Historian: A Biography of Chen Yinque

Author: Wang Rongzu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Chen Yinque (1890–1969), a native of Xiushui, Jiangxi. A renowned modern Chinese historian. He studied Sanskrit, Pali, and comparative linguistics in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France, and the United States, becoming proficient in multiple languages. In 1926, he returned to China and served as a tutor at Tsinghua University's School of Chinese Studies alongside Wang Guowei, Liang Qichao, and Zhao Yuanren. Later, he taught at various universities in China and the University of Hong Kong. After 1949, he held positions such as professor at Lingnan University (now Sun Yat-sen University) and vice director of the Central Academy of Social Sciences. He was also a member of the Academic Committee of the Philosophy and Social Sciences Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Possessing profound knowledge, his academic pursuits spanned both China and the world, with expertise in history, literature, philosophy, religion, and linguistics. He was particularly skilled in the history of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Sui and Tang dynasties, Mongolian history, literature of the Tang and early Qing periods, as well as Buddhist classics. His major works include On the Origins of the Sui and Tang Systems, An Outline of the Political History of the Tang Dynasty, Annotations and Explanations of Yuan Bai Poetry, Collected Works of Hanliutang, and Biography of Liu Shilu. The author of this book draws on Chen Yinque's collected works and poetry to complete this systematic treatise, delving deeply into his academic journey and thought. The book offers a balanced assessment of Chen Yinque's historical achievements and status, as well as insightful critiques of his emotionally invested works such as On Rebirth and Biography of Liu Shilu. The first edition was published by Hong Kong Boshi Bookstore in 1976. It was subsequently revised and expanded twice by Taipei Lianjing Publishing Company in 1984 and 1977. In the meantime, Jiangxi Baihua Zhou Literature and Art Publishing House published a simplified-character edition titled A Biography of Chen Yinque in 1992. This reissue is based on the 1997 Lianjing edition and has been thoroughly revised and proofread by the author.