Cheng Shewo (; 28 August 18981 January 1991) was a journalist, publisher, and educator of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. He was the founder of Shih Hsin University in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Biography

Cheng was born in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

in 1898, with his

ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...

Xiangxiang Xiangxiang () is a county-level city under the administration of Xiangtan, Hunan province, China. Located on Central Hunan and the west of Xiangtan, Xiangxiang is bordered by Ningxiang County and Shaoshan City to the north, Xiangtan County to th ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

. His father, Cheng Bi (), was an officer. In 1912, Cheng went out into the world when he was 14 years old. At age 17, Cheng worked as an editor in ''Jianbao'' (). In 1913, Cheng started to publish articles. In 1915, Cheng went to

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

to found the Maiwen Company (). In 1917, Cheng moved to

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, he graduated from

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

in 1921, where he majored in

Chinese Literature The history of Chinese literature extends thousands of years, and begins with the earliest recorded inscriptions, court archives, building to the major works of philosophy and history written during the Axial Age. The Han dynasty, Han (202 ...

. After graduation, Cheng founded ''World Evening News'' (), ''World Daily'' (), and ''World Illustrated'' (). In 1927, Cheng returned to Nanjing to found ''

Min Sheng Bao ''Min Sheng Bao'' ( zh, c=民生報, p=Mínshēng Bào, poj=Bîn-seng-pò, l=The People's Welfare Daily) was a tabloid newspaper based in Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography ...

'' (). From 1930 to 1931, Cheng visited

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. In this trip Cheng observed modern European societies and cultures for the first time. In 1933, Cheng founded Beijing News College (). In 1935, Cheng founded ''Lihpao Daily'' (). Cheng was elected a member of the in 1946 and to the

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...

, representing Beijing, in 1948. When the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

occupied Beijing, Cheng escaped to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. Cheng settled in

in 1952. In the late 1950s, Cheng Shewo and

Yeh Ming-hsun Yeh Ming-hsun (25September 191321November 2009), was a Chinese journalist and newspaper editor. A native of Fujian Province on the Chinese mainland, he became president of ''Chunghwa Daily'', a newspaper belonging to the ruling Kuomintang, in 195 ...

co-founded the Shih Hsin School of Journalism (now Shih Hsin University) in Taiwan. In 1991, Cheng died of illness in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Personal life

Cheng was married three times. He had two children (two daughters) with Yang Fan, three children with Xiao Zongrang () and no children with Han Jingliang (). With Yang Fan: * Cheng Youshu () (1924–2021), a Chinese diplomat and poet. * Cheng Zhifan () (born 1928), a Chinese-French musician With Xiao Zongrang: * Cheng Siwei () (1935–2015), a Chinese politician * (), (born 1937), a Taiwanese educator * Lucie Cheng (), (1939–2010) a professor in Shih Hsin University

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheng, Shewo 1898 births People from Xiangxiang Writers from Nanjing National University of Peking alumni 1991 deaths Educators from Nanjing Chinese newspaper editors Academic staff of Shih Hsin University Taiwanese people from Jiangsu Members of the 1st Legislative Yuan Members of the 1st Legislative Yuan in Taiwan Republic of China politicians from Beijing School founders University and college founders Chinese Civil War refugees 20th-century newspaper founders 20th-century Taiwanese educators