Yang Tongyi

Yang Tongyi (1907-2000), son of Yang Weiyun, a textile industry titan during the late Qing Dynasty, son-in-law of Rong Desheng, and brother-in-law of Rong Yiren. In 1930, he graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, earning a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master's degree in Industrial Management, and later became a lifelong honorary fellow. In 1950, he served as Chairman of Shanghai Guangxin Bank.

Starting in 1978, Yang Tongyi and his wife, Rong Shuren, actively promoted domestic technology introduction projects, such as the production of electronic watches in Shanghai and the construction of a plastics and chemical factory in Wuhan. He also facilitated donations from his cousins Rong Furen and Rong Hongyuan to support the Shanghai Science and Technology Association and Jiaotong University. To fulfill his aunt Yang Lingbo’s wish, he spent five years bringing back her precious cultural relics to China, donating them to the Forbidden City and Wuxi Museum, and establishing the Yang Lingbo Cultural and Educational Fund.

Yang Tongyi was an early introducer of systems dynamics theory; he translated "Principles of Systems" and established reading rooms at Jiaotong University and Fudan University, and promoted the theory in Taiwan. He served as a part-time professor at Jiaotong University and Fudan University, and as vice president of the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Students Association and a standing member of the Shanghai Political Consultative Conference, contributing significantly to China’s education and technological development.