Yuan Keding

Yuan Keding
Born	1878 Henan, Qing Empire
Died	1958 (aged 79–80) Beijing, People's Republic of China
Occupation	government official
Title	Crown Prince of the Empire of China (until 1916)
Children	Yuan Jiarong Yuan Jia Yuan Jiazao
Parent(s)	Yuan Shikai Lady Yu

Yuán Kèdìng (Chinese: 袁克定; 1878–1958), courtesy name Yuntai (云台) 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 studied in Germany and spoke fluent German and English. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, he served as a low-rank official in the government. After the Xinhai Revolution, under the instruction of his father, Yuan became a close friend of Wang Jingwei. According to the History of Xinhai Revolution, Yuan and Wang swore to be "brothers of different surnames" in front of Yuan Shikai.

In 1915, Yuan became crown prince as the Prince Yuntai, When his father Yuan Shikai proclaimed himself Emperor of the Empire of China.

After the death of his father, Yuan lived reclusively in the German concession in Tianjin. In 1935, he moved to Baochao Lane (宝钞胡同) in Beijing. In 1937, he again relocated to Qinghuaxuan Villa in the Summer Palace. During the Sino-Japanese War, Yuan refused to cooperate with the 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 at Tsinghua University. Thanks to the help of Zhang Shizhao, after 1949, Yuan became a fellow of the 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 1904—1996), studied in the United States and majored in geology at Columbia University.