Liang-Lin Hsiao

Hsiao Liang-Lin (aka Siu Tso-Han or Johann Siu) was born on 9/17/19 (later changed to 7/20/19 when arriving in America because he had no way to translate the lunar calendar to the Western calendar) in East Ditch Village near Swatow (Shantou), Canton (Guangzhou), China.  He was the younger son of Hsiao Chie-Sun and Liu Soo-Chin.  His father was a principal and later a high ranking Nationalist official under General Chiang Kai-Shek, in charge of raising money from overseas Chinese for the Nationalist cause. 

 

Liang-Lin spent his early years in East Ditch with many cousins in the Hsiao compound, and went to high school at boarding schools in Nanking (wartime capital) and Hong Kong.  Although he was older than his classmates (having started late after village life), he excelled at academics.  His proud father once indicated that he planned to have him one day be appointed the governor of a province.

 

He went to National Southwest United University in Kunming (a wartime combination of Peking, Tsinghua, and Nankai Universities).  In the economics program there, he met classmate Huang Hwei-Ying (Katharine) in 1939, and they became engaged in 1943.  After graduation, he moved to Chungking (new wartime capital) where he worked as a bank clerk.  The Chinese government began a program to send promising students abroad for graduate school in order to be further educated in anticipation of later returning to rebuild post-war China; economists and engineers were especially needed.  Liang-Lin was fortunate in succeeding in obtaining a spot in the first class sent to the United States, leaving in 1944.  He flew “over the hump” to Calcutta, where he spent a few months enjoying himself while waiting for the boat from Bombay to the United States.  The ship was protected by U.S. military planes, and the windows were covered to evade detection by the Japanese.

 

Upon arriving in the U.S.  Liang-Lin spent a short while in San Francisco, and then Minnesota and Chicago.  He finished his M.A. in 1946 from the University of Michigan (the same year that Katharine, his fiancée, came to Canada to study after working in the Canadian Embassy).  He then moved to New York City and in 1948 he and Katharine were married on September 12th at Riverside Church.

 

In 1948, after the Communist Party succeeded in taking over the Chinese mainland, the United States government spent loan money promised to China on Chinese graduate students who remained in the U.S.  This assisted Liang-Lin and Katharine for a few years.  Liang-Lin enrolled at NYU night school for his PhD and found jobs for Chinese men hard to come by.  He held various jobs as a clerk at a Chinese magazine (.75/hr) and at the National Bureau of Economic Research (which developed what is now the GNP/GDP; $1000/yr FTE).  Daughter Georgia Angella was born in 1951.  After completing most of his work (all but dissertation), he obtained an instruction job at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he worked 5 years.

 

Liang-Lin’s early years at Lafayette were spent commuting on weekends to be with Katharine and Georgia in NYC, while Katharine finished her graduate work at Columbia University and continued work at the National Bureau.  Later, Katharine obtained a teaching job at Moravian College, and moved to Pennsylvania, and son, Gilbert Lynn was born.  As Lafayette College did not have a tradition of retaining instructors after 5 years, he then did a nationwide search for a position.  He found that Indiana State University was looking, and was able to obtain a tenure track position, along with assurances that Katharine would also be hired.  The family moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, where daughter Katharine Jean was born in 1960.

 

Liang-Lin and Katharine had offices adjacent to each other as economics professors at ISU for over 26 years.  Liang-Lin was active in assisting international students at the university, and personally helped sponsor more than a dozen nieces, nephews, and children of close Chinese friends to come to the United States for college.  His book, China’s Foreign Trade Statistics, 1864 – 1949, was published in 1974 by the East Asian Research Center, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.

 

Liang-Lin was also supportive of his wife’s academic career at a time when few men were – Katharine served on the ISU Faculty Senate, and was a founder of the Women’s Studies Department at ISU.  Her book, Money and Monetary Policy in Communist China, was published in 1971 by Columbia University Press, New York/London.

 

After more than a quarter century at ISU, Liang-Lin retired from teaching, along with Katharine, and moved to Emeryville, California.  He then spent several years teaching and lecturing on a part-time basis in China.  He and Katharine helped to educate the post-Mao era generation of economists, who are now leading the country.  His avocation was taking cruises, and after retirement he and Katharine took 34 cruises around the world, many at the last minute.

 

In 2006, Liang-Lin and Katharine moved to an independent living apartment at Baywood Court in Castro Valley, California, but the Emeryville Watergate apartment, with its views of the Berkeley Marina and the Bay, was always his true home, and he longed for the day he could move back forever.

 

Among his many passions in life, Liang-Lin loved Italian opera, Handel's "Messiah," Chinese poetry and calligraphy, gardening, and the work of his artist son, Gilbert Hsiao.  See http://gilberthsiao.blogspot.com/.  He was also committed to the movement to publicize and remember the atrocities committed by Japan's military against Chinese civilians during World War II.  As a Chinese person who experienced a lot of prejudice and discrimination, he was also deeply appreciative of all who have participated in the Civil Rights movement.

 

Liang-Lin is survived by his wife, Katharine Hwei-Ying, his children and their spouses: Georgia & Morgan Wesson, Gilbert Hsiao & Marianne Berry, and Katharine Hsiao & Augustine Bau, and his grandchildren, William & Emily Wesson and Alex & Elizabeth Bau.

 

Our family would appreciate it if you would sign the guestbook.

Born: Jul 20, 1919 in Swatow/Canton/China

Died: May 21, 2009 in Emeryville/California/USA

About: NYU Alumni (PhD), University of Michigan Alumni (MA), National Southwest United University Alumni (BA)

Obituary

Liang-Lin Hsiao

 

Liang-Lin Hsiao, 89, of Emeryville, California, passed away Thursday, May 21 at his waterfront condominimum.  He was a professor in the Economics Department of Indiana State University from 1959 until his retirement in 1985, at which time he moved to California.  He was born on 9/17/19  Swatow, Canton, China.   He went to National Southwest United University in Kunming (a wartime combination of Peking, Tsinghua, and Nankai Universities).  In the economics program there, he met classmate Huang Hwei-Ying (Katharine) in 1939, and they became engaged in 1943.  Upon arriving in the U.S. as a graduate student in 1944,  Liang-Lin spent a short while in San Francisco, and then Minnesota and Chicago.  He finished his M.A. in 1946 from the University of Michigan (the same year that Katharine, his fiancée, came to Canada to study after working in the Canadian Embassy).  He then moved to New York City and in 1948 he and Katharine were married on September 12th at Riverside Church.  Liang-Lin enrolled at NYU night school for his PhD. Daughter Georgia Angella was born in 1951.  He obtained an instruction job at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he worked 5 years and son, Gilbert Lynn was born.  He obtained a position at Indiana State University in 1957, along with assurances that Katharine would also be hired, a rare event at that time.  The family moved to Terre Haute, Indiana, where daughter Katharine Jean was born in 1960.

 

Liang-Lin and Katharine had offices adjacent to each other as economics professors at ISU for over 26 years.  Liang-Lin was active in assisting international students at the university, and personally helped sponsor more than a dozen nieces, nephews, and children of close Chinese friends to come to the United States for college.  His book, China’s Foreign Trade Statistics, 1864 – 1949, was published in 1974 by the East Asian Research Center, Harvard University Press, Cambridge.

 

After more than a quarter century at ISU, Liang-Lin retired from teaching, along with Katharine, and moved to Emeryville, California.  He then spent several years teaching and lecturing on a part-time basis in China.  He and Katharine helped to educate the post-Mao era generation of economists, who are now leading the country. 

 

Among his many passions in life, Liang-Lin loved Italian opera, Handel's "Messiah," Chinese poetry and calligraphy, gardening, and the work of his artist son, Gilbert Hsiao.  See http://gilberthsiao.blogspot.com/.  He was also committed to the movement to publicize and remember the atrocities committed by Japan's military against Chinese civilians during World War II.  As a Chinese person who experienced a lot of prejudice and discrimination, he was also deeply appreciative of all who have participated in the Civil Right movement.

 

Liang-Lin is survived by his wife, Katharine Hwei-Ying, his children and their spouses: Georgia & Morgan Wesson, Gilbert Hsiao & Marianne Berry, and Katharine Hsiao & Augustine Bau, and his grandchildren, William & Emily Wesson and Alex & Elizabeth Bau.  Memorial gifts may be made to Asian Pacific Fund, 225 Bush Street, Suite 590, San Francisco CA 94104 for the purpose of graduate student scholarships.  For more information, see http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/lianglinhsiao/homepage.aspx.

My dad wanted no fuss or funeral over him, so we will not have a gathering.  He will be cremated and we will keep his ashes; at my mother's death, they will be scattered somewhere in the Pacific (she told him many times that that way they would together travel back to China). 

Our family would appreciate it if you would sign the guestbook.