Yang Shouzheng

Yang Shouzheng (; June 1915 - August 29, 2012), also known as Tian Chong and Tian Dacong, was a Chinese diplomat, educator, and academic. He served as Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and the Soviet Union, and later became a professor at Renmin University of China.

Biography Yang was born in Xietang, Shangyu, Zhejiang. In 1935, he enrolled at the affiliated secondary school of the YMCA in Shanghai and later entered the College of Agriculture of Peking University. During his university years, he participated in the December 9th Movement student demonstrations. In 1937, he transferred to the National Xi'an Temporary University and joined the National Liberation Vanguard Corps. In 1938, he joined the Chinese Communist Party and subsequently studied at the Shaanbei Public School.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Yang served in political and educational positions within the Eighth Route Army, including appointments in the 120th Division and the 359th Brigade. He successively held posts as political instructor, deputy director of political departments, and acting director of political affairs. He later served in regional administrative and military political roles and became president of Jilin Industrial College.

After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Yang held a number of industrial and planning positions, including director of design divisions under the Northeast Industrial Ministry and the Ministry of Heavy Industry. He later became deputy director of the Design and Planning Bureau under the State Planning Commission and director of the Standards and Quotas Bureau of the State Construction Commission. He also served as head of Liaoning's chemical and petroleum administration and deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Communist Party Committee of Liaoning. Beginning in 1964, Yang entered the diplomatic service and successively served as Ambassador of China to Somalia (1964–1970), Sudan (1970–1974), Ethiopia (1974–1977), Mozambique (1977–1980), and the Soviet Union (1980–1985).

Following his retirement from diplomatic service in 1985, Yang became a professor in the Department of Economics at Renmin University of China. He also served as an adjunct professor at the China Foreign Affairs University and the PLA University of Foreign Languages. Yang Shouzheng died in Beijing on August 29, 2012, at the age of 97.