Yang Xuelan, founder of “Hundreds of People” and the only Chinese vice president in the history of GM, dies of breast cancer

Yang Xuelan lady, President of the US-China Cultural Association, the incumbent president of the Young’s consulting firm, and served as General Motors senior adviser Asia-Pacific region. She served as the global vice president of General Motors from 1988 to 2000, and led Buick into the Chinese market.

Ms. Yang Xuelan currently serves as a director of several companies: Salesforce.com , Teletech , Bank of America, Verizon, Dayton-Hudson/Target , Holiday Inn/Promus/Harrah Group, and is also the vice chairman of the Nominating Committee of the New York Stock Exchange.

Ms. Yang is the first president and one of the founders of the Chinese American Organization of the 100. She is currently the executive director of the 100 and the chairman of the American-Chinese Cultural Association. She was a director of The Nature Conservancy from 2003 to 2012.

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Ms. Yang is a senior consultant and former director of Wesley Women’s College , and a director of the National Dance Association and the New York Love Cantonese Group. She has also served as a director of Interlocan Art Center, Harvard Business School and Phillips High School. In China, Ms. Yang is an honorary professor of Tsinghua University in Beijing, Tongji University in Shanghai, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, and an honorary trustee of Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Yang Xuelan, founder of “Hundreds of People” and the only Chinese vice president in the history of GM, dies of cancer

At the age of 85

According to the Wall Street Journal, Shirley Young, a Chinese American, died of breast cancer at a hospital in Manhattan on the 26th at the age of 85. Yang Xuelan is the first president of the well-known American “Hundreds” and the only Chinese vice president in the history of General Motors.

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According to Xinhua News Agency, Yang Xuelan was born in Shanghai, China in 1935. Her father, Yang Guangying, was the Chinese Consul General in Manila, the Philippines. He was secretly killed by the Japanese because he refused to surrender to the Japanese during the Pacific War. Yang Xuelan, who came to the United States with her mother since childhood, dreams of becoming a professional diplomat like her parents did.

Yang Xuelan served as the vice president of General Motors in 1989, becoming the only Chinese vice president in GM’s history. For a Chinese woman, it is not easy to achieve this position in the American business community. Yang Xuelan summed up the 3C principles of women’s career success: ability, personality and affinity. “Ability is definitely important. At the same time, it also needs to have a trustworthy personality and show affinity to make people feel that working with you is very enjoyable,” said Yang Xuelan.

In 1990, Yang Xuelan founded the “Hundred People’s Association” together with famous Chinese such as Pei I.M. and Youyou Ma. Yang Xuelan served as the first president. This organization, which includes outstanding Chinese Americans in various fields in the United States, is committed to promoting constructive relations between China and the United States and promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in American society. Yang Xuelan said: “We hope that through such an organization, Americans can hear Chinese voices. In addition, we can help China and the United States do some work in cultural, artistic, and educational exchanges, and through cultural diplomacy, China’s soft power can be improved and China-US relations can be positively promoted. development of.”

The picture shows that on the evening of February 24, 2015, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra held the 4th Chinese New Year Concert at Lincoln Center in New York to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Goat. The well-known Chinese conductor Yu Long once again acted as the conductor, and the famous Chinese cellist Ma Youyou and Sheng performer Wu Tong performed with great affection. The picture shows the co-chairs Yang Xuelan (second from right) and Chen Yu (middle), and Professor Yu Ding of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (first from right) attending the opening reception of the concert.

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Yang Xuelan and the “Hundreds of People” actively promoted the construction of the U.S. Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, China, and raised US$3 million in special donations from members. As a partner of the U.S. Pavilion at the World Expo, the “Hundreds of People” also collected tens of thousands of photos and materials of Chinese Americans, and used large TV screens to form a “people’s wall” displayed in the U.S. Pavilion to showcase the Chinese’s contribution to American society. And the roots of Chinese culture they share. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the “People’s Wall” as “one of the most touching exhibits in the U.S. Pavilion. It is a topic that introduces the millions of Chinese Americans who have made many contributions to American culture and economic development.”

“I don’t need to change the world, but at least I can use my own efforts to change the world,” Yang Xuelan said. She said that her goal in 2011 is to allow the “People’s Wall” to be exhibited in New York and to tour the United States, so that more people will know the contribution of the Chinese to the United States and enhance the status of Chinese Americans.

Yang Xuelan’s cultural “diplomatic” actions have never stopped. She organized and planned a number of activities to strengthen communication and understanding between the United States and China. She helped Ma Youyou and Tan Dun to play the sound of Chinese chimes more than 2,000 years ago when they returned to Hong Kong, and organized the famous dancer Huang Doudou and his Shanghai Song and Dance Ensemble to perform on the same stage with the highest-level ballet troupe in the United States. The famous violinist Perlman held a Perlman music tour that caused a sensation in Shanghai and spread to the United States.

Yang Xuelan said: “I have always believed that art and culture are the best bridges to promote understanding between people. Because art has no political agenda, we don’t account for who wins or loses. Therefore, it is very important to increase cultural exchanges and enhance cultural sharing. “

After retiring, Yang Xuelan enjoys the life of “retirement without rest” very much. “When you feel that doing something is worthwhile, you will stick to it without feeling tired,” Yang Xuelan said with a smile.

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