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Mr. Yang Shou-mai was born at Wu-sih Hsien, Kiangsu province, in 1875, from a very well known family. His father was one of the starters and the Director of the famous Military College at Paotingfu of which many students afterwards became noted soldiers and leaders both in the Ching time and the Republic. He became a Provincial Graduate when he was still young Then he followed his father to Peking to serve as an academic member in the Board of War. Later he entered civil official life. He was for some time the Director of the Kuangtung Provincial Mint, Canton. He retired from the official life before 1912. In 1903 Mr. Yang's father founded the Nieh-Ching Cotton Mill Company at Wusih, his native district, it being one of the oldest cotton mills in the inland of China. In 1912, when his father had died, Mr. Yang became the managing director of this Mill. He started the telephone company at Wusih in 1911. In 1912 he extended his telephone business to Tai-Chang and Li-Yang districts. In 1914 he