Born to clergyman in
Shanghai, Yan Huiqing, along with his brother Yen Te Ching moved to Virginia to attend the
Episcopal High School in
Alexandria, Virginia. He taught English at
St. John's University, Shanghai for a short time after coming back from the United States, where he became a
Freemason, and then went to Beijing to start his political career. In 1906, he became an editor at the
Commercial Press, received a
D.Litt. from the Peiyang University (now
Tianjin University) and the title of
jinshi in the imperial civil service, and was appointed to the Imperial Ministry of Education. He served as Foreign Minister,
premier (and acting premier) five times and as
acting president during his last premiership in 1926.
Wu Peifu handpicked him for the acting presidency to pave the way for
Cao Kun's restoration, and he set up a cabinet in anticipation, but he was unable to take office due to
Zhang Zuolin's objection. When Yan finally took his post, he immediately resigned and appointed navy minister
Du Xigui as his successor. A veteran diplomat, he was China's first
ambassador to the
Soviet Union, and a delegate to the
Washington Naval Conference and the
League of Nations; he also served as a diplomat to
Germany,
Sweden,
Denmark, and, finally, the United States, where he denounced the
Japanese invasion of Manchuria. During World War II, he translated and compiled
Stories of Old China in Hong Kong while under Japanese house-arrest in 1942. In early 1949 he visited
Moscow and met with
Joseph Stalin, in hopes of negotiating a solution in the
Chinese Civil War. After the founding of the
People's Republic of China in 1949, he congratulated
Mao Zedong on his victory, became a member of the
National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and he was also appointed Vice Chairman of the
East China Military and Political Committee. On May 24, 1950, Yan Huiqing died of heart disease in Shanghai at the age of 73.
Mao Zedong and
Zhou Enlai both sent condolences. He was survived by his wife and six children. In 2016, the
University of Virginia paid tribute to Yen by creating the
W.W. Yen China Fund. W.W. Yen was the first student from China to earn a degree from the University of Virginia. The former Lewis House is now Yen House, in honor of Yen. == References ==