Yuan Keding

Yuán Kèdìng (Chinese: 袁克定; 1878 - 1958), courtesy name Yuntai (云台), sobriquet Huineng Jushi (慧能居士), was the eldest son of Yuan Shikai. His mother was Yuan's original wife, Yu (于氏), and Yuan Kewen was his younger brother.

In his childhood, Yuan followed his father to many places when he served in various positions in Qing Dynasty. He used to study in Germany and spoke fluently German and English languages. At the end of Qing Dynasty, he served as a low-rank official in the government. After Xinhai Revolution, under the instruction of his father, Yuan became a close friend of Wang Jingwei. According to "History of Xinhai Revolution", Yuan and Wang swore to be "brothers of different surnames" in front of Yuan Shikai.

After the death of his father, Yuan lived seclusively in the German concession in Tianjin. In 1935, he moved to Baochao Lane (宝钞胡同) in Beijing. In 1937, he again relocated in Qinghuaxuan Villa in Summer Palace. During Sino-Japanese War, Yuan refused to cooperate with Japanese army and his life became impoverished.

In 1948, due to poverty, Yuan turned to his cousin, Zhang Boju (张伯驹), and moved into Tsinghua Garden. Thanks to the help of Zhang Shizhao, after 1949, Yuan became a fellow of Central Research Institute of Culture and History, and thus had a steady income. He died in 1958 of illness.

Yuan had three children. His son, Yuan Jiarong (袁家融), studied in the United States and majored in geology.