Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Hsu Shih-chang

Mr. Hsu Shih-chang

徐世草字端用

(Hsu Shih-chang)

Mr. Hsu Shih-chang, is a native of Tientsin, Chihli Province, and was born in 1886. He is a brother of ex-President Hsu Shih-chang. While still a student of the Imperial College of Languages, Peking, he was appointed as Attache to the Imperial Commissioners to study financial conditions in Belgium. While residing there he took an entrance examinain 1908. In the spring of 1909 he returned to China. In the same year he was sent by the Civil Governor of Kirin to investigate commercial conditions in Belgium. While residing there he took an entrance examination, and was admitted to the Liege University. He obtained the Degree of Bachelor of Commerce in 1911. Inn the summer of 1911 Mr. Hsu was appointed by the Chinese Minister to Italy and the Italian Minister of Labor and Commerce as Judge to the Turin International Exposition. Upon the closing of the exposition he was awarded a certificate and medal by the Italian government. He then left for England, Germany, France, Switezerland, Holland, Luxembourg and other European countries to make practical investigations in commercial and railway administration. In 1912 Mr. Hsu returned to China and was appointed a member of the Ministry of Communications. In November he was made a Junior Clerk assigned to work in the Traffic Division of the Railway Department, Ministry of Communications. In May 1913 he was appointed assistant accountant of the Lunghai Railway. In July 1914 he became acting assistant director of the Engineering Administration of the Western Section of the Lunghai Railway. In July 1915 he was promoted to be assistant director, and in November was awarded an Order of Appreciation by the President for the prompt completion of the construction work. He was conferred the Fifth Class Chiaho in May, 1916.

Four months later, Mr. Hsu was appointed assistant managing director of the Peking-Hankow Railway. In January 1917 he was awarded the Fourth class Chiaho. In March he was sent to Japan to attend the celebration commemorating the joint China-Japan through traffic arrangements and also to study the administration of railroads, posts, telegraphs and navigation. On his return, he was appointed managing director of the Tientsin-Pukow line. Concurrently, he acted as the Director-General of the Pu Sing Railway (Pukow Singyangchow). In July 1917, he was made Councillor to the Headquarters of the Expeditionary Force. In September he was appointed a member of the Commission for the Investigation of Communications and in October he received the second class Paokuang Decoration. He served as a member of the Committee on the Unification of Railway Rules and Regulations in November, and a month later was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Ministry of Communications, and at the same time received the second class Wen Hu Decoration. In March 1918 he was appointed a member of the Joint Commission for the Prevention of Plague on the Chinese Government Railway and also acted as Chief of the Plague Prevention Bureau of the Tientsin-Pukow Railway. In June he was appointed a member of the Traffic Conference, and received the Honor Certificate from the Ministry of Communications in August. Two months later he received an Order of Appreciation from the President. In December he was conferred the second class Tashou Paokuang Chia Ho. In January 1919 he was specially requested to act as High Advisor to the Inspector-General of the Yangtse River and to the Military Governor of Kiangsu-Province. In the same month he was appointed Co-Director of the Administration for the Repatriation of Enemy Subjects. In February he was requested to act as Adviser to the Civil and Military Governor of Shantung. For services rendered in connection with the Plague Prevention Commission he was again given an Order of Appreciation by the President. In November Mr. Hsu was awarded the second class Tashou Chia Ho Decoration. In March 1920 he was appointed Director-General of the Pu-Hsing Railway. At the end of the month he was instructed to act concurrently as the managing director of the Tientsin-Pukow Railway. In August 1920 he was appointed Vice-Minister of Communications and also appointed by the Ministry of Communications to act concurrently as Director-General of Railways, Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Unification of Railway Accounts and Statistics, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Communications and Chairman of the Commission for the study of Freedom of International Transit and Communications. In December 1920 Mr. Hsu was ordered to make preparations for the organization of the Communication University. In January 1921 Mr. Hsu was conferred the Second Class Tashou Chiaho and appointed to hold concurrently the post of Director General of the Post. In August 1921 Mr. Hsu was conferred the First Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho and in October the First Class Wenfu. During October-December 1921 he received three additional appointments, viz: chief the International Communications Bureau; associate director of the Famine Relief Bureau; and director general of the currency bureau. In June 1922 Mr. Hsu was relieved of the directorship of the currency bureau and also vice-directorship of the Famine Relief Bureau. General Hsu retired to private life in 1922.