Wu Ting-fang (; 30 July 184223 June 1922) was a diplomat and politician who served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

and briefly as Acting Premier during the early years of the Republic of China. He was also known as Ng Choy or Ng Achoy ().

Education and career in Hong Kong

Wu was born in the Straits Settlement, now modern-day Malacca, in 1842 and was sent to China in 1846 to be schooled. He studied at the Anglican St. Paul's College, in Hong Kong where he learned to read and write in English. After serving as an interpreter in the Magistrate's Court from 1861 to 1874, he married

Ho Miu-ling Ho Miu-ling (1847–1937) was a philanthropist in British Hong Kong. Her influential family included her brother, barrister Kai Ho, her husband, diplomat Wu Tingfang, and her son, diplomat Wu Chaoshu. The Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital ...

(sister of Sir

Kai Ho Sir Kai Ho, CMG, JP, MRCS (; 21 March 1859 – 21 July 1914), better known as Sir Kai Ho Kai, born Ho Shan-kai (), was a Hong Kong barrister, physician and essayist in Colonial Hong Kong. He played a key role in the relationship between ...

) in 1864. He studied law in the United Kingdom at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn (1876). Wu became the first ethnic Chinese barrister in history. He returned to Hong Kong in 1877 to practise law. He was admitted as a barrister in Hong Kong in a ceremony that May before Chief Justice John Smale who observed:

I am glad to see a Chinaman running in the race the most highly intellectual in the world. I am glad to see that a Chinaman ... has become a member of the English Bar. In England, every office becomes open to talent without favour or affection. A distinguished American statesman has become, and now is an ornament of the English bar, and all the Bar will gladly hail the time when a Chinaman shall distinguish himself as much as the eminent counsel to whom I refer. I have seen stranger things happen.

In 1880, Wu became the first ethnic Chinese Unofficial member of the

Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's " one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Ko ...

and was appointed acting Police Magistrate.

Service under the Qing Dynasty

He served under the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

as Minister to the United States, Spain, and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

from 1896 to 1902 and from 1907 to 1909, having started out as legal adviser and interpreter to powerful diplomat and viceroy

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; 15 February 1823 – 7 November 1901) was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important ...

. As the minister, he lectured widely about

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

and

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, in part working to counter discrimination against Chinese emigrants by increasing foreign appreciation of their background.Wong, K. Scott. (1995) Chinatown: conflicting images, contested terrain. ''MELUS'' 20(1):3–15. To further this end, he wrote ''America, Through the Spectacles of an Oriental Diplomat'' in English in 1914. Wu is mentioned several times in the diaries of Sir

Ernest Satow Sir Ernest Mason Satow, (30 June 1843 – 26 August 1929), was a British scholar, diplomat and Japanologist. Satow is better known in Japan than in Britain or the other countries in which he served, where he was known as . He was a key fig ...

who was British Envoy in China, 1900–06. For example, on 21 November 1903: "Wu Tingfang came in the afternoon, and stopped talking for an hour and a half about his commercial code and connected subjects. His idea is to draft also a new

criminal code A criminal code (or penal code) is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that might ...

, and put both into force at the outset in the open ports."Ian Ruxton, ed. ''The Diaries of

Sir Ernest Satow Sir Ernest Mason Satow, (30 June 1843 – 26 August 1929), was a British scholar, diplomat and Japanologist. Satow is better known in Japan than in Britain or the other countries in which he served, where he was known as . He was a key figu ...

, British Envoy in Peking (1900–06)'', Lulu Press Inc., April 2006 (Volume One, 1900–03, p. 389) Wu had an opportunity to implement his ideas about Chinese law reform between 1903-1906, when he (together with Shen Jiaben) were put in charge of reforming the Qing imperial code. His efforts included modernising the criminal code and abolish inhumane methods of capital punishment such as

death by a thousand cuts ''Lingchi'' (; ), translated variously as the slow process, the lingering death, or slow slicing, and also known as death by a thousand cuts, was a form of torture and execution used in China from roughly 900 CE up until the practice ended aro ...

, decapitation and

posthumous execution __NOTOC__ Posthumous execution is the ritual or ceremonial mutilation of an already dead body as a punishment. It is typically performed to show that even in death, one cannot escape justice. Dissection as a punishment in England Some Christians ...

, and use of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...

in interrogations. He also reformed the governmental structure for the administration of justice, ending the traditional combined approach. Sun Yat-sen praised Wu's contributions, saying that he began a "new epoch" for Chinese criminal law. In an interview with American journalist

Marguerite Martyn Marguerite Martyn (September 26, 1878 – April 17, 1948) was an American journalist and political cartoonist with the '' St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' in the early 20th century. She was noted as much for her published sketches as for her articles. ...

, Wu Tingfang argued in favor of

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

Service post Xinhai Revolution

He supported the

Xinhai Revolution The 1911 Revolution, also known as the Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, ended China's last imperial dynasty, the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. The revolution was the culmination of a ...

of 1911 and negotiated on the revolutionaries' behalf in Shanghai. He served briefly in early 1912 as Minister of Justice for the

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

Provisional Government, where he argued strongly for an

independent judiciary Judicial independence is the concept that the judiciary should be independent from the other branches of government. That is, courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government or from private or partisan inter ...

, based on his experience studying law and travelling overseas.Xu Xiaoqun. (1997) The fate of judicial independence in Republican China, 1912–37. ''The China Quarterly'' 149:1–28. After this brief posting, Wu became Minister of Foreign Affairs for the ROC. He served briefly in 1917 as Acting Premier of the Republic of China. He joined Sun Yat-sen's

Constitutional Protection Movement The Constitutional Protection Movement () was a series of movements led by Sun Yat-sen to resist the Beiyang government between 1917 and 1922, in which Sun established another government in Guangzhou as a result. It was known as the Third Revolut ...

and became a member of its governing committee. He advised Sun against becoming the "extraordinary president" but stuck with Sun after the election. He then served as Sun's foreign minister and as acting president when Sun was absent. He died shortly after Chen Jiongming rebelled against Sun in 1922.

Vegetarianism

Wu was a vegetarian who consumed eggs and milk (

ovo-lacto vegetarian Lacto-ovo vegetarianism or ovo-lacto vegetarianism is a type of vegetarianism which forbids animal flesh but allows the consumption of animal products such as dairy and eggs. Unlike pescetarianism, it does not include fish or other seafood. A ...

).Wu, Liande; Wu, Lien-tê. (1959). ''Plague Fighter: The Autobiography of a Modern Chinese Physician''. W. Heffer. p. 274. "Dr. Wu Ting-Fang was a strict vegetarian though he believed in the taking of milk and eggs and always said that he would live for 120 years." He believed that a non-flesh diet would prolong his life and he would live over a hundred years. Wu abstained from alcohol and tobacco after reading

Mary Foote Henderson Mary Foote Henderson (July 21, 1842 – July 16, 1931) was an American author, real estate developer, and social activist from the U.S. state of New York who was known as "The Empress of Sixteenth Street". Henderson was a notable supporter of wom ...

's book ''The Aristocracy of Health''. He gave speeches on vegetarianism and authored an article "How I Expect to Live Long", published in November 1909 for the '' Ladies' Home Journal''.Pomerantz-Zhang, Linda. (1992). ''Wu Tingfang (1842-1922): Reform and Modernization in Modern Chinese History''. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 183-190. Wu founded the Rational Diet Society in Shanghai, also known as the Society for Cautious Diet and Hygiene (Shenshi Weisheng Hui) with

Li Shizeng Li Shizeng (; 29 May 1881 – 30 September 1973), born Li Yuying, was an educator, promoter of anarchist doctrines, political activist, and member of the Chinese Nationalist Party in early Republican China. After coming to Paris in 1902, Li to ...

in September, 1910.Seung-Joon, Lee. (2015). ''The Patriot's Scientific Diet: Nutrition Science and Dietary Reform Campaigns in China, 1910s-1950s''. ''

Modern Asian Studies ''Modern Asian Studies'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of Asian studies, published by Cambridge University Press. The journal was established in 1967 by the Syndics of the University of Cambridge and the Committee o ...

'' 49 (6): 1-32.Leung, Angela Ki Che; Caldwell, Melissa L. (2019). ''Moral Foods: The Construction of Nutrition and Health in Modern Asia''. University of Hawai'i Press. p. 227. It was the first vegetarian organization in Shanghai and had about 300 members. The society met at Wu's residence for lectures on the dangers of alcohol, meat-eating and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

. Wu also established a vegetarian restaurant known as Micaili in Shanghai at Hotel des Colonies in the French Concession (now on East

Yan'an Road Yan'an Road (; Shanghainese: Yi'ue Lu) is a road in Shanghai, a major east–west thoroughfare through the centre of the city. The modern Yan'an Road is in three sections, reflecting three connected streets which existed pre-1945: Avenue Edward ...

). It was the first vegetarian restaurant in China to experiment with western vegetarian cuisine. His public lectures on dieting were influential. Wu and his Society argued for the public to eat more

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

. The Society introduced a Western-styled bakery to the Shanghainese that offered home-delivered wheat flour bread. Wu was an anti-smoking activist. An offshoot of the Rational Diet Society was the Anti-Cigarette Smoking Society that formed in June, 1911. The Society warned the public about the health dangers of

cigarette smoking Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or simply released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed ...

. Wu wrote about the subject in his book ''Yanshou xinfa'' (''New Methods to Prolong Life''), in 1914. Wu was an enthusiastic bicycle rider.

Death

Wu died on 23 June 1922 from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

.''Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1922''. Volume 1.

United States Government Printing Office The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO; formerly the United States Government Printing Office) is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States Federal government. The office produces and distributes information ...

, 1938. p. 274. "Wu Ting-fang died at one this morning fpneumonia after brief illness." Wu's tomb was moved to

Yuexiu Hill Yuexiu Hill, also known as Yut Sau Shan , Yut Sau Hill or Mount Yuexiu, is located in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. It once formed the northern end of the old walled city, though most of the walls have been dismantled and the city has now expanded f ...

in Guangzhou in 1988, where it forms an ensemble with the tomb of his son

Wu Chaoshu Wu Chao-shu (Traditional Chinese: 伍朝樞; Simplified Chinese: 伍朝枢; 23 May 1887 – 3 January 1934), also known as C.C. Wu, and romanized as Wu Chaoshu, was Foreign Minister of the Republic of China in 1927–8, and was Minister to the U ...

and the memorial tablet bearing an inscription by Sun Yat-sen dedicated to Wu Tingfang.

Selected publications

''How I Expect to Live Long''
(1909)
''America and the Americans: From a Chinese Point of View''
(1914)
''America: Through the Spectacles of an Oriental Diplomat''
(1914)
''American Manners''
(1915)

References

Notes

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Tingfang 1842 births 1922 deaths Ng, Choy Alumni of University College London Ambassadors of China to Peru Ambassadors of China to Spain Ambassadors of China to the United States Anti-smoking activists Chinese non-fiction writers Chinese people of Malaysian descent Deaths from pneumonia in the People's Republic of China Diet food advocates Foreign Ministers of the Republic of China Ng, Choy Qing dynasty diplomats Malaysian people of Cantonese descent Members of Lincoln's Inn Ng, Choy People from Malacca Premiers of the Republic of China Progressive Party (China) politicians Republican Party (China) politicians Vegetarianism activists Wu family Straits Settlements people