20 Facts About Liu Chieh

Liu Chieh, known by his courtesy name Yikai, was a Republic of China diplomat.

Liu Chieh served as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of China to the United Nations from 1962 to 1971.

Liu Chieh's ancestors originated from Nanxiong, Guangdong but later settled in the Zhongshan County, Guangdong.

Liu Chieh's father, Liu Cheng-chang, was a prominent railway expert and philanthropist, educated at Queen's College, Hong Kong.

Liu Chieh Cheng-chang served as the director of operations for the South China section of the Canton-Kowloon Railway and the Peking-Shanghai-Hangchow Railway and later became the chairman of Kiang Wu Hospital in Portuguese Macau.

Liu Chieh was awarded a medal of charity by the government of Portuguese Macau.

In 1913, Liu Chieh Cheng-chang hired a former Qing dynasty juren and a scholar trained in the Four Books and Five Classics to teach Liu Chieh traditional Chinese studies.

At the age of 14, Liu Chieh enrolled at St Stephen's College in British Hong Kong.

Liu Chieh then pursued legal training at the Middle Temple and became a qualified barrister.

Liu Chieh was later appointed Secretary of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs Committee, assisting its chairman Foo Ping-sheung.

In 1931, Liu Chieh officially joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and became a secretary.

In 1942, Liu Chieh was appointed as the Minister of the embassy and worked under then-Ambassador Hu Shih in Washington, DC.

In 1944, Liu Chieh was part of the Chinese delegation at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, which laid the foundation for the establishment of the United Nations.

In 1947, Liu Chieh became the Republic of China's representative to the United Nations Trusteeship Council and was appointed as the Ambassador to Canada, a position he held until 1962.

In 1962, Liu Chieh succeeded Tsiang Tingfu as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of China to the United Nations.

In 1972, Liu Chieh was appointed as the Ambassador to the Philippines, presenting his credentials to the Philippine Congress on March 23,1972.

Liu Chieh's tenure ended in 1975 when the Philippines formally recognized the People's Republic of China and severed diplomatic relations with the Republic of China.

Liu Chieh was elected as a member of the Central Review Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang during its 11th and 13th terms.

Shortly after, while traveling to Washington, DC to arrange her burial, Liu Chieh suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died on February 12,1991, at Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Liu Chieh was the eldest son in the family, with three younger brothers and one younger sister.