Yi Zhongtian (born 8 February 1947) is a Chinese historian.[1] He is also a professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Xiamen University's School of Humanities.[1]
Yi Zhongtian 易中天 | |
|---|---|
 Yi giving a talk at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in July 2013 | |
| Born | February 8, 1947[1] Changsha, Hunan Province, Republic of China |
| Occupation | Historian |
| Language | Mandarin Chinese |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Alma mater | Wuhan University (BA & MA) |
| Subjects | Literature, art, aesthetics, psychology, anthropology, history |
| Notable works |
|
Life and career
editYi's grandfather, Yi Silin (易思麟; 1885–1983), graduated from the Hunan Law School (湖南法政学堂; now part of Hunan University) and served as the acting county magistrate of Dao County, Hunan Province. He became a self-taught physician after leaving office. Yi's uncle, Yi Rengai (易仁荄; 1908–1990), graduated from Tsinghua University's Department of History in 1935. Yi's father, Yi Tingyuan (易庭源; 1919–2011), was an accountant.[citation needed]
Yi spent his childhood in his birthplace, Changsha, Hunan Province, before moving to Wuhan, Hubei province at the age of six. He attended Yuemachang Primary School (阅马场小学) and No. 1 Middle School attached to Central China Normal University (华中师范大学第一附属中学).[citation needed]
Between 1965 and 1975, Yi went to Xinjiang to join the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. From 1975 to 1978, he taught at a middle school for the children of employees at a steel production firm in Urumqi, Xinjiang.[1]
Yi studied ancient Chinese literature in Wuhan University under the tutelage of Hu Guorui (胡国瑞) and graduated in 1978 with a BA.[citation needed] In 1981, after obtaining a MA degree from Wuhan University, he became a lecturer at his alma mater. He is currently a professor and PhD supervisor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Xiamen University's School of Humanities.[1]
Works
editYi's academic interests include literature, art, aesthetics, psychology, anthropology and history.[1] His published works focus on popularising academic subjects. This has caused some controversy, but has also led to the popularity of his works.[citation needed]
In 2005, Yi appeared on CCTV-10's Lecture Room programme. His series of lectures on personalities of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period were successful,[1] but there was also criticism about the academic quality of his lectures.[citation needed] Due to the popularity of his lectures, in 2006 CCTV-10 made a contract with him to produce a series of 52 lectures on the history of the Three Kingdoms period. In 2008, he started a series of 36 lectures about the Hundred Schools of Thought on Lecture Room.[1]
In 2013, Yi wrote Yi Zhongtian Zhonghua Shi (易中天中华史; Yi Zhongtian's History of China). A year later, he wrote San Guo Ji (三国纪; Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms) to dispel myths about the historical figures Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan and Zhuge Liang.
List of works
edit- Chinese culture series:
- Xianhua Zhongguo Ren (闲话中国人; The Gossiping Chinese)
- Zhongguo De Nanren He Nüren (中国的男人和女人; China's Men and Women)
- Du Cheng Ji (读城记; Reading and Cities)
- Pin Ren Lu (品人录; Analysis of People)
- CCTV-10 Lecture Room series:
- Han Dai Fengyun Renwu (汉代风云人物; Prominent Personalities of the Han Dynasty)
- Pin San Guo (品三国; Analysis of the Three Kingdoms)
- Xian Qin Zhuzi Baijia Zhengming (先秦诸子百家争鸣; The Hundred Schools of Thought Before the Qin Dynasty)
- Politics:
- Diguo De Chouchang (帝国的惆怅; Melancholy of the Empire)
- Diguo De Zhongjie (帝国的终结; End of the Empire)
- Feicheng Fengyun: Meiguo Xianfa De Dansheng He Women De Fansi (费城风云：美国宪法的诞生和我们的反思; Philadelphia: The Birth of the United States Constitution and Our Reflections)
- Aesthetics:
- Po Men Er Ru (破门而入; Forced Entry)
- Social sciences:
- Chengdu Fangshi (成都方式; The Chengdu Method)
- Essays:
- Shusheng Yiqi (书生意气; Scholar's Spirit)
- Shusheng Shaqi (书生傻气; Scholar's Foolishness)
- Gao Gao De Shu Shang (高高的树上; High Up on the Tree)
- Others:
- Dahua Fangyan (大话方言; Discussion on Dialects)
- Zhongguo Zhihui (中国智慧; Chinese Intelligence)
- Wo Shan Zhi Shi (我山之石; The Rock of My Mountain)
- Yi Zhongtian Zhonghua Shi (易中天中华史; Yi Zhongtian's History of China)
References
editExternal links
edit- (in Chinese) Yi Zhongtian's personal blog
- (in Chinese) Yi Zhongtian's profile on people.com.cn