Zeng Zhaolun (; 25 May 1899 – 8 December 1967), also known as Chao-Lun Tseng, was a Chinese chemist and politician who served as vice-minister of Education after the establishment of the Communist State in the 1950s. He was an academician of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

(CAS).

Biography

Zeng was born in Heye,

Shuangfeng County Shuangfeng County () is a county in Hunan Province, China. It is under the administration of Loudi prefecture-level City. Located on the east central part of the province, it is adjacent to the southeast of the city proper of Loudi. The county i ...

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 ...

, on January 27, 1909. His great-grandfather was the second younger brother of

Zeng Guofan Zeng Guofan, Marquis Yiyong (; 26 November 1811 – 12 March 1872), birth name Zeng Zicheng, courtesy name Bohan (), was a Chinese statesman and military general of the late Qing dynasty. He is best known for raising and organizing the Xiang ...

and a general in the

Qing Empire The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. His father Zeng Guangzuo () was an official in the Qing Empire. His mother Chen Jiying () was the daughter of Hunan Provincial Governor Chen Baozhen and the aunt of

Chen Yinke Chen Yinke, or Chen Yinque (3 July 18907 October 1969), was a Chinese historian, linguist, orientalist, politician, and writer. He was a fellow of Academia Sinica, considered one of the most original and creative historians in 20th century Chin ...

. Zeng had seven brothers and sisters. His eldest brother Zeng Zhaocheng () graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. His younger brother Zeng Zhaojie () graduated from the

Great China University Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...

. His younger sister

Zeng Zhaoyu Zeng Zhaoyu (; 27 January 1909 – 22 December 1964), also known as Tseng Chao-yu in English, was a Chinese archaeologist, museologist, and politician who served as president of Nanjing Museum between 1955 and 1964. She was a member of the 2nd ...

graduated from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

and was an archaeologist and museologist. After graduating from

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Constructio ...

in 1920, he pursued graduate studies at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

in the United States. After returning to China, he taught at the

National Central University National Central University (; abbreviated NCU; ) is a public research university based in Taiwan. It was founded in 1902 in Nanjing; initially located in Miaoli after moving to Taiwan, it relocated to Zhongli in 1962 and developed into a com ...

. In 1931 he became a professor at

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 the summer of 1946,

Wu Ta-You Wu Ta-You () (27 September 1907 – 4 March 2000) was a Chinese physicist and writer who worked in the United States, Canada, mainland China and Taiwan. He has been called the Father of Chinese Physics. Early life and education Wu was born i ...

, Zeng Zhaolun and

Hua Luogeng Hua Luogeng or Hua Loo-Keng (; 12 November 1910 – 12 June 1985) was a Chinese mathematician and politician famous for his important contributions to number theory and for his role as the leader of mathematics research and education in the Peop ...

visited the United States to inspect the manufacturing process of the

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear expl ...

. After the defeat of the Nationalists by the Communists in

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

in 1949, he chose to stay in mainland China. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zeng was appointed Vice Minister of Education. In 1957, Zeng was labeled as a rightist during the

Anti-Rightist Campaign The Anti-Rightist Campaign () in the People's Republic of China, which lasted from 1957 to roughly 1959, was a political campaign to purge alleged " Rightists" within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the country as a whole. The campaign w ...

. In March 1958, he was transferred to

Wuhan University Wuhan University (WHU; 武汉大学) is a key comprehensive public university in Wuhan, Hubei, China. It is directly affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Education of China. The un ...

as a teacher. When the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

began in 1966, Zeng was persecuted as one of "Zeng Guofan's descendants". On August 25, 1966, his wife Yu Dayin () committed suicide after being beaten and humiliated. On December 8, 1967, Zeng died of cancer at home.

Personal life

Zeng's wife Yu Dayin () was a professor at the Department of English,

, who was murdered by students during the Cultural Revolution.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeng, Zhaolun 1899 births 1967 deaths Chemists from Hunan Chinese expatriates in the United States Educators from Hunan Yali High School alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Academic staff of the National Central University Academic staff of Peking University People's Republic of China politicians from Hunan Politicians from Loudi Tsinghua University alumni Victims of the Anti-Rightist Campaign Victims of the Cultural Revolution Academic staff of Wuhan University