Biography in English

Liao Chung-k'ai (1878-20 August 1925), Kuomintang financial administrator and chief architect of the Kuomintang-Communist alliance that resulted in the reorganization of the party along Leninist lines. At the time of his assassination in 1925 he held such posts as minister of finance, governor and financial commissioner of Kwangtung, head of the Kuomintang workers department, and party representative to the Whampoa Military Academy and the party army.

Born into an overseas Chinese family in San Francisco, Liao Chung-k'ai received his early education in the United States. His father was a businessman, and the young Liao apparently grew up in comfortable surroundings. At the age of 17 sui, Liao accompanied his mother, who was ailing, to Hong Kong. There he married Ho Hsiang-ning (q.v.), whose father was a wealthy and prominent tea merchant. Financial assistance given the young couple by the Ho family enabled them to go to Japan in 1902 for further education. In Tokyo, Liao studied political economy at Waseda University. Liao and Ho soon became interested in the anti-Manchu revolutionary movement of Sun Yat-sen, and, after meeting Sun in the summer of 1903, they became active supporters of his cause. Liao made a trip to Canton with Hu Han-min (q.v) in the summer of 1905 and joined the new^ly established T'ung-meng-hui soon after his return. By this time, Sun Yat-sen had become interested in the ideas of the American economist Henry George, and he asked Liao to translate part of George's Progress and Poverty. Liao's translation of the preface to that work appeared under the pen name T'u-fu in the first issue of the T'ung-meng-hui's Minpao [people's journal], which began publication in November 1905. Other early writings of Liao reflect an interest in socialist and, to a lesser extent, anarchist ideas. A few months later, again at Sun's behest, he went to Tientsin, w'here he collaborated with a French military attache named Boucopaix in gathering information about anti-Manchu activities in north China. At the conclusion of this mission, he returned to Japan, where he studied economics at Chuo (Centralj University. After concentrating on his studies and graduating in 1909, he made another trip to China, where he took a special examination which gained him the title of chü-jen. He then served on the staff of Ch'en Chao-ch'ang, the Chinese border defense commissioner in Kirin province, who was negotiating with the Japanese for the recovery of the Yenki area on the Manchurian-Korean border.

When Kwangtung province declared itself independent of Manchu rule after the Wuchang revolt of October 1911, Hu Han-min became its military governor. Hu asked Liao Chungk'ai to assume responsibility for the financial administration of the province. Liao accepted this offer and moved his family to Canton. He worked with great dedication and suggested many basic economic reform measures for Kwangtung province; but these had relatively little effect, as few reforms were actually carried out.

After the so-called second revolution of 1913 collapsed, Liao and other Kuomintang leaders sought refuge in Japan. Liao's wife and children accompanied him, and they maintained residence in Tokyo until 1923. After Sun Yat-sen reorganized the Kuomintang as the Chung-hua ko-ming-tang in 1914, Liao assisted him by managing the party's finances and by helping to plan party activities. He returned to China with Sun Yat-sen in March 1916. After the death of Yuan Shih-k'ai in June, Liao and Hu Han-min were sent by Sun to Peking to discuss national affairs with the authorities there. Liao followed Sun to Canton in 1917, where he was again placed in charge of the area's finances and consolidated his reputation as the Kuomintang's leading financial expert. Toward the end of 1918, when Sun Yat-sen became dissatisfied with his position at Canton, Liao and a few close supporters accompanied him to Shanghai. In 1919 and 1920 Liao expounded and elaborated on Sun's economic theories in the new periodical Chien-she tsa-chih [reconstruction magazine], which first appeared in August 1919. A major theme of these articles was that China, which had been oppressed by industrial retardation and foreign imperialism, should develop its national economy along socialist lines. Liao argued that such a course would require economic controls to restrain private capitalism and to equalize land tenure and w^ould necessitate the organizing of consumer cooperatives to alleviate the anarchy of production inherent in a laissez-faire economy. His writings on the subject of monetary revolution and reconstruction, which advocated the abandonment of hard currency for paper currency, foreshadowed China's currency reform of the 1930's. Liao also helped Sun Yat-sen to round out his political philosophy by translating Delos F. Wilcox's Government by All the People into Chinese as Ch'üan-min cheng-chih. Sun drew heavily on this material in formulating and developing his principleof min-ch'üan [people'sdemocracy] .

In May 1921, when Sun Yat-sen became president extraordinary at Canton, he named Liao Chung-k'ai vice minister of finance—the ministry being under the nominal headship of Wu T'ing-fang—and finance commissioner of Kwangtung province. Liao's primary responsibility was to raise sufficient funds to finance Sun Yat-sen's military campaigns. Although Liao was removed from his financial posts after Sun Yat-sen and Ch'en Chiung-ming (q.v.), the governor of Kwangtung, came into conflict about provincial administration. Sun restored him to his posts after dismissing Ch'en from the governorship in the spring of 1922. When supporters of Ch'en effected a coup at Canton in June 1922, forcing Sun Yat-sen to flee Canton, Ch'en imprisoned Liao at Sheklung for two months.

For several years, Liao had been interested in socialism and the Russian Revolution. By 1922, Sun and Liao had begun to discuss the possibility of cooperating with the Soviet Union so that they could obtain aid from the Russians. In January 1923, following Sun's preliminary discussions in Shanghai with the Russian diplomat Adolf Joffe and the publication of the Sun-Joffee manifesto, Joffe went to Japan. Liao Chung-k'ai went to Japan about the same time on the pretext of visiting his brother Liao En-t'ao, who was a diplomat representing the Peking government in Tokyo. Liao Chung-k'ai and Joffe held discussions at the hot springs resort of Atami and apparently worked out a detailed plan of cooperation that included an agreement on the admission of Chinese Communists to the Kuomintang. While Liao was in Japan, Ch'en Chiung-ming was ousted from Canton, and Sun Yat-sen returned to Kwangtung to establish a new military government. Liao returned to China with his family in May 1923 and assumed office as minister of finance and governor of Kwangtung. As plans were formulated for the reorganization of the Kuomintang along Leninist lines, his role in party affairs became increasingly important. In October he was appointed a member of the committee which was organized to carry out the party reorganization, and in November he went to Shanghai to confer with leaders of the various Kuomintang branch organizations. At the First National Congress of the reorganized Kuomintang, held at Canton in January 1924, he was elected to the Central Executive Committee and was appointed head of the workers department. Later in the year, he was also given a wide range of other major responsibilities: director of the Central Bank and head of the peasant department of the Kuomintang. In September he was given complete control of the finances of Kwangtung province.

In February 1924 Chiang Kai-shek had resigned as the head of a seven-man committee formed to establish a party military academy at VVhampoa, and Liao Chung-k'ai had been chosen to replace him. When the Whampoa Military Academy was inaugurated in May, Liao became its party representative and Chiang Kai-shek its commandant. As the senior political officer of the academy, Liao helped lay the foundations of the political commissar system used by the National Revolutionary Army on the Northern Expedition. This system later was used by both the Nationalist and the Communist armies in China.

By mid- 1924 Liao, as a favorite of Sun Yatsen and the chief architect of the Kuomintang- Communist alliance, had become one of the most powerful men in Canton. He was reappointed governor of Kwangtung in June but was relieved of that office in September so that he could serve effectively as minister of finance, financial commissioner of Kwangtung, and quartermaster general of the central armies. He assisted Chiang Kai-shek in suppressing the Canton Merchants Corps in October 1924 and in planning the first eastern expedition against Ch'en Chiung-ming in March 1925. By the time the eastern campaign ended. Sun Yat-sen had died in Peking. Liao and Chiang then moved to defeat the armies of Yang Hsi-min and Liu Chen-huan at Canton. After the incident of 23 June at Canton, when British and French troops fired on Chinese workers and students who were protesting the May Thirtieth Incident at Shanghai and killed 52 of them, Liao, as head of the Kuomintang's workers department, played a leading role in organizing and directing a strike and a boycott of British goods which paralyzed economic activity in the Canton-Hong Kong area and enabled the Kuomintang to consolidate its strength in Kwangtung province.

W'hen the National Government was inaugurated at Canton in July 1925, Liao Chung-k'ai became a member of the Government Council and one of three civilian members, the other two being Wang Ching-wei and C. C. Wu, of the Military Council, the highest military organ of the National Revolutionary Army. As the most influential supporter of Sun Yat-sen's policies of cooperation with both Russian and Chinese Communists, Liao had come to be identified as a leader of the left wing of the Kuomintang. Thus, his elevation to the Government and Military councils (he still retained his posts as minister of finance, governor and financial commissioner of Kwangtung, head of the Kuomintangworkers department, and party representative to the Whampoa Military Academy f and the party army) was regarded as a victory of the left wing of the Kuomintang over the right wing in the governmental reorganization of July 1925. This concentration of power in Liao's hands, and the firmness and energy with which he used his authority to further the revolutionary policies of Sun Yatsen, won him the enmity of many Kuomintang conservatives. On 20 August 1925 Liao Chungk'ai was assassinated as he stepped out of his automobile on his way to a meeting of the Central Executive Committee.

The persons responsible for Liao Chung-k'ai's death were never identified. A special investigating committee of Kuomintang leaders, including Wang Ching-wei, Hsü Ch'ung-chih, and Chiang Kai-shek, attributed the assassination plot to right-wing elements in the pay of the British. Also under suspicion were a cousin of Hu Han-min named Hu I-sheng and officers of the Kwangtung Army. Because of their connections with the suspects, Hu Han-min and Hsü Ch'ung-chih were obliged to leave Canton to escape public censure. Many other Kuomintang conservatives left Canton, and the left-wing leaders soon gained control of the National Government.

After his death, Liao Chung-k'ai was highly praised by many of his Kuomintang colleagues, including Chiang Kai-shek. He was particularly commended for his key role in the party reorganization of 1924, which prepared the way for the later Northern Expedition. Liao was also honored by Communist historians of the early republican period for his major contributions to the formulation of Sun Yat-sen's "Three Great Policies" of alliance with the Soviet Union, cooperation with the Chinese Communists, and organization of the worker and peasant masses.

Liao was survived by Ho Hsiang-ning and by their children, Liao Ch'eng-chih (q.v.) and Cynthia Liao (Liao Meng-hsing) . His daughter later became a secretary to Madame Sun Yatsen (Soong Ch'ing-ling) in Shanghai. After 1949, all three of them lived in the People's Republic of China.

A collection of Liao's correspondence, prefaces, and essays on economic and political topics was published in 1926 as Liao Chung-k'ai chi. A revised and enlarged edition appeared in Peking in 1963.

Biography in Chinese

廖仲恺

廖仲恺,原名:廖恩煦(1878—1925.8.20),国民党的财政部长,国共合作的主要设计者,这个合作导致国民党依照列宁主义路线进行了改组。1925年被刺时,担任广东政府财政部长、广东省长兼财政厅长,国民党工人部长,黄埔陆军军官学校和国民党党军的党代表。

廖仲恺出生在旧金山的一家华侨家庭,早年在美国上学。父亲经商,廖仲恺显然是在舒适的环境中长大的。十七岁时,陪送患病的母亲到了香港。他在那里和何香凝结婚,何的父亲是一个富裕而著名的茶商。1902年何家资助这一对青年夫妇到日本继续求学。廖仲恺进了东京早稻田大学,学习政治经济学。

廖和何不久对孙逸仙的反满革命运动发生了兴趣,1903年夏,他们遇见孙逸仙后,成了他的事业的积极支持者。1905年夏廖仲恺和胡汉民同到广州,他回日本后就加入了新成立的同盟会。当时孙逸仙对美国经济学家亨利•乔治的学说极为注意,嘱廖仲恺将亨利•乔治的《进步与贫乏》的一部分译出,廖以“屠富”的笔名译出该书的序言。在同盟会的《民报》第一期上发表,该报1905年
11月创刊。廖仲恺的其他早期著作反映出一些社会主义思想和一定程度的无政府主义思想。几个月后,孙逸仙命他去天津,他在那里从一位法国武官布加卑处收集到一些华北反清活动的情报,任务完成后又回到日本,进入日本中央大学学习经济学。1909年毕业后回国应乡试中举人,入吉林边防督办大臣陈昭常幕,陈当时正与日本谈判收回中朝边境上的延吉地区。

1911年10月辛亥革命发生后,广东宣告独立,胡汉民成为都督,邀廖仲恺经管广东财政。廖忡恺携全家移居广州,全力以赴经管广东省财政,并提出许多重大经济改革措施,但因很少付诸实施而收效不大。

1913年二次革命失败,廖仲恺与国民党其他领导人避居日本,其妻和孩子们随他同去。他们住在东京直至I923年。1914年孙逸仙将国民党改组为中华革命党,廖仲恺协助他经管党内财务和筹划党的活动。1916年3月,随孙逸仙回国。6月,袁世凯身死,孙逸仙指派廖仲恺、胡汉民去北京,与北洋政府权要人物
商讨国是。1917年随孙逸仙去广州,再次负责该地区的财务,被誉为国民党首要的财政专家。1918年底孙逸仙对自己在广州的地位感到不满,廖仲恺和其他几个孙的亲密支持者陪同孙前往上海。

1919年到1920年间,廖仲恺多次在新办的《建设杂志》上撰文阐述孙逸仙的经挤理论,该刊首次出版于1919年8月。这些文章的主要论点是:由于中国工业落后,又受帝国主义压迫,因此中国国民经历的建设,必须采取社会主义道路;而真做到这一点,又必实际节制私人资本、平均地权、组织消费合作社,以避免自由放任经济的生产无政府状态。他关于币制改革和币制建设的著作,主张放弃硬币,改用纸币。这种意见为1930年的币制改革所采用。廖仲恺还译出威尔科克斯的《全民政治》一书,以帮助孙逸仙形成自已的政治哲学,孙从此书吸取许多东西制定和发展自己的“民权主义”。

1921年5月,孙逸仙任广州政府非常大总统,委任廖仲恺为财政部副总长(该部名义上由伍廷芳领导)、广东财政厅长。廖忡恺的主要任务是筹措足够经费支持孙逸仙进行北伐。孙逸仙与广东省长陈炯明因省内政务发生冲突,廖仲恺被免去财政方面职务,但在1922年春孙逸仙免去陈炯明广东省长职务后,又让廖复职。1922年6月陈炯明部下在广州发动叛乱,孙逸仙被迫离开广州,廖忡恺被陈监禁于石龙达二月之久。

廖仲恺关心社会主义和俄国革命多年。1922年,孙逸仙和廖仲恺开始讨论和苏俄合作争取苏俄援助的可能性。1923年1月。孙逸仙同苏俄外交人员越飞在上海首次谈判后发表联合宜言。接着,越飞去日本。约在同时,廖忡恺以看望其弟廖恩涛为名也去了日本,廖恩涛当时是北京政府驻东京的外交代表。廖仲恺同越飞在日本热海温泉宾馆谈判,拟定了双方合作的详细方案,其中包括同意中国共产党人加入国民党的内容。

廖仲恺在日本谈判时,陈炯明被逐出广州,孙逸仙重回广州,成立大本营。1923年5月,廖仲恺携全家回国,任财政部长、广东省长。随着按照列宁主义路线改组国民党的计划的制订,廖仲恺在党内事务中所起的作用越来越重要了,10月,他被任命为国民党改组委员会委员,11月去上海与国民党各支部代表商议。1924年1月,改组后的国民党第一次全国代表大会在广州召开。廖仲恺被选
为中央执行委员,并被任命为工人部长,同年晚些时候,又兼任其他一些重要职务:中央银行行长、国员党农民部长,9月,又全权负责掌管广东全省财政。

1924年2月,蒋介石辞去黄埔商军军官学校七人委员会主席之职,由廖仲恺代理。5月,黄埔军校开学,廖仲恺任党代表,蒋介石任校长。作为黄埔军校最高政治官员,他致力于奠定在进行北伐的国民革命军中设立政治委员制度的基础,这个制度以后被国民党和共产第军队双方所采用。

1924年中,廖仲恺作为孙逸仙的亲信和国共合作的主要设计者,成为广州最有权力的人物之一。6月他重任广东省长,9月去职,以便集中精力专任财政部长和广东省财政厅长并做好军需工作。1924年10月,廖仲恺协助蒋介石先平定广州商团事变,1925年3月,又助他制定东征讨伐陈炯明的计划。东征胜利结束时,孙逸仙在北京逝世。廖仲恺,蒋介石于是调集军队击败杨希闵、刘震寰在广州的部队。1925年上海五卅恃案发生,省港工人游行示威,遭到帝国主义的镇压破坏,6月23日,英法军队开枪打死工人学生五十二人,廖仲恺作为国民党工人部长,在组织和指挥罢工和抵制英贷的活动中起了领导作用,这些活动导致广州和香港地区经济活动的瘫痪,同时又巩固了国民党在广东的力量。

1925年7月,国民政府在广州成立,廖仲恺成为政府委员会委员,军事委员会三人委员之一,军委是国民革命军的最高军事机构。由于他是孙逸仙联俄、联共政策的最重要的支持者,他就成了国民党左派的领袖人物。因而,被提升到政府和军事委员会(仍保留财政总长,广东省长兼省财政厅长二国民党工人部长、黄埔军校和党军的党代表等职位),这被看作是1925年7月国民政府改组后国民党左派对右派的胜利。权力集中到廖仲恺手中,他又坚定而热情地运用自己的权威实施孙逸仙的革命政策,这一切招致了许多国民党保守派的敌视。1925年8月20日,廖仲恺乘车出席中央执行委员会会仪,刚一下车就遇刺被害。

谁是刺杀廖仲恺的主谋始终未能査实。由国民党首脑人物汪精卫、许崇智、蒋介石组成的特别调査委员会把谋杀案归罪于由英国方面收卖的右派人物,胡汉民的堂弟胡毅生和粤军中的某些军官也受到怀疑。胡汉民、许崇智等人因舆论的责难,不得不离开广州,另外一些右翼分子也纷纷离开广州,国民党左派不久就控制了国民政府。

廖仲恺受到国民党同人,其中包括蒋介石的高度赞扬,他在1924年国民党改组中所起的重大作用,特别为人颂场,因为这次改组为尔后的北伐进军开辟了道路。廖仲恺也受到民国初期共产党历史学家的尊敬,因为也对孙逸仙制定联俄联共扶助农工的三大政策,作出了重大的贡献。

廖仲恺身后遗有亲厲;夫人何香凝。子廖承志、女廖梦醒。他的女儿曾在上海担任过宋庆龄的秘书。1949年后,他们三人都生活在中华人民共和国。

廖仲恺的通信、序言、经济和政治论文于1926年以《廖仲恺集》出版,修订增补版于1963年在北京出版。

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