Li Shengjiao

Li Shengjiao (; January 7, 1935 – August 6, 2017) was a senior Chinese diplomat, jurist, educator, scholar, bilingual author, former Nanjing sports star and an expert on the I Ching. Being recognized as an authority on international law and U.S.-China relations, Li was known for his contribution to the International Law of the Sea and China's boundary and ocean affairs.

He was regarded as China's top expert on international maritime law and boundary demarcation issues and one of China's most distinguished diplomats. He was a leading authority on international law and China-US relations.

He has been hailed as "an outstanding diplomat, scholar, educator and litterateur who made extraordinary contributions in multiple fields" and "an envoy connecting Chinese and Western cultures".

Li died from an unspecified illness on August 6, 2017, in Beijing at the age of 82.

In 2018, Li was named a "pillar of the nation that passed away in 2017".

In 2018 after his death, Li was named a "pillar of the nation that passed away in 2017" by Chinese authorities.

Legacy Since his death, Li Shengjiao has been regarded as a learned diplomat, a respected jurist, a patriot, and a man of integrity.

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Wang Ying called Li "an exceptionally outstanding diplomat as well as a prominent scholar". As a diplomat, Li won honors for his country and united the people. His death is a great loss to the nation, Wang said.

Li's contribution also included confirming demarcation lines on the map of China, and resolving boundary disputes on both land and sea with its neighbours.

In a 40-year career he was also involved in China's border negotiations with Myanmar, India, North Korea and the Soviet Union. The negotiations for the UNCLOS, of which China was a signatory, took place between 1973 and 1982, and Li was an important member of the Chinese team.

Personal A direct descendant of the renowned Qing Dynasty poet and scholar Li E , Li Shengjiao is the son of Li Linsi , a distinguished scholar and diplomat in modern China.

Li, whose given name translates as "to educate with a stern voice", was born in January 1935 to an upper-class family. His mother Tang Liling was a renowned pianist and actress, while his father, Li Linsi, was a prominent educator, diplomat and linguist, and a pioneering figure in China-Europe cultural exchanges in the 1930s. His father also had the nickname "China's Mahatma Gandhi" and helped Jews to escape persecution and settle in Shanghai during the second world war.