Tsai Ting Kan (Wade-Giles spelling: Ts'ai Ting-kan; simplified Chinese: 蔡廷干; traditional Chinese: 蔡廷幹; pinyin: Cài Tínggàn; 字 耀堂 Yao Tang) (April 5, 1861, Xiangshan County – September 24, 1935, Beijing) was a Chinese naval officer. Tsai was educated in the United States as a student on the Chinese Educational Mission and became an admiral in the Qing dynasty navy and Republican era statesman and politician.[1]
Under the new republic, Tsai helped Yuan Shikai negotiate the abdication of the Manchu ruler. When Yuan became president, he took pride in the foreign educated returned students he placed in prominent positions, and Ts’ai was one of several graduates of the CEM to join his entourage.[5] Tsai served as the Associate Director-General of Customs Revenue Council, inspector in the Salt Gabelle, in the Department of Taxation, and as Master of Ceremonies in the presidential palace.[6] Tsai was Yuan's English language interpreter and guided his conduct of foreign affairs. In 1915, for instance, he exchanged notes with British representatives about the conditions under which China could enter the war in Europe.[7] When Yuan's ambitions began to alienate public opinion, Tsai was one of the few foreign educated members of Yuan's entourage to stay with him until the end.[8] Tsai went into retirement when Yuan died in 1916 only to be taken back into government by Duan Qirui, leader of the Northern government in Peking. In 1917 he served as Chairman of the Tariff Revision Commission. In 1921, he served as advisor to the Chinese delegation to the Washington Conference. Among the ceremonial services he provided was to preside over the marriage of Henry Puyi, the last emperor.[6] In 1925, his favorable reputation in both the Chinese and foreign communities made him acceptable to serve on the commission on the May Thirtieth Incident in which Shanghai police fired upon and killed Chinese protestors.[4]
In July 1926, Premier W. W. Yen appointed him Foreign Minister but Tsai resigned in October. In 1927 he resigned as Director-General of Customs Revenue Council and retired to private life. In 1931 he settled Peking as professor of Chinese literature at Tsinghua University and Peking University. In 1932, he published Chinese Poems in English Rhyme 唐詩英韻 (University of Chicago Press). He died in Peking on September 24, 1935, at the age of 75.[4]