Xiong Xiling, or Hsiung Hsi-ling (); 1870–1937) was a Chinese philanthropist and politician, who served as premier of the Republic of China from July 1913 to February 1914.

Biography

Born in Fenghuang,

Xiangxi Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (; Tujia: Xianxxix bifzivkar befkar zifzifzoux; Miao: Xangdxid tutjadcul maolcul zibzhibzhoud) is an autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China. It is located in northwestern Hunan provin ...

prefecture of

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

, China, Xiong was also a Chinese scholar. In July 1913, Xiong was appointed by

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 1859 – 6 June 1916) was a Chinese military and government official who rose to power during the late Qing dynasty and eventually ended the Qing dynasty rule of China in 1912, later becoming the Emperor of China. H ...

as the Premier and Finance Minister. However, after a few months, the relationship between Xiong and Yuan began to deteriorate, triggered by their conflicting views on governance. In February 1914, Xiong resigned from the government. After he left politics, Xiong became involved in some educational and charitable institutions to help the needy of

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. In 1937, Xiong was in

, helping the refugees during the

Battle of Shanghai The Battle of Shanghai () was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) of the Empire of Japan The also ...

. After Shanghai fell, he went to British Hong Kong, dying there on 25 December 1937. He was honored with a state funeral. His daughter Nora Hsiung Chu (1902-1977) became an educator and expert on child welfare. 1870 births 1937 deaths Republic of China politicians from Hunan Premiers of the Republic of China Politicians from Xiangxi Unity Party (China) politicians Progressive Party (China) politicians {{China-politician-stub