Liao Entao

Liao Entao (1874–1954), courtesy name Sushu, sobriquet Chan'an, also known as Zhuhai Meng Yu Sheng, was a diplomat and political figure during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period. He was born in Chenjiang Town, Qingguishan County (present-day Huizhou City), Huiyang Prefecture.

Liao Entao's family was quite prominent; his father was Liao Zhubin, his grandfather was Liao Jingchang, and his uncle was Liao Zhigang (courtesy name Liao Weijie). Among his siblings was the renowned revolutionary Liao Zhongkai, and his nephew was Liao Chengzhi, while his niece was Liao Mengxing.

He went abroad at the age of nine to study in San Francisco, focusing on English. In 1879 (the fifth year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign), he returned to China and visited the imperial examination candidate Chen Botao in Dongguan, where he studied Confucian classics. Afterwards, he went to Tokyo, Japan, and graduated from the Department of Politics at Tokyo Imperial University, acquiring a broad range of professional knowledge during his studies.

In 1887, through his uncle Liao Weijie’s connections, he began engaging in diplomatic work for the Qing Dynasty. In 1908, he was appointed as a Qing diplomat, officially entering the diplomatic system. From 1912 to 1917, he served as the Consul of the Beijing government in Cuba, performing consular duties abroad. In February 1922, he temporarily assumed the role of Consul General in Korea, and in June of the same year, he acted as First Secretary at the Japanese embassy until 1923, when he returned to China.

In 1925, at the invitation of his friend Liao Zhongkai, he became a political instructor at the Whampoa Military Academy. He later resigned from the instructor position and was appointed as acting Chargé d’Affaires at the Chinese embassy in Chile. In subsequent years, he also served as consul in Cuba, Panama, and Manila. In 1934, he was appointed Consul General in Manila, and the following year, he returned to China to serve as the supervisor of Jiangsu Jinling Customs.

During the War of Resistance (against Japan), in May 1944, Liao Entao became a member of the Wang Puppeted Nanjing Nationalist Government. In the autumn of 1945, he was arrested and imprisoned, but was later released and moved to Hong Kong, where he lived until his death in 1954. His life spanned and reflected the complex transitions of China from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic and wartime political upheaval, during which he held various significant positions in diplomacy, military, and political affairs.