Yang Shouzheng (Chinese: 杨守正; June 1915 - August 29, 2012), also known as Tian Chong and Tian Dacong, was a Chinese diplomat, educator, and academic. He served as Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and the Soviet Union, and later became a professor at Renmin University of China.

Yang Shouzheng
Chinese: 杨守正
Ambassador of China to the Soviet Union
In office
April 1980  January 1985
Preceded byWang Youping
Succeeded byLi Zewang
Ambassador of China to Mozambique
In office
November 1977  January 1980
Preceded byLin Zhong
Succeeded byWang Jinchuan
Ambassador of China to Ethiopia
In office
December 1974  July 1977
Preceded byYu Peiwen
Succeeded byWang Jinchuan
Ambassador of China to Sudan
In office
April 1970  April 1974
Preceded byYu Peiwen
Succeeded byZhang Yue
Ambassador of China to Somalia
In office
September 1964  March 1970
Preceded byZhang Yue
Succeeded byFan Zuokai
Personal details
BornJune 1915 (age 111)
Shangyu, Zhejiang, China
OccupationDiplomat, academic

Biography

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Yang was born in Xietang, Shangyu, Zhejiang. In 1935, he enrolled at the affiliated secondary school of the YMCA in Shanghai and later entered the College of Agriculture of Peking University. During his university years, he participated in the December 9th Movement student demonstrations. In 1937, he transferred to the National Xi'an Temporary University and joined the National Liberation Vanguard Corps. In 1938, he joined the Chinese Communist Party and subsequently studied at the Shaanbei Public School.[1]

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Yang served in political and educational positions within the Eighth Route Army, including appointments in the 120th Division and the 359th Brigade. He successively held posts as political instructor, deputy director of political departments, and acting director of political affairs. He later served in regional administrative and military political roles and became president of Jilin Industrial College.[2]

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Yang held a number of industrial and planning positions, including director of design divisions under the Northeast Industrial Ministry and the Ministry of Heavy Industry. He later became deputy director of the Design and Planning Bureau under the State Planning Commission and director of the Standards and Quotas Bureau of the State Construction Commission. He also served as head of Liaoning's chemical and petroleum administration and deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Communist Party Committee of Liaoning. Beginning in 1964, Yang entered the diplomatic service and successively served as Ambassador of China to Somalia (1964–1970), Sudan (1970–1974), Ethiopia (1974–1977), Mozambique (1977–1980), and the Soviet Union (1980–1985).[3][4]

Following his retirement from diplomatic service in 1985, Yang became a professor in the Department of Economics at Renmin University of China. He also served as an adjunct professor at the China Foreign Affairs University and the PLA University of Foreign Languages.[5] Yang Shouzheng died in Beijing on August 29, 2012, at the age of 97.[6]

References

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  1. 中囯人名大辞典 (in Chinese). 上海辞书出版社. 1990. p. 684. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  2. 五星红旗下的大使们 (in Chinese). 江苏人民出版社. 1993. p. 97. ISBN 978-7-214-01138-1. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  3. 浙江省志丛书: 外亊志 (in Chinese). 中国书籍出版社. 1995. p. 748. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  4. Bartke, Wolfgang (1999). 新中国外交50年 (in Chinese). 北京出版社. p. 692. ISBN 978-7-200-03772-2. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  5. "中国农业大学校友网 百年人物 杨守正". xyh.cau.edu.cn. Retrieved 14 June 2026.
  6. 陈秋强; 丁志强 (2012-09-08). "智者虽逝,风范长存". 上虞日报 (in Chinese (China)).