Xiaokai Yang was one of the world's pre-eminent theorists in economic analysis, and an influential campaigner for democracy in China.
23 Facts About Xiaokai Yang
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Xiaokai Yang's life changed dramatically in the early days of the Cultural Revolution.
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Xiaokai Yang was a Red Guard in Hunan who was part of the Rebel faction Shengwulian.
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Xiaokai Yang contended that the essential conflict in China was between the new "red capitalist class", consisting of CCP cadres and their families, and the masses of the Chinese people.
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Xiaokai Yang's essay was read by hundreds of thousands of Chinese during the Cultural Revolution.
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At one point, Xiaokai Yang learned that he was scheduled to be executed, though this never eventuated.
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Xiaokai Yang learnt from and deeply admired a fellow prisoner who happened to be a mathematics professor and a devout Christian; but Yang did not convert yet at that time.
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Xiaokai Yang gained admission to the Institute of Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences with the help of economist Yu Guangyuan, then the deputy director of the Academy.
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Xiaokai Yang later joined Hunan University and published two highly influential books on economics.
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Xiaokai Yang then studied at Princeton University, where he obtained a Ph.
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Xiaokai Yang quickly gained widespread international attention, publishing numerous English-language articles and books.
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Xiaokai Yang was made senior lecturer in 1989, reader in 1993, and was awarded a personal chair in Economics in 2000.
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Xiaokai Yang was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Economics.
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Xiaokai Yang collaborated with some of the world's leading economists, including Yew-Kwang Ng and Jeffrey Sachs, the latter of whom stated that "Yang is one of the world's most penetrating and exacting economic theorists, and one of the most creative minds in the economics profession".
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Xiaokai Yang is praised by his colleagues for having cleared up many unhelpful digressions in economic writing, and returning the discipline to the fundamental insights of Adam Smith.
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Xiaokai Yang's work is founded on the ideal that all persons are equal in all relevant respects.
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Xiaokai Yang moved from this to develop an extensive explanatory apparatus.
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Xiaokai Yang's work encompasses equilibria that involve more behavioral adjustments than those defined in orthodox neoclassical models of general equilibrium.
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In 2002, Xiaokai Yang converted to Christianity and made it public, becoming a member of the Anglican Church.
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Xiaokai Yang died on 7 July 2004, survived by his wife, Xiaojuan; and three children, Xiaoxi, James, and Edward.
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Xiaokai Yang was a prolific author in economics, but Yang simultaneously wrote a large body of influential political essays in Chinese, including a best-selling book.
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Xiaokai Yang championed democracy, decentralization of Chinese political power, and privatization of the Chinese economy.
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When he died, Southern Weekend, the most influential reformist magazine in China, published a long obituary, praising Xiaokai Yang, and discussing the pervasive impact of his writings.