Wang Genzhong

Wang Genzhong
Chinese: 王艮仲
Counsellor of the State Council
In office
1950–1966
Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In office
1954–1983
Personal details
BornJuly 1903 (1903-07)
Nanhui County, Jiangsu, China
DiedJune 1, 2013(2013-06-01) (aged 109)
Alma materNational Central University

Wang Genzhong (Chinese: 王艮仲; July 18, 1903 – June 1, 2013), also known as Wang Shihe (Chinese: 王师和), was a Chinese public figure, educator, and veteran leader of the China Democratic National Construction Association (CDNCA). He was a prominent patriotic democrat and a long-serving member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Wang was widely recognized for his contributions to economic development, rural reform, and vocational education, particularly in what is now Shanghai’s Pudong area.[1]

Biography

Wang Genzhong was born in Nanhui County, Jiangsu Province (now part of Pudong New Area, Shanghai).[2] He was exposed at an early age to the intellectual currents of the May Fourth Movement while studying in Shanghai. After attending several institutions, including Soochow University, he graduated in 1929 from the Department of Political Economy at National Central University.[3]

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Wang served in a number of administrative and financial roles under the Nationalist government, including senior adviser to the headquarters of the Third War Area, manager of the Shanghai branch of the Jiangsu Provincial Farmers’ Bank, and member of the Jiangsu Provincial Government concurrently serving as director of the Jiangnan Administrative Office. While operating in Japanese-occupied Shanghai, he actively cooperated with Communist underground networks and supported the united front against Japanese occupation.[4] In 1941, following the outbreak of the Pacific War, he orchestrated the suspension and evacuation of the Shanghai branch of the Jiangsu Farmers’ Bank, successfully preventing it from falling under Japanese puppet control.[5]

After Japan’s surrender in 1945, Wang resigned from official posts and returned to Shanghai, where he founded the China Construction Service Society and became its chairman.[6] He launched a range of economic, cultural, and educational initiatives and collaborated with underground Communist members and progressive intellectuals. Through publications such as China Construction, he promoted opposition to civil war and support for national reconstruction. Using Nanhui as a base, he established cooperative farms and local construction companies, pioneering infrastructure development in Pudong.[7] These efforts resulted in several regional firsts, including the construction of Pudong’s first modern road, the establishment of its first public bus company, the introduction of telecommunications services, and the creation of cooperative agricultural enterprises. Owing to these achievements, he became widely known as the “King of Pudong.”[8][9]

During the Chinese Civil War, Wang leveraged his status as a former legislator and his connections within the Nationalist establishment to shelter progressive figures and Communist members from persecution. He provided financial assistance to the families of fallen resistance fighters and helped guide young people toward education and revolutionary causes.[10] In 1948, responding to the Communist call for convening a political consultative conference, Wang formally expressed his acceptance of Communist leadership. He later met with Pan Hannian in Hong Kong to convey his commitment to the united front.[11]

In early 1949, Wang played a key role in assisting Huang Yanpei in safely leaving Shanghai under Nationalist surveillance. Shortly after the city’s liberation, Wang traveled to Beiping, where he met Zhou Enlai through Huang Yanpei’s introduction. At Zhou’s encouragement, he joined the China Democratic National Construction Association, a decision that marked a major turning point in his political life.[12]

People's Republic of China period

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Wang was appointed counsellor of the State Council and became deeply involved in the work of the CDNCA and vocational education. He served as a member of the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth National Committees of the CPPCC and as a Standing Committee member of its Sixth and Seventh National Committees. Within the CDNCA, he held positions including Standing Committee member, deputy secretary-general, and deputy director of its Central Advisory Committee.[13] He also served for decades as a senior leader of the Chinese Vocational Education Association, contributing significantly to the development of vocational education in China.[14]

Wang Genzhong died in Beijing on June 1, 2013, at the age of 110.[15]

References

  1. ^ 上海文史资料选辑 (in Chinese). 人民出版社. 2009. p. 65. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  2. ^ 中国统一战线辞典 (in Chinese). Chinese Communist Party History Press. 1992. p. 251. ISBN 978-7-80023-302-9. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  3. ^ 唐国良 (2013). 近代东外滩 (in Chinese). 上海社会科学院出版社. p. 77. ISBN 978-7-5520-0123-5. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  4. ^ 中国人民政治协商会议第八屆全国委员会委员名录 (in Chinese). 文化教育出版社. 1994. p. 70. ISBN 978-962-7281-90-0. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  5. ^ 秦国生; 胡治安 (1990). 中国民主党派历史, 政纲, 人物 (in Chinese). 山东人民出版社. p. 392. ISBN 978-7-209-00722-1. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  6. ^ 二十世纪中华爱国名人辞典 (in Chinese). 吉林大学出版社. 1990. p. 23. ISBN 978-7-5601-0732-5. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  7. ^ 《中国人名词典》编辑部 (1989). 中国人名大辞典 (in Chinese). 上海辞书出版社. p. 25. ISBN 978-7-5326-0108-0. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  8. ^ 中国人名大詞典: 現任黨政軍領導人物卷. Foreign Languages Press. 1989. p. 677. ISBN 978-0-8351-2352-5. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  9. ^ 浦东今古大观: 上海浦东开发区 (in Chinese). 科学技术文献出版社. 1992. p. 246. ISBN 978-7-5023-1606-8. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  10. ^ 政协头条, 作者： (2021-10-18). "世纪老人王艮仲的"新农村实践"-国务院参事室". 国务院参事室 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  11. ^ 统一戰綫工作手册 (in Chinese). Nanjing University Press. 1986. p. 310. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  12. ^ 中国民主党派工作辞典 (in Chinese). 黑龙江教育出版社. 1994. p. 398. ISBN 978-7-5316-2483-7. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  13. ^ 《中国人名大词典》编辑部 (1994). 中国人名大词典: 现任党政军领导人物卷. Foreign Languages Press. p. 622. ISBN 978-7-119-00725-0. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  14. ^ 政协全国委员会常委会名录 (in Chinese). 解放军出版社. 1995. p. 256. ISBN 978-7-5065-2683-8. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  15. ^ "王艮仲同志逝世". 中国共产党新闻网--人民网 (in Chinese). 2013-07-11. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
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