Background
Shin-chin Feng was born in Pingtung Hsien, Shanxi, China, in 1883.
Shin-chin Feng was born in Pingtung Hsien, Shanxi, China, in 1883.
Mr. Feng received his Chinese classical education at home and became a provincial graduate with Chu-jen degree at age of twenty. Then he passed the government competitive examinations for study abroad and was among the first group of students sent to Japan, where be attended the Meiji University in Tokyo and graduated from the school of political science in 1906.
He returned to China in 1907 and finding official life distasteful to him and being interested in the study of Chinese and Western philosophies, decided to devote his efforts to the work of education and social service in his native city, where he successively served as instructor, dean and principal of the City Middle School, president of the City Educational Association, president of the Self-Government Institute and president of City Assembly—to all these post Mr. Feng was elected by popular vote.
In 1918 he was elected president of Shanxi (Shansi) Provincial Educational Association which post he held consecutively for three terms and concurrently chief of the educational bureau of Shanxi (Shansi) Provincial Government.
In the winter of 1928, Feng Shih-chin was transferred to the post of chief secretary of the Tianjin (Tientsin) Municipal Government and concurrently director of the Bureau of Social Affair. In 1930, he was transferred back to Shanxi (Shansi) as a member of the Shanxi (Shansi) Provincial Government and concurrently Commissioner of Education which posts he resigned, in 1930 and retired from politics and devoted himself to education.