Background
He was native of Chekiang and born in Canton, Kwangtung, China in 1889.
He was native of Chekiang and born in Canton, Kwangtung, China in 1889.
Lu-chien Tao received his preliminary education in private schools at Canton. While still a boy, he had already acquired the reputation of a scholar in Chinese literature and successfully passed the literary examinations desirous of a modern education, he went to Peking and there entered the Peking College of Languages, from which he graduated at the head of his class in 1911.
Mr. Tao joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1912 and became a colleague of Dr. C. C. Wu. Ever since then and for the last seventeen years intermittently, he has been serving under that Ministry, though at different times, he also held various posts in the Ministries of Finance and Interior.
Lu-chien Tao was appointed attache to the Chinese Legation in Lisbon, Portugal in 1917, but did not take up his duties there owing to the Great War. He was secretary and later Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Legation in Mexico in 1918. Before return to China to rejoin the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was sent to Cuba on a special mission and assisted the Ministry of Finance in its domestic loan reorganization work from1922 till 1923, Special Commissioner of Foreign Affairs for Chihli in 1926.
During the Tariff Revision Conference in 1926, Mr. Tao was in charge of its secretarial work, joined the Ministry of the National Government at Nanking in 1927 and was appointed by Dr. C. C. Wu, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, as chief councillor and concurrently director of the general affairs department of the Ministry.
After the overthrow of the Peking Government, he was despatched to the North to take over the defunct Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Peiping. When his mission was completed, he resigned from the Ministry and became a councillor of the Special Municipality of Peiping and concurrently commissioner for the development of Peiping. He was appointed special Commissioner of Foreign Affairs for Kwangtung in 1929 and in this capacity, he did much to preserve the cordial relations between the Chinese authorities and the foreign consular officials in South China. When the office of the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs was abolished by a mandate of the National Government, he was appointed Inspector General of Foreign Affairs for five southern provinces (Chekiang, Fukien, Kwangtung, Kwangsi and Kweichow) and concurrently high adviser to the Kwangtung Provincial Government.
Lu-chien Tao appointed chief secretary to the Governor of Hainan Island in 1932, when the late Dr. C. C. Wu became the Governor, but did not take up his duties, member of the Legislative Yuan from 1933 till 1936 and Vice-Minister of Interior since 1985. He is a recipient of Chinese Government decorations, Chia-ho and Wen-hu, and French Legion d'Honneur.