Zhou Shiguan

Zhou Shiguan (; 1893 – 1984) was a Chinese chemist, industrialist, and politician. A native of Min County (now part of Fuzhou), Fujian, he was an early Chinese expert in applied chemistry and public health administration and later a senior leader of the China Democratic National Construction Association (CDNCA). He served as a member and standing member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and as a vice chair of the CDNCA Central Committee.

Early life and education Zhou Shiguan was born in 1893 in Min County, Fujian. He received his early education in Tianjin and Beijing and later enrolled at the Beijing Higher Industrial Specialized School, where he studied applied chemistry. In 1920, he traveled to the United States to pursue further studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, majoring in chemistry. He earned a master’s degree in 1925 and returned to China soon thereafter.

Career After returning to China, Zhou became actively involved in industrial development and technical administration. He headed the Industrial Development Preparatory Office in Suiyuan, where he promoted local industrialization initiatives, and later founded paint factories and established the China Chemical Technology Society. In the late 1920s, he joined the Ministry of Health of the National Government as a senior technical official and participated in the compilation and editorial work of the first edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, marking a major milestone in China’s modern medical and pharmaceutical standardization. In 1930, he was appointed director of the Qingdao Municipal Health Bureau, followed by appointments to several central and regional administrative bodies.

In 1933, Zhou was appointed director of the Department of Construction of Ningxia Province, where he oversaw infrastructure and development planning. From June 1938 onward, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he was successively elected as a councillor to the first three sessions of the National Political Council. Following the end of the war, he withdrew from wartime political bodies and assumed senior managerial roles in industrial and financial enterprises, including General Manager of the Chongqing Danzishi Machinery Plant, Chairman of the Fujian–Taiwan Construction Promotion Association, and General Manager of the Shanghai Industrial and Mining Bank.

In 1949, Zhou joined the China Democratic National Construction Association and was elected a member of the First National Committee of the CPPCC. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he served as a councillor to the Government Administration Council and held multiple senior posts within the CDNCA, including member and standing member of its Central Committee and deputy secretary-general. He was consecutively elected as a member of the second and third CPPCC National Committees and as a standing member of the fourth through sixth committees. In 1979, he became Vice Chair of the Standing Committee of the CDNCA Central Committee and later Vice Chairman of the association.

Death Zhou Shiguan died in 1984 at the age of 91.