Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Wu Yu-lin

Admiral Y. L. Woo

吳毓麟宇秋統

(Wu Yu-lin)

Admiral Y. L. Woo was born at Tientsin, in 1869. In 1885 he entered the Tientsin Navy College where he graduated in 1892. Upon the completion of his studies in China, he was sent abroad by the government for higher education. He was away from China for one year, and on his return, was appointed an instructor of the Navy Training Service. Later he became a teacher of the Navy College of which he was a graduate. In 1894 he was transferred to the Board of Navy for service, and was appointed to the position of an attache. In 1895 he was awarded by the then Imperial government the rank of Prefect. That year marked the beginning of his civil official career. From that time on he held many positions of importance. He was director of railway and mining affairs of Chihli Province, co-director of the Auditing Bureau of the Ministry of Communications, etc. In 1907 Admiral Woo returned to the Navy and was at once appointed Naval Inspector. Upon the conclusion of the first revolution in 1911 which resulted in the establishment of the Republic, Admiral Woo was an advisor to the Northern Delegation to the Internal Peace Conference at Shanghai. In 1913 he was appointed managing director of the Teka Naval Dockyard. It was in the same year that he was made a Rear-Admiral, and that he organized the Chihli Inland Steam-launch Company. In 1914 he was appointed to be concurrently chief offcer in command of the sea coast patrolling force for the province of Chihli and also to be in charge of the sea coast land police and river police. In 1915 he was additionally appointed a Chinese director of the Hai Ho Conservancy Board and chief of the preparation bureau of the river improvement works of Chihli. Two years later he was given another important position, namely, the director of the Pei Yang Iron Works in Tientsin. In the spring of 1918 he was appointed a Counillor of the High Inspecting Commissioner of the Northern Four-Province and also a member of the Chihli River Commission. While at Tients in he was interested in social work. He was one of the promoters of the American-Brit sh-Chinese Commercial Club, Tientsin, which was inaugurated in November 1919. In October 1919 he was awarded the Second Class Tashou Chiaho and in January 1920 the Second Class Packuang Chiaho. In October 1920 he received the Second Class Wenfu. In July 1921 he was given the post as Director General of the Enstern Metropolitan Conservancy Works. In November 1921 he was made a Vice-Admiral. In June 1922 he was apponted managing director of the Tientsin-Pukow Railway and concurrently director-general of the Pu-Hsing Railway. In July 1922 he was awarded the Fifth Order of Merit. In September 1922 he was commissioned to be a member of the Commission of Railway interest in connection with the Rehabilitation of Shantung. In October 1922 he received the First Class Tashou Chiaho. In January 1923 he became Minister of Communications which post he held until 1924. In March 1923 he was awarded the First Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho Decoration.