Qian Mu’s second son Qian Xing dies at 94 after father and son spent 31 years apart

Qian Xing, the second son of renowned Chinese scholar Qian Mu, died at 94 after a life shaped by a 31-year separation from his father. Qian Xing died on the morning of the 6th, according to the report.

He taught mathematics at a middle school in Jiangsu, China, until retiring. Suzhou No. 5 Middle School issued a death notice describing him as a respected teacher who spent most of his career in mathematics education. The school said he worked on the front line of teaching, approached scholarship rigorously, treated people modestly and continued to care about the school after retirement.

Qian Mu had three sons and two daughters with his second wife: Qian Zhuo, Qian Xing, Qian Xun, Qian Yi and Qian Hui. Qian Mu devoted his life to the study of Chinese traditional culture and history, while the political changes around 1949 sent him and his children along different paths.

Qian Mu left alone for Hong Kong in 1949 and moved to Taiwan in 1967. Qian Xing and his younger brother Qian Xun were influenced by radical currents of thought and had sharply criticized traditional culture. Because Qian Mu’s position came under attack, Qian Xing was also affected and once condemned his father in the name of patriotism.

During the Cultural Revolution, Qian Mu and his children stopped exchanging letters to prevent the children from being implicated. The separation lasted until 1980, when they reunited in Hong Kong with Qian Mu, then 85. Qian Xun, who later became a professor at Tsinghua University, died in 2019 at 85.