Han Xu

Han Xu (May 26, 1924 – July 19, 1994) was a Chinese diplomat who served as the Chinese Ambassador to the United States from 1985 to 1989, and as Vice Foreign Minister of China from 1982 to 1985. Early life Han was born May 26, 1924, in Jiangning County, Jiangsu Province. His original name was Shen Chongjian, and Hanxu was his courtesy name, which he later adopted as his full name. His father, Shen Jiayi, served as a grand justice during the rule of the Chinese Nationalist Government. Because of his father's position in the government, Han received an elite education. In the 1940s, he studied at Yenching University in Beijing where he met Communist leaders including the future Premier Zhou Enlai. Following his graduation from Yenching, Han worked as an English professor at the North China Allied University for several years where he met his wife, Ge Jiyun. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Han joined the Chinese Communist army as a guerrilla fighter. His unit helped to rescue American pilots who were shot down by the Japanese over the mountainous areas of northern China. He kept bank notes signed by the pilots he helped save as souvenirs. Han's elder brother, Shen Chonghui, had joined the Republic of China Air Force as a pilot and died in 1937 while bombing the Japanese cruiser Izumo during the Battle of Shanghai.