Drawing on the analytical approach of social network analysis, this study examines how Huang Zunsan (黄尊三, 1880-1950), a Chinese student who studied law in Japan, sought employment after returning to China, thereby shedding light on the actual circumstances faced by returned students amid the political turbulence of the early Republic of China (1912-1949).In the first year of the Republic, Huang arrived in Beijing and relied on interpersonal networks among fellow natives from Hunan to seek employment.His appointment to teach at the Shangzhi College of Law and Politics in Beijing was facilitated by Fan Yuanlian (范源濂, 1876-1927), then Minister of Education.After leaving Beijing for Wuhan, he participated in founding Jianghan University through an arrangement made by Song Jiaoren (宋教仁, 1882-1913).After subsequently moving from Wuhan to Shanghai, he taught at the Wusong Chinese Public School with the support of fellow Hunanese friends.Following the Second Revolution, Huang returned to Beijing at the invitation of Xiong Xiling (熊希龄, 1870-1937), then Premier of the State Council, and obtained a nominal, low-demand government post.He subsequently lived in Beijing for an extended period, earning his livelihood primarily through teaching and writing at educational institutions, supplemented by largely inactive government appointments.Like many students who had studied law and political science abroad in the late Qing and early Republican periods, Huang was generally engaged in establishing political organizations, educational institutions, and newspapers after returning to China.His experience thus broadly reflected a common pattern among returned students of the period.A comprehensive examination of Huang’s employment-seeking experiences in the early Republic demonstrates that interpersonal networks among Hunanese provided him with crucial resources for sustaining his livelihood, illustrating the complex and vital role that social networks continued to play in modern China.