Rationality and Passion in Comprehensive Inquiry—A Collection of Geographical Works by Chen Chuankang

Author: Chen Chuankang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-08-01
Features: After the passing of Mr. Chen Chuankang, the compilation and publication of his major works has been a lingering dream. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, it has been postponed. Now that this collection is finally published, it brings a sense of relief, offering a small consolation to Mr. Chen in spirit and hoping to contribute to the inheritance and innovation of Chinese geography. Mr. Chen was a prolific author, but given the limited publishing capacity, only the most essential works could be included, and many brilliant arguments had to be reluctantly omitted. Additionally, the Chen Chuankang Tourism Collection has been edited by Mr. Sun Wenchang and published by Qingdao Publishing House, so his tourism-related essays are not included in this volume. One reason for the title Chen Chuankang's Geographical Collection is to correspond with the Chen Chuankang Tourism Collection, forming a complementary "sister volume" to as comprehensively as possible reflect Mr. Chen's academic thoughts and achievements. The phrase "Rationality and Passion in Comprehensive Inquiry" in the title aims to summarize Mr. Chen's academic style, though it may still fall short of capturing it fully. Mr. Chen's academic career spanned over four decades of significant changes. To preserve the authenticity of history and his academic footsteps, in addition to minor technical corrections for errors or omissions in the original manuscripts, the views, arguments, text, figures, foreign names and place names (in Chinese translation), as well as references, notes, and units of measurement (in different formats across various publications), are presented exactly as they appeared in their original publications. All essays in this book without a specified author are solely written by Chen Chuankang. The arrangement of the essays follows their publication dates. Mr. Wu Chuanjun has been closely involved in this endeavor, and the efficient work of Li Ping, Tian Wenzhu, and Yan Tingzhen at Commercial Press accelerated the publication process. Mr. Jing Jun performed extensive textual proofreading, while Xu Yueqing, He Gang, and others assisted in locating literature. The publication of this book was supported financially by Cai Yunlong, Wang Yanglin, Xu Xuegong, Bao Jigang, Yang Kaizhong, Xie Changqing, Tan Weining, Li Lilei, Liu Jiamei, Yang Xinjun, Cui Fengjun, Chen Nanjiang, Sun Ruyao, Ren Kai'e, Gao Yugong, and Chen Ye. Gratitude is extended to all teachers and friends who have supported the publication of this book.