zhengting to represent China and Russia in Fengtian in the autumn. In 1924, he went to Guangzhou to serve as the director of the financial department of the Guangdong revolutionary government. In 1927, he was Minister of Industry Department of Wuhan National Government. After that, he went to Nanjing to take refuge with Chiang Kai Shek and successively served as Minister of industry and commerce, Minister of finance, premier of the Kuomintang government, President of the central bank and President of the Bank of China. In 1939, recommended by Wang Zhengting, he was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee. Because of little interest in this, I have never participated in the activities of the International Olympic Committee. He was forced to leave his post in November 1944 and left the political arena. After joining the Chiang Kai Shek clique in April 1927, he promoted the marriage of Chiang Kai Shek and Song Meiling. From then on, he became the Minister of industry and commerce, industry and finance, vice president and President of the Executive Yuan. Kong has been in charge of Finance for 11 years, and has made certain contributions to currency reform, supporting the peaceful settlement of the Xi'an Incident and supporting the Anti Japanese war finance. However, Kong's abuse of power for personal gain and corruption have been repeatedly criticized by public opinion. He settled in the United States in 1948. He announced his resignation as a member of the International Olympic Committee in August 1955. He died in New York in 1967.

Life experience

Kong Xiangxi's ancestral home is Qufu, Shandong Province. His ancestor Kong Hongwen was an official in Taigu, Shanxi Province during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty. Since the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the Confucius family has not compiled genealogy, and their branch has not been included in the genealogy since Kong Wenmei. In the early years of the Republic of China, Kong Xiangxi passed by Jinan, Shandong Province, and met Kong Xiangmian, the eldest grandson of the eight prefectures who had a close blood relationship with Kong's family. He asked him to check the genealogy on his behalf. Through Kong Xiangxi's name of several generations, he found out that he belonged to the "Zhifang family" in the "60 families" of Kong's family. Kong Xiangxi was very happy when he learned of his identity as a Kong descendant. He rewarded Kong Xiangmian with a blueprint of Qingdao telephone machinery network designed by Germany. In the future, he often showed his identity as the 74 generation grandson of Confucius. In 1930, Kong Decheng, the revered official of Dacheng, presided over the compilation of the Confucian genealogy. Kong Xiangxi not only donated 1000 yuan, but also sent people to visit the Kong family. He occupies nearly six sides in the "zhifanghu" Genealogy in Volume 49 of the "Confucian Genealogy". In April 1937, Kong Xiangxi, as a "special envoy of China", went to London to attend the coronation ceremony of King George VI, and was received with unprecedented solemnity and courtesy by the British royal family. The Times published a cartoon of a big tree leaning against a mushroom. The description is the history of the British royal family. Compared with the Confucius family, it is like a mushroom to a tree.

Life

early years

The ancestors of the Kong family are from Qufu, Shandong Province. Their ancestors Kong Hong worked as an official in Shanxi Province during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. Later generations settled down in Shanxi Province to make a living in business. When Kong Qingxian, the grandfather of Kong Xiangxi, took over the bank run by his cousin Kong Xianren, he gradually became rich. Kong Xiangxi's father, Kong Fanci, was a Gongsheng. He once worked as a copywriter in a ticket office. His family gradually declined because of his bad habit of smoking opium. When Kong Xiangxi was five years old, he was taught by his mother Pang. When he was seven years old, his mother died. His father set up a private school in Zhangcun village, Taigu city. He studied with his father, thus laying the foundation of traditional Chinese culture. In 1889, Kong Xiangxi suffered from parotid rash, which was treated by traditional Chinese medicine without any effect. Later, he ulcerated and became a sore. He went to the clinic set up by Taigu front street Christian Church for treatment, and soon recovered. During his treatment, Kong was very familiar with the foreign doctors and nurses in the clinic. He visited churches, clinics, schools and other institutions set up by the church, leaving a deep impression on him. "He stayed by visiting, and then longed to be one of them.". In the spring of 1890, the Taigu evangelical primary school, run by the church, enrolled students. Kong Xiangxi asked to study in the school and got his father's approval. However, most of the people opposed it. They thought it was against the tradition of Kong's children reading "books of sages". After many arguments, they finally promised that they would only study in school and not believe in foreign religion. At the end of 1894, Kong graduated from primary school with excellent grades, but he didn't study the eight part essay making. In order to plan for the future, Kong Fanci supported his son to continue to study in the new school and take the road of seeking new knowledge. The next year, recommended by Wei Luyi, the teacher, he went to the Luhe academy, which was set up by the American axiomatic society in Tongzhou, Zhili (now Tongxian, Beijing). Confucius studied hard at school. Because he had a good foundation of Chinese culture, he could combine Confucianism with Christianity to enhance the effect of preaching when he accompanied the priests to preach outside the school. Mai Meide, a female missionary in Luhe, paid close attention to Kong you and led him to be baptized as a Christian. Influenced by the idea of "freedom and equality" publicized by the church, Confucius was dissatisfied with the autocratic corruption of the Qing government. After hearing Sun Yat Sen's revolutionary activities and the revolutionary purpose of the Xingzhong society, he was deeply inspired and inspired. In 1899, Li JinFang, a classmate of Kong he, secretly organized the "literary friends association" at school to contact his classmates to discuss new ideas. In 1900, the boxer anti imperialist Movement broke out, and the churches in various places were the first to bear the brunt. The Luhe Academy was also forced to suspend classes, and Kong Xiangxi was temporarily suspended

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