Zeng Zhaoyu (; 27 January 1909 – 22 December 1964), also known as Tseng Chao-yu in English, was a

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

archaeologist, museologist, and politician who served as president of

Nanjing Museum The Nanjing Museum () is located in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu in East China. With an area of , it is one of the largest museums in China, with over 400,000 items in its permanent collection. Especially notable is the museum's enormous col ...

between 1955 and 1964. She was a member of the 2nd and 3rd National Committee of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

and a deputy to the

3rd National People's Congress The 3rd National People's Congress (NPC) was in session from 1964 to 1975. It held only one session in the ten years due to the disruption caused by the ongoing Cultural Revolution launched by Chairman Mao Zedong after 1966. Seat distribution ...

Biography

Zeng was born in Heye Town of

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 27 January 1909. Her 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 ...

. Her father Zeng Guangzuo () was an official in the Qing Empire. Her 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 ...

. She had seven brothers and sisters. Her 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 ...

. Her second elder brother Zeng Zhaolun graduated from

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 ...

and 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). Her third elder brother Zeng Zhaojie () graduated from the Great China University. In 1923 she attended the Yifang Girls' School in

Changsha Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...

, which was established by her third elder female cousin Zeng Baosun (). In 1929 she was accepted to 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 ...

, where she studied archaeology under Hu Xiaoshi (). In 1935, when she was a graduate student at the

University of Nanking The University of Nanking (金陵大學) was a private university in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, from 1888 to 1952. It was sponsored by American churches. Founded in 1888, the university effectively become defunct in 1952, following the 1952 reorg ...

, she went to 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 ...

to study archaeology at her own expense. After graduation, she interned at the National Museum of Germany. After returning to China, she was assigned to the Central Museum. After the defeat of the Nationalists by the Communists in the

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, she chose to stay in mainland China. In 1950, she was appointed Vice-president of the

. In 1951, during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, she donated all her savings to the Chinese government. In 1951, at the request of her superiors, she wrote an autobiography to proclaim her innocence. In December 1951, she was forced to work in the fields instead of working in the museum. In 1955, she was promoted to President of the Nanjing Museum. She joined the

Jiusan Society The Jiusan Society () is one of the eight minor so-called "Democratic parties (China), democratic parties" in the China, People's Republic of China under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party. The party's original name was "Democracy a ...

in 1956 and subsequently served as a representative in several political bodies and organisations. In March 1964, Zeng Zhaoyue was admitted to a sanatorium for recuperation due to depression. On 22 December 1964, she jumped from the pagoda of

Linggu Temple Linggu Temple () is a famous Buddhist temple in Nanjing. It is now surrounded by a large park. History The temple was first built in 515 during the Liang dynasty (502-557). It used to lie at the northeast foot of the Purple Mountain, i.e. whe ...

and died.

Selected bibliography

* * *

References

External links

List of Presidents of Nanjing Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeng, Zhaoyu 1909 births 1964 deaths Alumni of the University of London Chinese expatriates in England Chinese museologists Nanjing University alumni National Central University alumni People from Shuangfeng County Politicians from Loudi Suicides in the People's Republic of China Chinese women archaeologists People's Republic of China politicians from Hunan 20th-century Chinese archaeologists