Xiaokai Yang

Xiaokai Yang (a.k.a. Xiguang Yang; Simplified Chinese: 杨小凯; 1948-10-06 to 2004-07-07) was a Chinese Australian economist. He was one of the world's preeminent theorists in economic analysis up until his death in 2004. [ [http://webscript.princeton.edu/~paw/memorials/memdisplay.php?id=1236 PAW | Xiaokai Yang *88 ] ] [ [http://www.monash.edu.au/news/monashmemo/stories/20051005/yang.html Professor Xiaokai Yang inaugural memorial lecture - (Monash Memo, 5 October 2005) ] ] He was also an influential campaigner for democracy in China.

Early life

Xiaokai was born in China, the son of Chinese Communist Party officials. His parents' status meant that he initially had a privileged life, receiving an excellent education by Chinese standards at the time. [ [http://webscript.princeton.edu/~paw/memorials/memdisplay.php?id=1236 PAW | Xiaokai Yang *88 ] ]

However, his life changed dramatically in the early days of the Cultural Revolution. Yang was a Red Guard in Hunan who was part of the Rebel faction Shengwulian. On behalf of the group, Xiaokai wrote probably the most influential article of the Cultural Revolution. [ [http://www.csaa.org.au/news11.04.html#Vale Newsletter – November 2004 No 30 ] ] He published a political treatise entitled "Whither China?", which was highly critical of Mao's communist regime. [ [http://webscript.princeton.edu/~paw/memorials/memdisplay.php?id=1236 PAW | Xiaokai Yang *88 ] ] Xiaokai contended that the essential conflict in China was between the new "red capitalist class", consisting of CCP cadres and their families, and the masses of the Chinese people. [ [http://www.csaa.org.au/news11.04.html#Vale Newsletter – November 2004 No 30 ] ] This was a shocking and daring deviation from the traditional Maoist view that conflict in China was essentially between Mao and his enemies. Xiaokai's essay was read by hundreds of thousands of Chinese during the Cultural Revolution. It could not be read openly, and was passed secretly between trusted friends, provoking lively debate across China. So great was his influence that members of the 1980s Democracy Movement in China labelled Xiaokai "the forerunner of the Thinking Generation". [ [http://www.csaa.org.au/news11.04.html#Vale Newsletter – November 2004 No 30 ] ] Mao personally denounced Xiaokai as a counter-revolutionary in 1969. Xiaokai was arrested and sent to prison for 10 years. At one point, Xiaokai learned that he was scheduled to be executed, though this never eventuated. Distraught by her son's treatment, Xiaokai's mother, Chen Su, committed suicide. [ [http://webscript.princeton.edu/~paw/memorials/memdisplay.php?id=1236 PAW | Xiaokai Yang *88 ] ]

While in prison, Xiaokai managed to learn English and calculus. [ [http://webscript.princeton.edu/~paw/memorials/memdisplay.php?id=1236 PAW | Xiaokai Yang *88 ] ] He learnt from and deeply admired a fellow prisoner who happened to be a mathematics professor and a devout Christian. In 2002, Xiaokai himself converted to the Anglican Church. [ [http://webscript.princeton.edu/~paw/memorials/memdisplay.php?id=1236 PAW | Xiaokai Yang *88 ] ]

When he was released, Xiguang Yang (his original name from birth) changed his name to Xiaokai Yang (his childhood nickname), so that he could find a job. He gained admission to Hunan University and published two highly influential books on economics. He then studied at Princeton University, where he obtained a PhD in economics. [ [http://www.monash.edu.au/news/monashmemo/stories/20040721/vale.html Vale Professor Xiaokai Yang (Monash Memo) ] ]

Professional career

Following his study at Princeton, Xiaokai accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University. In 1988, he moved to Australia and took up a position as lecturer at Monash University. [ [http://www.monash.edu.au/news/monashmemo/stories/20051005/yang.html Professor Xiaokai Yang inaugural memorial lecture - (Monash Memo, 5 October 2005) ] ] He quickly gained widespread international attention, publishing numerous English-language articles and books. He was made senior lecturer in 1989, reader in 1993, and was awarded a personal Chair in Economics in 2000. In 1993, he was elected to the Australian Academy of Social Sciences. [ [http://www.monash.edu.au/news/monashmemo/stories/20040721/vale.html Vale Professor Xiaokai Yang (Monash Memo) ] ] He was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Economics (2002 and 2003). [ [http://www.monash.edu.au/news/monashmemo/stories/20051005/yang.html Professor Xiaokai Yang inaugural memorial lecture - (Monash Memo, 5 October 2005) ] ]

He collaborated with some of the world's leading economists, including Yew-Kwang Ng and Jeffrey Sachs, the latter of whom stated that "Yang is one of the world’s most penetrating and exacting economic theorists, and one of the most creative minds in the economics profession". [ [http://www.csaa.org.au/news11.04.html#Vale Newsletter – November 2004 No 30 ] ] In 2002, Nobel Prize Winner Professor James M. Buchanan said that: "In my view, the most important and exciting research in economics in the world is done at Monash, and it is done by Xiaokai Yang." [ [http://www.monash.edu.au/news/monashmemo/stories/20040721/vale.html Vale Professor Xiaokai Yang (Monash Memo) ] ]

Xiaokai was a neoclassical economist. He is praised by his colleagues for having cleared up many unhelpful digressions in economic writing, and returning the discipline to the fundamental insights of Adam Smith. [ [http://mba.ntu.edu.tw/~jiren/issue/xkyang/memorial/buchanan.htm Buchanan - Xiaokai Yang: An Economist's Tribute ] ] His work is founded on the assumption that all persons (potential traders) are equal in all relevant respects. He moved from this to develop an extensive explanatory apparatus. His work encompasses equilibria that involve more behavioral adjustments than those defined in orthodox neoclassical models of general equilibrium. According to Buchanan, this approach has major implications for a wide range of issues in economics, such as globalisation, outsourcing, as well as interoccupational and locational mobility. [ [http://mba.ntu.edu.tw/~jiren/issue/xkyang/memorial/buchanan.htm Buchanan - Xiaokai Yang: An Economist's Tribute ] ]

Although he was a prolific author in economics, Xiaokai simultaneously wrote a large body of influential political essays in Chinese, including a best-selling book. [ [http://www.csaa.org.au/news11.04.html#Vale Newsletter – November 2004 No 30 ] ] He championed democracy, decentralisation of Chinese political power, and privatisation of the Chinese economy. When he died, "Nanfang Zhoumo" (Southern Weekend), the most influential reformist magazine in China, published a long obituary, praising Xiaokai, and discussing the pervasive impact of his writings.

Professor Xiaokai Yang was diagnosed with lung cancer in September, 2001 and died on July 7 2004 after a long battle with it, which doctors had predicted would kill him many years before he eventually passed away. He is survived by his wife and three children. His eventful life is described in his memoir, "Captive Spirits: Prisoners of the Cultural Revolution".

Further reading

*Mehnhert, Klaus, "Peking and the New Left at Home and Abroad", Berkley: Center for Chinese Studies, 1969. (This book focuses almost entirely on Xiaokai's writings of the Cultural Revolution.)
*Xiaokai Yang, "Captive Spirits: Prisoners of the Cultural Revolution", Oxford University Press, 1997. (Xiaokai Yang's memoirs)
*Xiaokai Yang, "Economics: New Classical versus Neoclassical Frameworks", New York: Blackwell, 2001. (A comprehensive treatise of Xiaokai Yang's economic thought.)

References