Gao Xibing

Gao Xibing (1894 – December 6, 1984), given name Jieqing, courtesy name Xibing (commonly known by his courtesy name), was a native of Fengcheng, Liaoning, Fengtian Prefecture, under the jurisdiction of the Shengjing General. He was a textile scientist, educator, and political figure in Taiwan.

Life

In his early years, Gao Xibing graduated from Jiugouyu Higher Primary School in Fengcheng and went on to study at Beiguan Middle School in the provincial capital of Fengtian. After graduation, he enrolled at Peking University, later transferring to the Public Tsinghua School (which later became Tsinghua University). After graduating in 1920 (the ninth year of the Republic of China), he studied abroad in the United States and entered the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He graduated in 1923 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile Engineering.Afterward, he worked at a woolen fabric company in the United States. In the summer of 1925, he returned to China and, in November of the same year, was appointed secretary to the Headquarters of the Northeast Nationalist Army under Guo Songling. Following Guo's defeat and death, Gao was appointed professor at the Provincial Northeastern University (China) in the autumn of 1926, where he led the establishment of the university's Department of Textiles. The following year, he became the dean of the university's College of Engineering.

After Zhang Xueliang's Northeast Flag Replacement in 1929 (the 18th year of the Republic of China), Gao Xibing was appointed secretary at the Confidential Office of the Northeast Political Affairs Committee. In September 1930, he became Director of the Department of Education in the Chahar Provincial Government and was also appointed as the special commissioner for party affairs of the Kuomintang in Chahar Province (renamed Party Affairs Adviser in 1933). In September 1931, he founded the National Northeastern Zhongshan Middle School. In September 1933, he was transferred to serve as Director of the Department of Construction in Xinjiang Province, holding the position until January 1936.He was then transferred to the Nationalist government of the Republic of China, where he served as Director of the Talent Development Division of the Ministry of Personnel (Quanshubu). He also acted as a personal adviser to Song Ziwen (T. V. Soong), as well as Executive Director of the China Cotton Company and adviser to the Huainan Coal Mining Company.

In 1937 (the 26th year of the Republic), following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Gao was appointed head of the Light Industry Section of the Fourth Department of the Military Headquarters. In 1938, he became Chairman of the Rectification Committee for the Four Bureaus of Cotton, Gauze, Silk, and Hemp in Hubei Province. In June of the same year, he was elected as a member of the 1st National Political Council (and was subsequently re-elected for four consecutive terms). In March 1939, he was appointed a member of the Sichuan-Kham Development Association and leader of the western group of its inspection team. In July 1942, he was appointed Chief Auditor stationed at the Salt Administration by the General Office of the Four-Linked Organizations and also served as an adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

In September 1945 (the 34th year of the Republic), following the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, Gao Xibing was appointed Chairman of the newly established Andong Province Government—set up after the fall of Manchukuo—as well as Commander of Provincial Security Forces. On July 19, 1947, the Nationalist Government appointed him as a delegate to the National Assembly, a Legislative Yuan member, and Chairman of the Andong Provincial Election Commission. In October of the same year, he concurrently served as an Executive Member of the Political Affairs Committee of the Northeast Headquarters of the Nationalist Government. In February 1948, he was relieved of his post as Chairman of the Andong Provincial Government, and in the following month, appointed Deputy Director of the Political Affairs Committee of the Northeast Headquarters. In September of the same year, he became an Executive Member and Acting Director of the Political Affairs Committee of the Northeast Bandit Suppression Headquarters.

In 1949 (the 38th year of the Republic), Gao Xibing moved to Taiwan, where he co-founded the Changhua Spinning Mill with Wu Zhenglan. He later served as a Director (business) of the China Textile Construction Corporation and as a member of the Committee for the Design and Planning of the Recovery of the Mainland. In 1973, he relocated to the United States, where he passed away in New York on December 6, 1984, at the age of 91.

Publication

The Causes and Consequences of the Jiang Incident in the Far East

Woolen Textile Production and Finishing

Family

Son: Gao Ergong went to the Liberated Areas and became a journalist and broadcaster for the Chinese Communist Party. He authored many well-known reports but was not given important positions due to his family background. In 1960, he confided in the Party, criticizing the Three Red Banners and the Anti-Revisionist campaign. As a result, he was subjected to harsh political persecution during the Cultural Revolution and died prematurely.

Daughter: Gao Qiudi later settled in Chicago, United States.

Note

1."Traces of Figures from Northeastern University — Also in Memory of Mr. Zang Qifang" notes that he was born in 1893.

2.Xu, Chief Editor. (2007). [Book Title], p. 1300.

3.Liu Guoming, Chief Editor. (2005). [Book Title], pp. 1823–1824.

4.Liu Guoming, Chief Editor. (2005). [Book Title], p. 1824.

5.Li Xin, Editor-in-Chief; Modern History Research Office of the Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Compiler; Han Xinfu and Jiang Kefu, Editors.Chronicle of Major Events in the History of the Republic of China (《Zhonghua Minguo Shi Dashiji》). Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company, July 2011.

6.Zhu Xueyuan. Traces of Figures from Northeastern University — Also in Memory of Mr. Zang Qifang. Minjian Lishi (Unofficial History). Accessed February 7, 2015. Archived by the Internet Archive on February 6, 2015.

References

• Xu, Youchun (2007). Dictionary of Republican-Era Figures, Expanded Edition. Hebei People’s Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-202-03014-1.
• Liu, Guoming (2005). Comprehensive Biographical Dictionary of the Kuomintang over a Century. Tuanjie Publishing House. ISBN 7-80214-039-0.

• Liu, Shoulin (1995). Chronological Table of Republican-Era Government Officials. Zhonghua Book Company. ISBN 7-101-01320-1.