Education
Mr. Cheng entered Hongdo Middle School in 1912, but soon was transferred into Xinyuan Middle School and graduated from it at age of 17. In 1917 Cheng Tien-fang came to Shanghai and entered Fudan Public School (later Fudan University) in Shanghai. In 1919, Mr. Cheng graduated from Fudan University. He was a famous student leader of May Fourth Movement, and was elected the president of Shanghai Students' Union.
In November 1920, he went to study in USA. Cheng Tien-fang entered the University of Illinois in September 1921. He received Bachelor of Arts degree in June, 1922, and Master of Arts in June, 1923. In 1926, Cheng obtained Doctor of Philosophy in politics from the University of Toronto.
Career
Cheng Tien-fang was appointed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen editor-in-chief of the Chung Wen Daily News, a Kuomintang newspaper published in Toronto, Canada, in which capacity, he served for two years and at the same time, studied in the University of Toronto.
He returned to China in August 1926 and taught in Shanghai for several months. Cheng Tien-fang went to Jiangxi (Kiangsi) in November 1926 shortly after the arrival of the Nationalist Revolutionary Army in Nanchang. He was appointed Commissioner of Education of the first Jiangxi (Kiangsi) Provincial Government under the Nationalist regime in February 1927, and concurrently was a member of the Provincial Executive Committee of Kuomintang.
Mr. Chenh was held captive by the Communists during the Communist Uprising at Nanchang in April, 1927. He came to Nanking and became professor of political science in the National Central University from September 1927 to December 1928, concurrently served as a counsellor to the National Government.
Since March 1929 he was made a reserve member of the Central Executive Committee. Mr. Cheng held the position of a Commissioner of Education of Anhui Provincial Government between 1928 and 1931, and during his three years administration, Anhui made considerable progress in education.
Cheng Tien-fang was an Acting Chairman of the Anhui Provincial Government in 1931. From September till December 1913 he acted as an assistant Director of the Publicity Department of the Central Party Headquarters. From March 1932 to April 1933 Mr. Cheng served as a President of the National University of Zhejiang (Chekiang). He was a member of the Jiangsu (Kiangsu) Provincial Government and concurrently secretary-gentral, 1933-1934. Between 1934 and 1935 Cheng Tien-fang was made a Dean of the Central Political Institute. Since June 1935 he was appointed Chinese Ambassador to Germany,