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Mr. Chang Chih-t'an was born in 1883 at Fengjen Hsien in the province of Chihli. He received a thorough education in Chinese literature and classics and when he was a mere youth was successful in government examinations during the Ching regime and got the degree of Chu-jen, equivalent to the present college degree of Master of Arts in 1904. Mr. Chang started his official career as a senior secretary of the Board of the Army. Later he was transferred to the Board of Civil Affairs and held the same rank. When the former President Hsu Shih-Chang was Viceroy of the Three Eastern Provinces, he made Mr. Chang his special attache. Subsequently, Viceroy Hsu promoted Mr. Chang to be the councillor of the Military Training Bureau of the Three Eastern Provinces. Mr. Chang was given the concurrent position of the Co-Director of the Frontier Affairs Bureau of the Kirin Province. After the establishment of the Republic in 1911, Mr. Chang became secretary to President Yuan Shih-kai. In July 1914 he was appointed Taoyin of the Shuiyuan Frontier which position he did not hold long before he was recalled to Peking where he was appointed secretary of the Cabinet which was then headed by Marshal Tuan. In January 1917,