1926 circa – Yúnnánfu – Consul Charles Lépissier in his office.
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1926-1929 – Yúnnán population%20-%20(14).jpg)
After a period of leave in France, during which their daughter Jacqueline was born in August 1925, the family, accompanied by Siecha the Russian "nia-nia", left France in September 1925 on board the ship "Fontainebleau" from Marseille to Saigon. Then from Hanoi, they took the train to Yúnnánfu (today Kūnmíng –昆明市) in the Yúnnán (云南) where Charles Lépissier was appointed as Albert Bodard’s successor. Charles started this post in October 1925.
His fourth and last child, Jean-Marie, was born there in December 1927.
The Yúnnán is a province in the south of China which borders Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. The average altitude for the province is 2,000 metres.
It is in this large province (representing 70% of the surface area of continental France) that live the biggest proportion of non-Han populations. Today, 25 of the 56 “recognised” ethnic minorities in China are found in the Yúnnán.
Charles arrived in Yúnnán in a troubled period. At the time of his arrival, the Yúnnán was led by Marshal Táng Jìyáo (唐继尧) who died in May 1927.
Charles’s stay notably saw the five “coups d’État” of 1927, the armed struggles between various generals and the seizing of power of General Lóng Yún (龙云).
Due to a border with the Tonkin, relations with the general government of French Indochina occupied a majority of the activity of the Consulate in Yúnnánfu (Kūnmíng).
The French Railway Company of the Yúnnán and Indochina was all-powerful. The railway line linked Haiphong in the Tonkin to Kūnmíng. The Chinese section of 465 kilometres went from Hokéou (Hékǒu – 河口) to Kūnmíng. This line was infested by groups of pirates that would not hesitate to take Westerners hostage for a ransom. Charles Lépissier had to resolve a number of kidnapping cases.
Madeleine and her four children left Kūnmíng at the end of February 1930, without Siécha, to return to France on leave.
On 30 June 1930, Charles Lépissier handed over to his successor Daniel Lévi and returned to France on leave.
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The following tab contains more information on Charles Lépissier during his time in Yúnnánfu : 'Book on Charles Lépissier in Yunnanfu (1925-1930)', with 480 illustrations (Only available to members of the Association Émile-Jean Lépissier).
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Redirections :
- Go to 'Legal Notices & GDPR' (Publicly available)
- Go to 'Charles Lépissier in Tientsin (1931-1939' (Publicly available)
- Go to 'Documents relating to Charles Lépissier' (Only available to members of the Association Émile-Jean Lépissier).