Qian Zhengying (1923–)

Chinese engineer and politician. Born of Han nationality in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, China, July 1923 (one source cites birth place as US); dau. of a civil engineer who studied water conservancy at Cornell University; graduate of Department of Civil Engineering of Datong University, Shanghai; m. Huang Xinbai (former vice minister of education); children: 3.

One of China's 1st women engineers, became active in revolutionary politics in Shanghai as early as 1937; became secretary of an underground Communist group there (1941); as the Huaibei River rose suddenly and broke its dykes (1944), began working in flood relief; spent the rest of her life harnessing rivers throughout China and tackling technical problems at sites of all major hydropower projects; served as section chief of Bureau of Water Conservancy under Jiangsu-Anhui Regional government, director of the Front Engineering Division of Department of Army Service Station of East China Ministry Command (1945–48), party secretary and deputy director of Bureau of Shadong Yellow River Management (1948–50), deputy head of the Department of Water Conservancy under East China Military Administrative Committee and concurrently deputy head of Engineering Department under the Committee for Harnessing Huai River (1950–52); after 35 years as an engineer, served as vice minister and then minister of Water Conservancy (1952–88), a top position in her field, particularly for a woman; was elected and reelected vice chair of 7th to 9th CPPCC National Committees (1988, 1993, 1998); was also a member of the 10th through 14th CPC Central Committees. Awarded China Engineering Science and Technology prize (2000).