Mr. Sun Pao-ch'i was born at Hangchow, Chekiang province, in 1867. He was the eldest son of late Sun I-ching, Imperial Tutor of Emperor Hsien Feng of the Ching regime. On account of his father's rank he was given the title of Yinsun when he had completed his studies in Chinese and was ready to enter the official circle. At first he wa pointed a junior secretary of the Board of Justice and later made a Taotai in Chihli Province. In June 1902 after having successively served as secetary to Chinese legations in Vienna, Berlin and Paris, Mr. Sun was appointed Chinese Minister to France. Later he was recalled to Peking and in the summer of 1906 he was Chief-Secretary to the Government Council. In the autumn of the same year he was appointed Governor of the Metropolitan District. From April 1907 to December 1908, Mr. Sun was Chinese Minister to Germany. In September 1908, four months before he returned from Germany, he was appointed assistant director of the Tientsin-Pukow Railway. From June 1909 to December 1911, he was Governor of Shantung. In December 1912, he was appointed by President Yuan Shih-kai the Co-Director General of the Customs Administration and in May 1913 he was promoted to be Director General. In September 1913 Mr. Sun succeeded Mr. Lu Tseng-hsiang as Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Hsiung Hsi-ling Cabinet. Upon the resignation of Premier Hsiung of which position he was relieved by Hsu Shih-chang in May 1914. In January 1915 he became Director-General of the Audit Department. He was appointed Minister of Finance in April 1916, holding concurrently the post of Director-General of the Salt Administration. He was relieved of of the Famine Prevention Commission and associate director of the Famine these two positions two months later to become again the Director-General of the Customs Administration. In January 1920 he was given the First Class Wenfu. From February to May 1920, he was concurrently Director of the Government Economic Information Bureau. In October 1921, Mr. Sun received two more concurrent positions, namely, President of the Relief Bureau. In January 1922 he was commissioned to be a vice-president of the Yangtze River Commission and in April 1922 to be vice-president of the Commission for the Study of diplomatic questions arising from the decisions of the Washington Conference, called by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In June 1922 he was appointed Director-General of the Famine Relief Bureau. In October 1922 he was given the Third Order of Merit. In November 1922 he received another concurrent post as one of the two directors of the office to provide means of living for the poor in the Metropolitan District, the other director being Mr. Hsiung Hsi-ling. In January 1923 Mr. Sun was appointed a member of the Educational Sinking Funds Commission. In January 1924 he was appointed Prime-Minister. At the same time he was relieved of the directorship of the Customs Administration by Kao Lin-wei. He resigned from the Prime Ministership in July 1924. Since then he has been living in retirement. Besides a popular official, Mr. Sun is also the president of the Han Yih Ping Coal and Iron Works and also of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company. In February 1925, Mr. Sun was appointed tupan of the new Shanghai-Woosung administration district which was created by the Peking government, following the resignation of Marshal Chi Hsieh-yuan as Tuchun of Kiangsu province.
