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Mr. Tang Shao-yi was born at Fang-yu Hsien, Kuangtung province, in 1860. In 1873 he was sent to America among the first group of Chinese students to study there with government support. He remained in the United States for seven years. He attended the Columbia University, New York but he returned to China before his graduation upon the order of the government which was sceptical about the real usefulness of the Western education. Mr. Tang was appointed assistant in charge of the Korean Maritime Customs in 1882, one year after his return from America. Later he attracted the attention of Yuan Shih-kai, and was appointed secretary to the Imperial Resident in Korea. After the China-Japanese War, Mr. Tong was Consul-General in Korea. Shortly afterwards he was employed on the staff of the Peiyang Railway Administration. In the winter of 1900 Mr. Tang was with Yuan Shih-kai in Shantung it was the year of the Boxer rising, and Mr. Tang cooperated with Yuan Shih-kai in the suppression of the disturbances. In March 1902 he was appointed Customs Taotai of Tientsin. In October 1904 he was appointed special commissioner to Tibet. He visited India as China's envoy to negotiate the Tibet convention, which was subsequently completed at Peking in November 1905. In December 1905 Mr. Tang was appointed Junior vice-president of the Board of Foreign Affairs. Shortly afterwards, he was