Ge Caixiang

Ge Caixiang, female, was from Liuwu Village in Zhuji, Zhejiang Province, and was the first wife of industrialist Sun Yueqi. In 1912, after graduating from Shaoxing Normal School, Sun Yueqi was required by government regulation to teach for one year at a local elementary school. During this time, he married Ge Caixiang. Their marriage was harmonious, and the couple shared ten years together.

Throughout their marriage, Ge Caixiang accompanied Sun Yueqi during the formative years of his education and early career. In 1913, he entered the middle school division of Fudan Public School in Shanghai, where he met notable figures such as Shao Lizi, Luo Jialun, and Yu Dawei. In 1916, he enrolled in the Department of Mining and Metallurgy at Beiyang University, and later transferred to Peking University’s Department of Mining after being expelled for participating in a student strike. During these turbulent years, Ge Caixiang remained a steady source of support within the family.

Ge Caixiang and Sun Yueqi had two children. Their eldest son, Sun Zhusheng, was born on October 22, 1914, and later became a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Southwest Jiaotong University, a railway vehicle expert, and an educator, though he was politically persecuted as a “rightist.” Their daughter, Sun Weie, was born in 1916.

In 1922, Ge Caixiang died of illness at about the age of thirty, leaving behind two young children. Her death dealt a heavy blow to Sun Yueqi and the family. Following her passing, Sun Yueqi spent two years in Shaoxing recuperating before resuming his professional pursuits in 1924.

Although her life was short, Ge Caixiang played an essential role during Sun Yueqi’s early years of study and growth. As the first matriarch of the family, she not only supported her husband’s education and ambitions but also ensured the continuation of the Sun family line through her children.