W. W. Yen
W. W. Yen combined scholarship with diplomacy. After graduating from the University of Virginia, he taught English at St. John’s College in Shanghai and edited an English and Chinese dictionary. He entered overseas service as an interpreter at The Hague, then worked in Washington under Wu Tingfang and Chang Yin Tang. His later appointments included minister to Germany, foreign minister, and several periods as premier during the unstable politics of the Beijing government. 1
Yen returned to diplomacy as minister to the United States in 1931, while also representing China at the League of Nations. In Geneva he negotiated with Soviet foreign minister Maxim Litvinov to restore relations, and became ambassador to the Soviet Union in 1933. After leaving that post in 1936, he remained active in relief and public affairs. In 1949 he headed an unofficial delegation that met Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai as the civil war approached its conclusion. 1
Washington Appointments
- China — Minister, 1932–1933
Sources
- Yen Hui-ch’ing (W. W. Yen)
Biography in English
- U.S. Department of State: Chinese diplomatic representation
Appointment and credentials chronology; its modern page heading does not identify the government represented by every historical entry.
- W. W. Yen — mission record (1932–1933)
- Republic of China blue-sky, white-sun and red-field flag
Nationalist-government representation, including the R.O.C. embassy after 1949 through the end of 1978. The P.R.C. flag does not apply to these appointments.
- Office of the Historian: recognition and relations with China
Separates government representation, U.S. recognition, and the 1979 change in diplomatic relations.
Biography checked 2026-10-28.
Cite or Reuse This Biography
W. W. Yen. Chanceries Diplopedia. Biography reviewed 2026-10-28. Record 41ac947c808dec4e. https://chanceries.org/diplopedia/people/w-w-yen-b718533e77/
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