Who's Who in China (3rd edition)/Wang Chia-hsiang

Mr. Wang Chia-hsiang

王蟲字功精山

Mr. Wang Chia-hsiang was born at Shao-hsing, Chekiang province, in 1873. He was Senior Licentiate (Kung Sheng) in the Ching Dynasty. In 1901 Mr. Wang was appointed an Expectant Sub-Prefect. In 1902 he was promoted to Expectant Prefect. In 1904 Mr. Wang went to Japan to study police administration in the police department of Tokyo. He returned to China in 1906 upon graduation. Subsequently Mr. Wang was appointed Councillor of the Police Department of Chekiang and also Proctor of the Chekiang High Police School. He also taught in that school as well as in the law School at Hangchow. Mr. Wang made another trip to Japan, spending one year during 1907-1908, in the Tokyo Police College from which he was graduated. Upon returning to China, Mr. Wang became Director of the Police Administration of Chekiang province. In 1909 he was elected a member of the Chekiang Provincial Advisory Council. In 1911 Mr. Wang was director of the Police Administration of Kirin province. Upon the outbreak of the First Revolution in October 1911, he returned to Chekiang becoming magistrate of Hangchow, the capital of Chekiang. Mr. Wang was elected a Member of the Provisional National Assembly which was corvoked in January 1912. This Assembly elected Yuan Shih-kai as Provisional President to succeed Sun Yat-sen and drafted the Provisional Constitution. Mr. Wang was Senator of the First Parliament which was convoked in April 1913 at Peking replacing the Provisional National Assembly. He was then a leader of the Progressive Party. In his connection with the Frst Parliament, Mr. Wang was a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee; President of the Senate; Chairman, of the Constitution Conference; and Chairman of the Presidential Election College which elected Yuan Shih-kai the First President of China in October 1913. In January 1914 Yuan Shih-kai dissolved the First Parliament and in May 1914 he created a new advisory body called Tsan Cheng Yuan to act in the place of the Parliament filled with the President's nominees, of which Mr. Wang was one. The First Parliament was reconvoked in August 1916 when Yuan Shih-kai had died. Mr. Wang became President of the Senate again. After the second dissolution of the First Parliament, which occurred in June 1917, Mr. Wang was appointed Director General of the Fu Chung Corporation, a Sino-British mining concern. The second reconvocation of the First Parliament in Peking occurred in June 1922 after the Chihli-Fengtien War. Mr. Wang became a Senator, holding the position of President of the Senate until the end of 1923. He was awarded the Fifth Order of Merit in January 1920, the First Class Tashou Paokuang Chiaho in October 1922; and the First Class Wenhu Decoration in February 1923.