Weng Wenhao (; 26 July 1889 – 27 January 1971) was a Chinese

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. 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. From May to November 1948, Weng served as President of the

Executive Yuan The Executive Yuan () is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Its leader is the Premier, who is appointed by the President of the Republic of China, and requires confirmation by the Legislative Yuan. ...

(Premier) of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

Life

Early years

Former Residence of Weng Wenhao 04 2012-09

He was born in 1889 in

Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese noblewoman, concubine and later regent who effectively controlled ...

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Ji ...

in late

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

, and his

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...

was Yongni (咏霓). His father was a local businessman. In 1902, he earned the

xiucai The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

degree in the

Imperial Examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

at the age of only 13 He later studied at a French Catholic school in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

. He obtained his Doctor's degree on geology from the

Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (french: Université de Louvain, link=no; nl, Universiteit Leuven, link=no) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of L ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, in 1912. He was the first Chinese person to hold a western Doctor's degree in geology.

ROC period

After returning to China in 1912, Weng served as Minister of Mine Industry and Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, in the

Beiyang Government The Beiyang government (), officially the Republic of China (), sometimes spelled Peiyang Government, refers to the government of the Republic of China which sat in its capital Peking (Beijing) between 1912 and 1928. It was internationally ...

. He was a professor (and director from 1914) of the National Research Institute of Geography. Together with

Ding Wenjiang Ding Wenjiang ( Chinese: 丁文江; March 20, 1887 – January 5, 1936), courtesy name Zaijun, was a Chinese essayist, geologist, and writer active especially in the Republic of China (1912–49). In his own time, his name was transcribed as eith ...

, he founded the new National Geological Survey. He was also a professor of geology in both

Beijing University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal chart ...

and

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbr. THU) is a national public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. The university is a member of the C9 League, Double First Class University Plan, Projec ...

. He once was the head of the Department of Geography, Tsinghua University. In July 1931, he was appointed acting president of Tsinghua University. In 1928, he assisted Canadian

paleoanthropologist Paleoanthropology or paleo-anthropology is a branch of paleontology and anthropology which seeks to understand the early development of anatomically modern humans, a process known as hominization, through the reconstruction of evolutionary kinsh ...

Davidson Black in the establishment of the

Cenozoic Research Laboratory The Cenozoic Research Laboratory () of the Geological Survey of China was established within the Peking Union Medical College in 1928 in archaeology, 1928 by Canadians, Canadian paleoanthropologist Davidson Black and China, Chinese geologists Ding W ...

for the research and appraisal of

Peking Man Peking Man (''Homo erectus pekinensis'') is a subspecies of '' H. erectus'' which inhabited the Zhoukoudian Cave of northern China during the Middle Pleistocene. The first fossil, a tooth, was discovered in 1921, and the Zhoukoudian Cave has s ...

fossils unearthed at

Zhoukoudian Zhoukoudian Area () is a town and an area located on the east Fangshan District, Beijing, China. It borders Nanjiao and Fozizhuang Townships to its north, Xiangyang, Chengguan and Yingfeng Subdistricts to its east, Shilou and Hangcunhe Towns t ...

. During the period of Central (Provisional) Military Government of the Republic of China, he served in the central government as the General Secretary of the

(13 December 1935 – 9 September 1937); the Minister of Industry (until 1 January 1938), Minister of Education (28 October 1932 – 21 April 1933), and the Minister of Economy (1 January 1938 – 1947). Invited by

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

, he served as the first president of the

of Nationalist Government (capital

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Map Romanization, alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and t ...

) (25 May 1948 – 26 November 1948). In March 1948, he was elected a founding member of

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging fro ...

People's Republic of China

After the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on main ...

, he moved to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

and served in the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

(CPPCC) with his longtime associate Qian Changzhao. During the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

, he was specially protected by

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman M ...

. In 1971, he died in

Academic achievements & activities

* One of the founders of modern Chinese geography; * Set up modern Chinese oil industry; * Studies of the

; * Studies of

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

in China.

Family

He had four sons, the eldest one named Weng Xinyuan (翁心源), was a famous petroleum engineer who was killed in

, the second oldest one named Weng Xinhan (翁心翰) was a

Chinese Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...

pilot, and veteran of the ''Battle of Sichuan'', who was killed later in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific T ...

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.徐 (Xú), 2016, pp. 612-613. 翁烈士心翰 ~ 1944年9月16日，浙江省鄞县人，生于1917年3月15日。在空军军官学校第八期毕业。历任空军第三大队第七队队员，第七中队飞行员及第八中队飞行员，分队长，空军第十一大队第四十四，第四十二中队分队长及第四十一中队副队长，升至上尉二级。1944年9月16日，第十一大队P-40机12架，自湖南芷江起飞，侦察广西桂林与安间敌军情况并相机攻击，因天气恶劣，钻云航进，4架失去联络，中途返航。其余8机达成任务，返航时，天气仍恶劣，烈士机迷航，油尽，迫降贵州三穗县境，重伤殉职。生前有战绩八次。奉颁乙种一等楷模奖章，三等宣威奖章。追赠少校。遗妻周氏。 The founder of Chinese modern geophysics - Weng Wenbo ( 翁文波), an academician of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...

, is his cousin. Weng Xinzhi ( 翁心植), academician of

Chinese Academy of Engineering The Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE, ) is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for engineering. It was established in 1994 and is an institution of the State Council of China. The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences ...

, is his nephew.

Major works

* ''Studies of Earthquakes in Gansu Procince'' (《甘肃地震考》) * ''A Brief Record of Minerals in China'' (《中国矿产志略》) * ''Literary Collection of Zhuizhi'' (《椎指集》) * ''Mourn for Mr. Ding Zai-Jun'' (《追悼丁在君先生》) * ''Earthquake'' (《地震》) * ''Quadrumana Fossils in China'' (《中国灵长类动物化石》) * ''The First Record on Chinese Mine Industry'' (《第一次中国矿业纪要》) * ''Paleozoic Plant Fossils in the Middle Part of Shanxi Province'' (《山西中部古生代植物化石》) * ''An Elementary Introduction to Earthquake'' (《地震浅说》) * ''Lectures on Geology'' (《地质学讲义》)

References

Bibliography * 徐 (Xú), 露梅 (Lùméi). ''隕落 (Fallen): 682位空军英烈的生死档案 - 抗战空军英烈档案大解密 (A Decryption of 682 Air Force Heroes of The War of Resistance-WWII and Their Martyrdom)''. 东城区, 北京，中国: 团结出版社, 2016. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Weng, Wenhao 1889 births 1971 deaths 20th-century Chinese heads of government Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni 20th-century Chinese geologists Economic Affairs Ministers of the Republic of China Educators from Ningbo Fu Jen Catholic University faculty Members of Academia Sinica People's Republic of China politicians from Zhejiang Politicians from Ningbo Premiers of the Republic of China Republic of China politicians from Zhejiang Scientists from Ningbo