Lian Yu

File:Lian Yu.jpg

Lian Yu ({{zh|c=廉隅|p=Lián Yú|w=Lien Yü}}; 1886 - 13 August 1972),Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, February 25, 1939, p.2.{{Cite web| author= Cai Shiru ({{lang|zh|蔡石如}}) |title = People and Affairs of Suzhou (蘇人蘇事)| url = https://www.tongxianghuicn.com/article/791419.jhtml |date=1972-11-16 |publisher = Jiangsu Literature ({{lang|zh|江蘇文獻}}) | url-status = live | access-date = February 8, 2025}} art name Liqing ({{lang|zh|励清}}).Liu Shoulin (etc.ed.), p.1424.was a diplomat, politician, judicial officer and lawyer in the Republic of China. He was an important politician during the Reformed Government of the Republic of China and Wang Jingwei regime (Republic of China-Nanjing).

Early life

He was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu Lian went to Japan where he acquired Bachelor of Laws at Kyoto Imperial University. Later he returned to China and got a position in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the Beijing Government.Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo), January 20, 1941, p.1.

Career

= Tibet =

In 1905, Lian Yu was posted as the assistant amban to Tibet, to work with amban You Tai. The following year, You Tai was arrested on charges of corruption, and Lian became the chief amban. He remained in the post until the Xinhai revolution when all Chinese officials were expelled from Tibet.{{cite journal |last1=Ho |first1=Dahpon David |year=2008 |title=The Men Who Would Not Be Amban and the One Who Would |journal=Modern China |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=210–246 |doi=10.1177/0097700407312856 |issn=0097-7004}}

= Republic of China =

In January 1913 he was appointed Chief of the Zhejiang High Court, but he resigned in November.Liu (etc.ed.), p.276. The following March he was appointed Chief of the Zhili High Court which post he held until September 1920.Liu (etc.ed.), pp.190-193. He was transferred to acting Chief of the Henan High court soon, but resigned next month.Liu (etc.ed.), p.233. Later he was an established lawyer in Tianjin.

In April 1938 Lian Yu was appointed Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Reformed Government of the Republic of China, but resigned in June. Next February, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Chen Lu ({{lang|zh-tw|陳籙}}) was assassinated by secret agents of the Nationalist Government, so Lian served 4 months as acting Minister for Foreign Affairs. In same August he was transferred to the position of acting Minister for Business (Xia Qifeng succeeded him as acting Minister for Foreign Affairs).Liu (etc.ed.), p.1026,1028.

In March 1940 the Reorganized National Government of China was established, Lian Yu was appointed a legislator (Member of the Legislative Yuan). In the end of the same year he was appointed the first Ambassador to Manchukuo. In February 1943 he was recalled (Chen Jicheng {{lang|zh-tw|陳濟成}} succeeded him in this position) and became Ambassador standing at the Ministry. In May 1945 he was appointed as the last Ambassador to Japan.Guo Qingyou (main ed.), p.1919.

After the Wang Jingwei regime collapsed, the Nationalist government decided to not prosecute him as a traitor as he wasn't viewed as having committed any crime against the country, even though he was ambassador to Japan under the collaborationist administration. He later left for Taiwan along with the Nationalist government. In Taiwan, he lived in difficult circumstances and sometimes helped the monks in {{ill|Tamsui Longshan Temple|zh|淡水龍山寺}} in Tamsui. {{Cite Web| author= Bing Yi ({{lang|zh|冰一}}) |title = Village elder Lian Nanhu and his wife Wu Zhiying (鄉前輩廉南湖與吳芝瑛夫人)| url = https://www.tongxianghuicn.com/article/983998.jhtml |date=1989-11-20 |publisher = Wuxi Village News ({{lang|zh|無錫鄉訊}}) | url-status = live | access-date = February 8, 2025 }} He died in Taipei in 13 August 1972 at the age of 87.

References

= Citations =

= Sources =

{{cite book |editor = Liu Shoulin ({{lang|zh|刘寿林}}) |display-editors=etal |title = The chronological table of the Republic's Officer ({{lang|zh|民国职官年表}}) |year = 1995 |publisher = Zhonghua Book Company |isbn = 7-101-01320-1}}
{{cite book |editor = Guo Qingyou ({{lang|zh|郭卿友}}) |title = List of Military and Political Officer on the Era of Republic of China ({{lang|zh|中華民国時期軍政職官誌}}) |year = 1990 |publisher = Gansu People's Press (Gansu Renmin Chubanshe; {{lang|zh|甘粛人民出版社}}) |isbn = 7-226-00582-4 }}

{{Succession box

|title=Minister of Foreign Affairs (Reformed Government of the Republic of China)

|before=Chen Lu

|after=Xia Qifeng

|start=April 1939

|end=August 1940

|years=April 1939 – August 1939 (acting)

}}

{{Succession box

|title=Minister of Commerce (Reformed Government of the Republic of China)

|before=Wang Zihui

|after=office abolished