Background
Tsou Ping-wen was born in Canton, Guangdong, China, although his ancestral home was Suzhou, on October 26, 1892.
Tsou Ping-wen was born in Canton, Guangdong, China, although his ancestral home was Suzhou, on October 26, 1892.
He studied in Canton and Peking before going to the United States to enter Cook Academy, Montour Falls, New York. Mr. Tsou graduated and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, and in 1915 did graduate work on plant pathology in Cornell University. After graduation and upon his return to China, he taught this subject in the University of Nanjing.
Tsou Ping-wen was appointed chief of the Department of Agriculture at the National Teachers' College, Nanjing. Then he was made a dean of the College of Agriculture, Southeastern University, Nanjing. While holding the latter position he was also director of the joint administration for Jiangsu education and industry he organized and called the National Agricultural Convention in Jinan of which he was chairman.
In 1928 Mr. Tsou was appointed to study and draft plans for development of agriculture in Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Guangxi and Guangdong province. In 1929 he was appointed by the National Government to be one of the experts of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Labour and was a commissioner of the Shanghai Bureau of Inspection and Testing of Commercial Commodities, as well as a member of the committee to formulate plans for the Ministry of Industry.
In 1933 he was appointed by the National Government to one of the standing committees of the Cotton Industry Commission of the National Economic Council. Tsou Ping-wen was also a special member of the Food Committee of the Central Party Headquarters.
He joined the Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank in 1932 in charge of the newly organized Agricultural Department, and later became a sub-manager of the Bank.