1. Zheng Xiaoxu was a Chinese statesman, diplomat and calligrapher.
12 Facts About Zheng Xiaoxu
1. 2.
Zheng Xiaoxu served as the first Prime Minister of Manchukuo.
3.
In Japan, Zheng Xiaoxu interacted with a number of influential politicians and scholars, such as Ito Hirobumi, Mutsu Munemitsu and Naito Torajiro.
4.
Zheng Xiaoxu became a close adviser of Puyi and helped arrange for his flight to the foreign concession at Tianjin after his expulsion from the Forbidden City by General Feng Yuxiang.
5.
Zheng Xiaoxu remained loyal to the throne and secretly met with Japanese officials and groups such as the Black Dragon Society to discuss a restoration of the Qing dynasty in Manchuria.
6.
Zheng Xiaoxu composed the lyrics of the National Anthem of Manchukuo.
7.
Zheng Xiaoxu had hoped that Manchukuo would become a springboard for the restoration of Qing rule in the whole of China, but he soon found out that the real rulers of Manchukuo, the Japanese Kwantung Army, did not share his ambitions.
8.
Zheng Xiaoxu was accorded a state funeral in April 1938.
9.
Zheng Xiaoxu was one of the most respected and influential calligraphers of the 20th century.
10.
Zheng Xiaoxu's calligraphy brought high prices during his lifetime and he supported himself in later life with the proceeds from its sale.
11.
Zheng Xiaoxu's calligraphy continues to be influential in China and his style has been incorporated into the logos of current Chinese corporations.
12.
Zheng Xiaoxu kept an extensive diary, which is still valued by historians as important source material.