Yan Xishan

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Yan Xishan
閻錫山 Yen Hsi-shan
Gen. Yan Xishan
President of the Republic of China
Acting 20 November 1949 – 1 March 1950
Premier	Yan Xishan
Preceded by	Li Zongren
Succeeded by	Chiang Kai-shek
Premier of the Republic of China
In office 3 June 1949 – 7 March 1950
President	Li Zongren (acting) Xishan (acting) Chiang Kai-shek
Vice Premier	Chia Ching-teh Zhu Jiahua
Preceded by	He Yingqin
Succeeded by	Zhou Enlai (as Premier of the People's Republic of China) Chen Cheng
Personal details
Born	(1883-10-08)8 October 1883 Wutai County, Xinzhou, Shanxi, Qing Empire
Died	22 July 1960(1960-07-22) (aged 76) Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
Political party	Kuomintang Progressive Party
Awards	Order of Blue Sky and White Sun Order of the Sacred Tripod Order of the Cloud and Banner Order of Rank and Merit Order of the Precious Brilliant Golden Grain Order of Wen-Hu
Nickname	"Model Governor"
Military service
Allegiance	Qing Empire  Republic of China
Branch/service	New Army National Revolutionary Army
Years of service	1911–1949
Rank	General
Commands	2nd Regiment, Shanxi Div. Beiyang Army Army of Shanxi 2nd Military Region, NRA
Battles/wars	Xinhai Revolution Northern Expedition Central Plains War Second Sino-Japanese War Chinese Civil War

Yan Xishan or Yen Hsi-shan (IPA: [jɛ̌n ɕíʂán]; 8 October 1883 – 22 July 1960) was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China. He effectively controlled the province of Shanxi from the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the 1949 Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War. As the leader of a relatively small, poor, remote province, he survived Yuan Shikai, the Warlord Era, the Nationalist Era, the Japanese invasion of China and the subsequent civil war, being forced from office only when the Nationalist armies with which he was aligned had completely lost control of the Chinese mainland, isolating Shanxi from any source of economic or military supply. He has been viewed by Western biographers as a transitional figure who advocated using Western technology to protect Chinese traditions, while at the same time reforming older political, social and economic conditions in a way that paved the way for the radical changes that would occur after his rule.^[1]