These documents were donated by Wang's daughters, director Wang Ying 汪瑩 and professor Wang Qi 汪琪. Wang Kung-chi, a native of Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province, was born in Beiping. Following his father, envoy Wang Rong-bao汪榮寶 (1878-1933) to Europe, he had the chance to live and study in Belgium, France and Switzerland in his teens. He went to Japan for further studies in 1926, returned to China in 1933, and later served as secretary of the Executive Yuan, Shanghai Municipal Government and Guangdong Provincial Government. After the conclusion of the Second Sino-Japanese War, he served as director of China's Government Information Office's branch in France.

After arriving in Taiwan in 1951, he served as deputy head of the ROC delegation to Japan and deputy minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. In 1963, he was appointed ambassador to Madagascar, with the important task of consolidating diplomatic relations with Francophile African countries. In his later years, he taught French and Western diplomatic history at universities, eventually passing away after succumbing to illness in 2000.

Both Wang's great-uncle and grandfather were envoys to Japan in the late Qing Dynasty; his father, other than envoy to Europe, also served as minister of Republican China to Japan for ten years; Wang himself, as mentioned, acted as deputy head of the ROC delegation to Japan in the 1950s. Three generations of his family had a deep connection to China's diplomacy, particularly with Japan.

Madame Wang Ren Yong-wen also hailed from a prominent family, with her father serving as Consul in Kobe and Nagasaki. Graduating from the English Department of Kobe College in 1936, she married Wang that same year and accompanied him on diplomatic missions. After relocating to Taiwan, she served as the office secretary of Yin Chung-jung 尹仲容 at the Council for U.S. Aid (CUSA) and engaged in Japanese and English translation work for many years.

The documents include Mr. Wang's diary (1953-1961) and Madame Wang's diary (1942-2001), unusual sources which can not only be cross referenced for historical research but also sometimes reflect different viewpoints of men and women.

(1) These papers range from the year of 1931 to 2001 including diaries, calendar, correspondence, manuscripts, and writings, and contain 191 volumes in total.
(2) Opening method: View images and originals in the on-site reading room.

※ Archives collection search system website: https://archivesonline.mh.sinica.edu.tw/ (open a new window)

Time of announcement: 2024/01/22