Shen Chun-shan
Encyclopedia
Shen Chun-shan is a retired academic in Taiwan
, most noted for his position as the former head of National Tsing Hua University
. He is known as one of the "four princes of Taiwan" along with Chen Li-an
, Fredrick Chien
, and Lien Chan
, all of whose fathers attained prominence in politics prior to their sons' successes.
; his paternal family roots are in Yuyao
, Zhejiang
. His father Shen Chung-han沈宗瀚 was an agricultural expert. Shen's parents were both highly educated and had studied in the United States
; his maternal grandfather also went to France
as an exchange student. A propensity to stroke
s runs in his family; his maternal grandfather died of a stroke in his 30s while in France, and his mother died of the same cause when the young Shen himself was only 9. The young Shen followed his father to Taiwan a few years later in 1949. Shen's father rose to further political prominence in Taiwan, eventually becoming the chairman of the Council of Agriculture
.
Shen graduated from National Taiwan University
's physics department in 1955. In 1957, he left Taiwan for the United States, to enroll in a doctoral program in physics
from the University of Maryland
, from which he graduated in 1961. His dissertation was entitled "Dispersion relation
for the electron impact width and shift of an isolated line". He went on teach at Princeton University
and Purdue University
as well as taking up a position at NASA
.
's sciences faculty, at a salary only one-eighth that which he received in the United States, earning him praise as a "model of patriotism" for his actions. While maintaining his teaching position, he also served as the head of various semi-official think tanks; he took a break from these politically-related activities in 1984 to become the head of Ing Chang-ki
's Ing Foundation for the promotion of Go and to aid in setting up a molecular biology
research center at Tsing Hua.
Shen formally returned to politics in 1988 with his naming as Minister without Portfolio in the Executive Yuan
, an appointment which drew surprise at the time because he was not then a member of the Kuomintang. He later served as a member of the Central Election Committee
, an arbitrator of the Academia Sinica
, and most prominently with the National Unification Council
, as a member of which he made three visits to Zhongnanhai
to meet with People's Republic of China
leaders. Though Shen generally maintained nuanced views on the political status of Taiwan
and the issue of Chinese reunification
, during these meetings he repeatedly pointed out to PRC president
Jiang Zemin
that "more than 80% of Taiwan's people would not accept unification under a central government led by the Communist Party of China",「百分之八十以上台灣人民反對接受一個共產黨領導的中央政府的統一」 that "the two governments (on either side of the Taiwan strait) are a reality, while 'one China' is not",「『兩府』是一個事實，『一國』倒是虛的」 and that "In Taiwan, the number of people who consider reunification as their highest value, and who pursue reunification for its own sake, is becoming smaller and smaller."「在台灣把統一當做最高價值，為統一而統一的人，可以說愈來愈少了」
Shen took up his post as the president of National Tsing Hua University in 1993; he retired from that position and from academic life in 1997.
. He was a member of the Republic of China team that finished second in the 1969 Bermuda Bowl
world teams bridge championship, a particularly notable success given that he and team-mate Frank Huang had never previously played as partners. He is ranked
as a 6th-dan go player. In 1978, he got Harvey Feldman
, then Director of the United States Department of State
's Office of Republic of China Affairs, to reveal over a game of Go the timetable for the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
which would end formal relations between Washington and Taipei. Novelist Jin Yong introduced Shen to world Go champion and People's Republic of China citizen Nie Weiping
in 1984 in Hong Kong
; the two would go on to become good friends through their mutual interest in both Go and bridge, though they did not have many opportunities to meet. In 1991, they were able to integrate their bridge play into cross-straits diplomacy
, entering the 1991 Far East Championships in Guangzhou
as partners. 9th-dan professional Go player Cho U
also credits Shen with teaching him the game as a child; the two first played when Cho was seven.
Shen started the first overseas chapter of the University of Maryland's alumni association, and was a member of the first group elected to their Alumni Hall of Fame when it was established in 1995.
, Minoru Kitani
, Rin Kaiho
, Cho Hunhyun
, and Nie Weiping
was published in June 2006. On July 6, 2007, he suffered his third stroke, involving intracranial hemorrhage
; he was hospitalised at Hsinchu
's Mackay Memorial Hospital
. After surgery, his condition stabilised, but he was left in a coma. Later in the year, he was transferred to Wanfang Hospital. Doctors there assessed his condition as roughly nine points on the Glasgow Coma Scale
, meaning that his brain was still basically in good condition, and there remained a possibility that he might regain awareness. In early 2008, he showed some response to voices, and his condition was reportedly continuing to improve. However, , he remained comatose.
Shen has had many famous visitors while in his coma. In October 2009, Nie Weiping travelled to Taiwan to see Shen, in what he described as a "final visit". Ma Ying-jeou
paid a visit in February 2011, and recited poetry for Shen, to which Shen reportedly showed some response. Chi Cheng
also comes to sing to Shen every so often, not knowing whether he can hear her or not; she and her former Tsing Hua professor visited Shen in January 2010 while in Hsinchu.
announced that they had formally accepted the suggestion to name a minor planet
discovered in April 2006 after Shen, making its official designation 202605 Shenchunshan. The Lulin Observatory
astronomers who first found the minor planet, Yang Ting-chang楊庭彰 of the National Central University
in Taiwan and Ye Quanzhi葉泉志 of Zhongshan University in Guangdong, had suggested the name in Shen's honour. Shen was the second Tsing Hua president to have a minor planet named for him, following his successor Frank Shu
.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, most noted for his position as the former head of National Tsing Hua University
National Tsing Hua University
National Tsing Hua University is one of the most prestigious universities in Taiwan. The university has a strong reputation in the studies of science and engineering. Times Higher Education - World University Rankings is107in the world. Engineering and Science are the best in Taiwan...
. He is known as one of the "four princes of Taiwan" along with Chen Li-an
Chen Li-an
Chen Li-an , sometimes spelled Chen Lu-an, is an electrical engineer, mathematician and former Taiwanese politician.-Biography:Son of former Vice President Chen Tsyr-shiou and earned his masters' and Ph.D. in mathematics from New York University. He had a close friendship with Wang Yung-ching, a...
, Fredrick Chien
Fredrick Chien
Frederick Chien Foo , also spelled Fredrick Chien, was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China on Taiwan from 1990 to 1996.-Background:...
, and Lien Chan
Lien Chan
Lien Chan is a politician in Taiwan. He was Premier of the Republic of China from 1993 to 1997, Vice President of the Republic of China from 1996 to 2000, and was the Chairman of the Kuomintang from 2000 to 2005...
, all of whose fathers attained prominence in politics prior to their sons' successes.
Family background and early career
Shen was born in NanjingNanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
; his paternal family roots are in Yuyao
Yuyao
Yuyao is a city in Zhejiang province, China, capital of Yuyao County, Ningbo. Administratively Yuyao is under the direct jurisdiction of Ningbo....
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
. His father Shen Chung-han沈宗瀚 was an agricultural expert. Shen's parents were both highly educated and had studied in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; his maternal grandfather also went to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as an exchange student. A propensity to stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s runs in his family; his maternal grandfather died of a stroke in his 30s while in France, and his mother died of the same cause when the young Shen himself was only 9. The young Shen followed his father to Taiwan a few years later in 1949. Shen's father rose to further political prominence in Taiwan, eventually becoming the chairman of the Council of Agriculture
Council of Agriculture
The Council of Agriculture is the official government body in the Republic of China charged with overseeing agricultural affairs. It is a child agency of the Executive Yuan and was formed in 1984 from the amalgamation of the Agriculture Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Council...
.
Shen graduated from National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
's physics department in 1955. In 1957, he left Taiwan for the United States, to enroll in a doctoral program in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, from which he graduated in 1961. His dissertation was entitled "Dispersion relation
Dispersion relation
In physics and electrical engineering, dispersion most often refers to frequency-dependent effects in wave propagation. Note, however, that there are several other uses of the word "dispersion" in the physical sciences....
for the electron impact width and shift of an isolated line". He went on teach at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
as well as taking up a position at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
Return to Taiwan
Shen returned to Taiwan in 1973 to take up a post as the head of National Tsing Hua UniversityNational Tsing Hua University
National Tsing Hua University is one of the most prestigious universities in Taiwan. The university has a strong reputation in the studies of science and engineering. Times Higher Education - World University Rankings is107in the world. Engineering and Science are the best in Taiwan...
's sciences faculty, at a salary only one-eighth that which he received in the United States, earning him praise as a "model of patriotism" for his actions. While maintaining his teaching position, he also served as the head of various semi-official think tanks; he took a break from these politically-related activities in 1984 to become the head of Ing Chang-ki
Ing Chang-ki
Ing Chang-ki was a Taiwan industrialist, Go player, and Go promoter. He was the founder of the Ing Cup. He is also known for inventing and promoting the Ing Rules of Go. He also promoted one of the first digital game clocks to support byoyomi.-Biography:...
's Ing Foundation for the promotion of Go and to aid in setting up a molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
research center at Tsing Hua.
Shen formally returned to politics in 1988 with his naming as Minister without Portfolio in the Executive Yuan
Executive Yuan
The Executive Yuan is the executive branch of the government of the Republic of China , commonly known as "Taiwan".-Organization and structure:...
, an appointment which drew surprise at the time because he was not then a member of the Kuomintang. He later served as a member of the Central Election Committee
Central Election Committee
The Central Election Committee is the powerful committee of the AICC entrusted with the final selection of candidates for the various state and national elections across India...
, an arbitrator of the Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica
The Academia Sinica , headquartered in the Nangang District of Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. It supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from mathematical and physical sciences, to life sciences, and to humanities and social sciences.Academia Sinica has...
, and most prominently with the National Unification Council
National Unification Council
The National Unification Council, established in February 1990, is a governmental agency of the Republic of China which no longer functions but whose formal aim is to promote reintegration of mainland China into the Republic of China....
, as a member of which he made three visits to Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai is an area in central Beijing, China adjacent to the Forbidden City which serves as the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China and the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The term Zhongnanhai is closely linked with the central government and senior Communist...
to meet with People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
leaders. Though Shen generally maintained nuanced views on the political status of Taiwan
Political status of Taiwan
The controversy regarding the political status of Taiwan hinges on whether Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu should remain effectively independent as territory of the Republic of China , become unified with the territories now governed by the People's Republic of China , or formally declare...
and the issue of Chinese reunification
Chinese reunification
Chinese reunification refers to the bringing together of all of the territories controlled by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China under a single political entity...
, during these meetings he repeatedly pointed out to PRC president
President of the People's Republic of China
The President of the People's Republic of China is a ceremonial office and a part of State organs under the National People's Congress and it is the head of state of the People's Republic of China . The office was created by the 1982 Constitution...
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin
Jiang Zemin is a former Chinese politician, who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003, and as Chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2005...
that "more than 80% of Taiwan's people would not accept unification under a central government led by the Communist Party of China",「百分之八十以上台灣人民反對接受一個共產黨領導的中央政府的統一」 that "the two governments (on either side of the Taiwan strait) are a reality, while 'one China' is not",「『兩府』是一個事實，『一國』倒是虛的」 and that "In Taiwan, the number of people who consider reunification as their highest value, and who pursue reunification for its own sake, is becoming smaller and smaller."「在台灣把統一當做最高價值，為統一而統一的人，可以說愈來愈少了」
Shen took up his post as the president of National Tsing Hua University in 1993; he retired from that position and from academic life in 1997.
Other activities
Outside of his academic and political work, Shen enjoys playing Go and bridgeContract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
. He was a member of the Republic of China team that finished second in the 1969 Bermuda Bowl
Bermuda Bowl
The Bermuda Bowl is a trophy awarded to the winners of the Open series in the World Team Championship in contract bridge and is named for the site of the inaugural tournament held in 1950...
world teams bridge championship, a particularly notable success given that he and team-mate Frank Huang had never previously played as partners. He is ranked
Go ranks and ratings
Skill in the traditional board game Go is measured by a number of different national, regional and online ranking and rating systems. Traditionally, go rankings have been measured using a system of dan and kyu ranks...
as a 6th-dan go player. In 1978, he got Harvey Feldman
Harvey Feldman
Harvey Julien Feldman was a diplomat of the United States, best known for planning the 1972 Nixon visit to China.-Personal life:Feldman was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended the University of Chicago as both an undergraduate and a master's student in Chinese studies, receiving his M.A. in 1954...
, then Director of the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
's Office of Republic of China Affairs, to reveal over a game of Go the timetable for the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
The Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations of January 1, 1979, established official relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China....
which would end formal relations between Washington and Taipei. Novelist Jin Yong introduced Shen to world Go champion and People's Republic of China citizen Nie Weiping
Nie Weiping
Nie Weiping in Shen, Hebei, China) is a professional Go player.- Biography :Nie began learning Go at the age of nine and won the inaugural World Amateur Go Championship in 1979. Nie was given 9 dan rank in 1982. He became famous in the Go world after leading China to victory in the China-Japan...
in 1984 in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
; the two would go on to become good friends through their mutual interest in both Go and bridge, though they did not have many opportunities to meet. In 1991, they were able to integrate their bridge play into cross-straits diplomacy
Cross-Strait relations
Cross-Strait relations refers to the relations between People's Republic of China and the Republic of China , which lie to the west and east, repectively, of the Taiwan Strait in the west Pacific Ocean....
, entering the 1991 Far East Championships in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
as partners. 9th-dan professional Go player Cho U
Cho U
Cho U Kisei, Oza is a professional Go player. He currently ranks 6th in the most titles won by a Japanese professional; his NEC Cup win in 2011 put him past his teacher Rin Kaiho and Norimoto Yoda. Cho is the only player in history to have held five of the top seven major titles...
also credits Shen with teaching him the game as a child; the two first played when Cho was seven.
Shen started the first overseas chapter of the University of Maryland's alumni association, and was a member of the first group elected to their Alumni Hall of Fame when it was established in 1995.
Strokes and coma
Shen's health deteriorated further after his retirement; he suffered his first stroke in June 1999. In September 2005, a year and a half after the 2004 publication of the first portion of his memoirs, he suffered his second stroke. However, even after his second stroke, he continued writing; his series of biographies of five Go masters Go SeigenGo Seigen
Wu Qingyuan , generally known in the West by his Japanese name Go Seigen, is considered by many players to be the greatest player of the game of Go in the 20th century and of all time.-Biography:...
, Minoru Kitani
Minoru Kitani
was one of the most celebrated professional Go players and teachers of the game of Go in the twentieth century in Japan.- Biography :He earned the nickname "the Prodigy" after winning a knockout tournament. He defeated eight opponents from the Kiseisha in a row during 1928. He played a celebrated...
, Rin Kaiho
Rin Kaiho
Rin Kaiho is a professional Go player.-Biography:Rin Kaiho was born in Shanghai, China. He was a student of Go Seigen when Go brought him to Japan in 1952. He was a promising player who won his first title at the age of 23, the Meijin. He is also part of the 1200 win group...
, Cho Hunhyun
Cho Hunhyun
Cho Hunhyun is a Korean 9-dan professional Go player. Considered one of the greatest players of all-time, Cho reached professional level in Korea in 1962. Since then, Cho has amassed 150 professional titles, more than any player in the world. He once held all nine Korea titles simultaneously in 1980...
, and Nie Weiping
Nie Weiping
Nie Weiping in Shen, Hebei, China) is a professional Go player.- Biography :Nie began learning Go at the age of nine and won the inaugural World Amateur Go Championship in 1979. Nie was given 9 dan rank in 1982. He became famous in the Go world after leading China to victory in the China-Japan...
was published in June 2006. On July 6, 2007, he suffered his third stroke, involving intracranial hemorrhage
Intracranial hemorrhage
An intracranial hemorrhage is a hemorrhage, or bleeding, within the skull.-Causes:Intracranial bleeding occurs when a blood vessel within the skull is ruptured or leaks. It can result from physical trauma or nontraumatic causes such as a ruptured aneurysm...
; he was hospitalised at Hsinchu
Hsinchu
Hsinchu City is a city in northern Taiwan. Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate.Hsinchu City is administered as a special municipality within Taiwan . The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait...
's Mackay Memorial Hospital
Mackay Memorial Hospital
Mackay Memorial Hospital , established on December 26, 1912, is a private Christian hospital located in down-town Taipei. The hospital is mostly associated with the Revd Dr George Leslie Mackay DD, the first modern missionary to northern Taiwan. The hospital is deeply rooted in the Presbyterian...
. After surgery, his condition stabilised, but he was left in a coma. Later in the year, he was transferred to Wanfang Hospital. Doctors there assessed his condition as roughly nine points on the Glasgow Coma Scale
Glasgow Coma Scale
Glasgow Coma Scale or GCS is a neurological scale that aims to give a reliable, objective way of recording the conscious state of a person for initial as well as subsequent assessment...
, meaning that his brain was still basically in good condition, and there remained a possibility that he might regain awareness. In early 2008, he showed some response to voices, and his condition was reportedly continuing to improve. However, , he remained comatose.
Shen has had many famous visitors while in his coma. In October 2009, Nie Weiping travelled to Taiwan to see Shen, in what he described as a "final visit". Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
paid a visit in February 2011, and recited poetry for Shen, to which Shen reportedly showed some response. Chi Cheng
Chi Cheng
Chi Cheng , is a Chinese track and field athlete. She was an Olympic medalist in 1968, and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year for 1970.-Biography:...
also comes to sing to Shen every so often, not knowing whether he can hear her or not; she and her former Tsing Hua professor visited Shen in January 2010 while in Hsinchu.
Minor planet
In May 2009, the International Astronomical UnionInternational Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
announced that they had formally accepted the suggestion to name a minor planet
Minor planet
An asteroid group or minor-planet group is a population of minor planets that have a share broadly similar orbits. Members are generally unrelated to each other, unlike in an asteroid family, which often results from the break-up of a single asteroid...
discovered in April 2006 after Shen, making its official designation 202605 Shenchunshan. The Lulin Observatory
Lulin Observatory
Lulin Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the Institute of Astronomy, National Central University in Taiwan.It is located at the summit of Mount Lulin, on the border of Chiayi County and Nantou County, near Yushan National Park...
astronomers who first found the minor planet, Yang Ting-chang楊庭彰 of the National Central University
National Central University
National Central University is a national comprehensive university in Taiwan .National Central University was founded in 1915 and originated in 258 CE at Nanjing, China. After NCU in Nanjing was renamed Nanjing University in 1949, NCU was re-established in Taiwan in 1962...
in Taiwan and Ye Quanzhi葉泉志 of Zhongshan University in Guangdong, had suggested the name in Shen's honour. Shen was the second Tsing Hua president to have a minor planet named for him, following his successor Frank Shu
Frank Shu
Frank Shu , is an astrophysicist, author and professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, San Diego and the university president of the National Tsing Hua University....
.
Publications
|isbn=9864171526|publisher=Bookzone|date=March 2004|language=Chinese}}|isbn=9574442578|publisher=Bookzone|month=September|year=2005|language=Chinese}}|isbn=9575607494|publisher=Bookzone|month=September|year=2005|language=Chinese}}- The series 《沈君山說棋王故事》(Shen Chun-shan Tells the Stories of Kings of Go):