Sun Zhongkai

Sun Zhongkai (1898-1966), named Xiangqi, was born in Tianjin. He is the second son of Sun Xuanxuan, the founder of Yuanlong Silk Shop in the early years. Sun Zhongkai worked as an apprentice at Zhiyuan Bank in Tianjin and assisted his father Sun Xuanxuan in managing the family business. In 1921, he took over as the manager of Yuanlong Silk and Cloth Store. After that, he successively opened Qingsheng Cotton Shop, Yuyuan Cotton Mill, Yuanju, Yuanyu, Tongchengxing, Longning and other cotton yarn stores, invested in Jinfeng, Yangsheng, Qingyi and other banks, and managed Qingyi Rice Noodles. From 1923 to 1925, the Sun family's property had reached 5 million yuan, making them one of the "New Eight Families" in Tianjin. After the July 7th Incident, Sun Zhongkai purchased large areas of residential real estate in the Yong'an Hotel on Fanjiao Road (today's Xinhua Road), Jixiangli and Henghe Xili on Sha Dafu Road (today's Shandong Road) in the French Concession in Tianjin. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Sun Zhongkai dedicated his residence to the Tianjin Municipal People's Government and moved it to Beijing.