Chen Qimei

Chinese politician (1878–1916)

陳其美

PronunciationChén QíměiBorn17 January 1878

Wuxing, Zhejiang, Qing Dynasty

Died18 May 1916(1916-05-18) (aged 38)

Shanghai, Republic of China

Cause of deathAssassinationNationalityRepublic of ChinaPolitical partyKuomintang

Chen Qimei (simplified Chinese: 陈其美; traditional Chinese: 陳其美; pinyin: Chén Qíměi; 17 January 1878 – 18 May 1916), courtesy name Yingshi (英士) was a Chinese revolutionary activist and key figure of the Green Gang, close political ally of Sun Yat-sen, and early mentor of Chiang Kai-shek. He was one of the founders of the Republic of China, and the uncle of Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu.

Born in Wuxing, Zhejiang, China, he went to Japan for studies in 1906, and there joined the Chinese Tongmenghui. Befriended by fellow Zhejiang native Chiang Kai-shek, in 1908, Chen brought Chiang into the Tongmenghui.

In 1911, after the Wuchang Uprising, Chen's forces occupied Shanghai. He was then made military governor of the region. He fled to Japan with Sun Yat-sen upon the failure of the revolution against Yuan Shikai's dictatorship. They subsequently formed the Chinese Revolutionary Party, which later became the Kuomintang, or the Chinese Nationalist Party. As he was returning to Shanghai for another round of revolution, Yuan had him assassinated on May 18, 1916.^[1]^[2] The assassination was believed to have been carried out by Zhang Zongchang, a general loyal to Yuan.^[3]

Chen is perceived as one of the early revolutionary heroes and one of the founding fathers of the Republic of China. He was also the eldest member of which later came to be known as the Chen Family, one of the four most powerful and influential families at the time. The university which had been originally named after him has become a part of today's Fudan University and Zhejiang University after the Chinese Civil War. A monument of him is located in Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.

References

^ Chang, Nelson; Chang, Laurence (2010). The Zhangs from Nanxun. CF Press. p. 197. ISBN 9780692008454.
^ Bergère, Marie-Claire (1998). Sun Yat-sen. Stanford University Press. p. 268. ISBN 9780804740111.
^ Patricia Buckley, Ebray (2009). Chinese Civilization, A Sourcebook (2nd ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 374. ISBN 9781439188392.