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Sung Mon Wai

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Pinyin & Chinese characters Song Wenhui 宋文翙
Variant Spellings & Other Names Song Wan Yu1
Sung Mun Wai
Sung Man Wai
Other Chinese Name(s) Sung Shuyi 宋叔仪
Detachment 2
LaFargue No. 50
Date of Birth 1861; 18602
Place of Birth Xiangshan (Macau), Guangdong
Age at Departure for US 13 (Lunar Calendar)
Date of Death 16 Nov 19132
Place of Death Shanghai
Place(s) of Residence in US (1) Amherst, MA
(2) Somerville, MA
American Host Family/ies (1) Rev. Thomas S. & Harriet Amelia (King) Potwin, Amherst, MA3
(2) John L. & Martha C. Hammett, Somerville, MA (U.S. Census 1880)
School(s), with dates

Natchaug School, Willimantic, CT (?-1878)
Somerville High School, Somerville, MA (1878-1880)4
Notable Activities/Awards in School

In June 1878, Sung Mon Wai participated in Natchaug High School's declamation contest; he recited a portion of "Irish Aliens" -- Irish MP Richard Lalor Sheil's famous oration in Parliament of 22 Feb 1837 -- and was awarded first prize.5
College/University, with dates M. I. T., 1880-18816
Notable Activities/Awards in College  
Degree/Diploma Obtained (date)  
First Assignment in China Enrolled in Fuzhou Naval School, 8th Cohort in navigation science 福州船政學堂第八期駕駛班
Later Positions Served in Beiyang Squadron: 1888 Chief Gunnery Officer 枪炮大副 on the battleship Ting Yuen 定远;

1892 Deputy Chief Officer 帮办大副 and later Captain 管带 on the cruiser Kuang Chia 广甲7;

1894 Participated in battle of the Yalu River, Sino-Japanese War, 17 September;

1906 Captain of torpedo gunboat Chien An 建安:

1909 Dec. Captain of gunboat Kiang Li 江利; also appointed 海軍副參領 (deputy commander)

1910 Captain of gunboat Kiang Yuan 江元;

1911 early months: Commander of cruiser Ching Ch'ing 镜淸, Yangtze squadron.8

1911 Nov.: Participated in action against the Qing forces at Nanking; was put in charge of the Yangtze squadron 統領長江水師 by Hubei military government

1912 Republican period: continued to rise in rank.
Employment Sector(s) Navy
Final Rank, if in Gov't Service 20 Aug 1913 appointed 海军少将 (Rear Admiral).
23 Jan 1914 posthumously promoted to 海军中将 (Vice Admiral).
Father's Name Sung Daquan 宋达泉
Mother's Name  
Wife/wives  
Family Relations w/ other CEM Students  

Children's Names

 
Descendants  
Other  
Notes and Sources

1. Springfield Daily Republican, 26 July 1873, 3.

2. Biographical data in Chinese source, http://baike.baidu.com/view/1912244.htm (accessed 4 Jan 2012; courtesy B. Chan).

3. Rhoads (2011), p. 52, Table 5.1.

4. Rhoads (2011), pp. 97-98, Table 7.2.

5. Rhoads (2011), pp. 105-106.

6. Qian & Hu (2003), 108; Qian & Hu (2004), 115; Rhoads (2011), p. 117, Table 8.1.

7. Shi (2000), 201.

8. For dates of appointments cf. source cited in note 2 above; technical data on these Chinese naval vessels (names romanized as above) and their armaments can be found in Wright (2000).