In the first year of the Ming dynasty (1368), the Ming government established the province of Shandong (山東行中書省), formally designating Shandong as a province. In 1376, the capital was moved from Qingzhou to Jinan.
In 1440, the central Ming authority officially created the position of Governor (xunfu) of Shandong; the full title was Governor of Shandong and surrounding regions, responsible forOverseeing Military Agriculture, Managing Waterways, and Commanding Military Affairs (Chinese:巡撫山東等處地方督理營田兼管河道提督軍務).
After Jurchen people took power, they reestablished the office of the Provincial Governor of Shandong, formally titled Governor of Shandong and surrounding regions, Commander of Military Affairs and Provisions, concurrently overseeing Agricultural Affairs (Chinese:巡撫山東等處地方提督軍務, 糧饟兼理營田) The governor was stationed in Jinan and held the official rank of Senior Second Rank (正二品). In 1714, the governor additionally took on the supervision of Linqing Customs; in 1743, he was granted the honorary title of Commander General (Chinese:提督), and in 1837, the governor assumed responsibility for Shandong's salt administration. Due to these additional duties, the actual status of the Shandong Governor in the Qing dynasty rose to Sub-First Rank (從一品), making him the highest-ranking regional official overseeing both civil and military affairs on behalf of the imperial court. The governor's administrative office, known as the Xunfu Yamen (巡撫衙門), which also referred to as the Department of the Provincial Governor (巡抚部院署) or Office of the Provincial Governor (巡抚院署), was the highest executive institution of the province, located within the Pearl Spring compound in Jinan.
Qing regime was overthrown in 1911, yet Southern revolutionaries were not able to take full control of the country, a vast part of it were still governed by old military leaders, which is known as Beiyang warlords. During the Beiyang era (1912–1928), the Governor of Shandong Province held broad authority over civil administration, finance, education, and public security, and often exercised military power, especially when concurrently serving as military governor or commander-in-chief. Given Shandong's strategic importance and proximity to the Beiyang Government's power base, the position of governor was typically filled by prominent figures affiliated with major warlord factions—namely the Anhui, Zhili, and Fengtian cliques.
Governorships were unstable and frequently changed hands, reflecting the intense factional struggles and shifting alliances in the warlord-dominated central government. Notable governors during this period included Jin Yunpeng, who later became Premier, as well as Zhang Jingyao and Gao Heng, all of whom represented competing warlord interests.
The North Expedition successfully defeated Beiyang warlords and united China under a single government from Nanjing. During the Nationalist Government era (1928–1937, 1945–1949), the Governor of Shandong Province was appointed by the central government of the Republic of China under the Kuomintang (KMT). The governor functioned as the highest administrative authority in the province, overseeing civil governance, public security, taxation, education, and—in some cases—military affairs, particularly during times of war and political instability.
This position was in vacuum during Japanese occupation, and after the End of World War II, the Nationalist Government reassigned governors. The second to last governor, general Wang Yaowu, was captured as prisoner by communist troops after they took Jinan. Then Qin Dechun was appointed, but he never assumed office until March 1945, when he went to Qingdao and took the oath. Nive days later, Qin fled to Guangzhou then Taiwan, marking the end of the Republic of China's rule in Shandong.
At the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, following the Japanese army's capture of Nanjing, a Provisional Government of the Republic of China was established in Beijing under Japanese occupation. Ma Liang joined the regime as a committee member. In 1938, he was appointed Governor of Shandong Province and concurrently served as Commander-in-Chief of Provincial Security Forces.
In January 1939, Tang Yangdu was appointed as Governor of Shandong; during his tenure, he was responsible for strengthening internal security and suppressing rebellion activities within the province.
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Officeholder
Term of office
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Left office
Governor of the Shandong Provincial Government (山東省公署省長)
In March 1940, the Provisional Government merged with Wang Jingwei's Reorganized National Government based in Nanjing. Tang Yangdu continued to serve as Governor of Shandong under the new regime. This position was abolished after Japanese got defeated; Tang Yangdu and Yang Yuxun were executed because of treason, and Ma Liang died in a prison in Jinan.[2]
No.
Officeholder
Term of office
Party
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Took office
Left office
Governor of the Shandong Provincial Government (山東省政府省長)
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