A Colossus of History Across the Ages: Hsu Cho-yun, 2024 Tang Prize Laureate in Sinology

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Jun 20, 2024, 00:00 ET

TAIPEI, June 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2024 Tang Prize in Sinology is awarded to University Professor Emeritus Hsu Cho-yun of the University of Pittsburgh, USA, and an academician of Academia Sinica, for his exceptional contributions to the field of Sinology.

Professor Hsu Cho-yun, 2024 Tang Prize Laureate in Sinology

Professor Hsu's illustrious academic career has been distinguished by his holistic approach to the study of ancient Chinese history, seamlessly integrating an exploration of cultural and intellectual exchanges between China and the world. His work masterfully bridges the past and present, addressing contemporary questions through the lens of antiquity. With his profound erudition and unwavering public spirit, Professor Hsu embodies the quintessential Sinologist, possessing both a deep historical sensibility and a broad, worldly vision.

Professor Hsu integrated methodologies drawn from social sciences into historical research early in his career. His work reflects historical insights that take one to look into the bygone ages and the present and future, embodying a blend of antiquity and modernity. He has proven that Sinology is not limited to the institutional dialogues of the past, but can transcend the ivory tower of academia to engage in dialogues with various fields of humanities and social sciences, making a fundamental impact on Sinology.

Professor Hsu specializes in particular topics of the Zhou, Qin, and Han periods, achieving unique insights that contribute to a comprehensive interpretation of the history of early China. Notable examples include his exploration of the Huaxia consciousness among kinship groups in his monograph Western Chou Civilization, the central/local and political/social bureaucratic system in Qiugu Bian [Discovering Antiquity], and the intensive rural/commercial market economy in Han Agriculture. These discourses form what he calls "the three matrixes of Chinese culture."

Focusing on the dynastic history of the Western Zhou, Professor Hsu's Western Chou Civilization inaugurates a new direction in the study of ancient Chinese history. The book's unique insight lies in its inquisition of the formation of the Huaxia state within "China" at the time and the continued expansion of its cultural sphere. The book has been continually updated along with new archaeological discoveries; it is only one example of Professor Hsu's rigor in scholarly contemporaneity.

Qiugu Bian [Discovering Antiquity], a collection of Professor Hsu's early and mid-career essays, deals primarily with political, social, economic, and cultural issues of the Zhou, Qin, and Han periods. Han Agriculture offers an in-depth analysis of farming operations and explores the shift from commercial trade to an agricultural economy during the Han Dynasties. It also answers the key question of why China "established its state through agriculture" and provides insights into core themes of Chinese history.

Professor Hsu has also made a breakthrough in historical theory. The "network theory" is his unique view of the pulse of Chinese history. He believes that the economic system, social contacts, political rule, and ideological aspects are inseparable from the transportation network, akin to the structure of a tree from the trunk to the branches. These interconnected branches form a complex of Chinese history that Professor Hsu calls his "network theory." This theory avoids examining trivial issues and instead provides a practical framework for interpreting larger historical contexts.

In his later years, Professor Hsu published a series of comprehensive historical works that integrate China into world civilizations and emphasize the unique aspects of Chinese historical and cultural development. China: A New Cultural History points out that Chinese culture, in the process of expansion, has also been influenced by foreign cultures. Shihai Xunhang: Lishi Wenxue Zhouji [Voyage on the Sea of History: Weekly Studies in Historical Inquiry] examines Chinese history from the perspective of world history, emphasizing the comparison between Chinese and Western history. His magnum opus, Huaxia Lunshu [Discourse on the Huaxia], highlighted the inclusiveness and uniqueness of Chinese historical development and his concerns about the trajectory of modern China.

Beyond his academic research, Professor Hsu spearheaded the transformation of the history education curriculum at National Taiwan University's Department of History in the 1960s. This pivotal shift nurtured a new generation of scholars and ushered in the study of China's social history, leaving a lasting mark on Taiwan's historiography. Since the 1990s, Professor Hsu's historical perspectives have been widely disseminated, solidifying his significant role in shaping historical discourse.

Professor Hsu has transformed historical research into a resource for humanistic education, publishing numerous works on general themes ranging from epochal transitions to leadership, organizational systems, the rise and fall of great powers, knowledge and democracy, social trends and scholarship, and more. His efforts have proven the usefulness of historical knowledge; indeed, he is a model figure demonstrating both Western academic rigor and traditional Chinese intellectual engagement.

Professor Hsu's remarkable academic achievements and contributions have been deservedly recognized with the 2024 Tang Prize in Sinology. His work has profoundly enriched the Sinology field and created a lasting legacy of invaluable academic assets for future generations. Professor Hsu's scholarship and exemplary character will undoubtedly continue to inspire both scholars and the general public for years to come.

About the Tang Prize

Since the advent of globalization, mankind has been able to enjoy the convenience brought forth by the advancement of human civilization and science. Yet a multitude of challenges, such as climate change, the emergence of new infectious diseases, wealth gap, and moral degradation, have surfaced along the way. Against this backdrop, Dr. Samuel Yin established the Tang Prize in December 2012. It consists of four award categories, namely Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. Every other year, four independent and professional selection committees, comprising many internationally renowned experts, scholars, and Nobel winners, choose as Tang Prize laureates people who have influenced and made substantive contributions to the world, regardless of ethnicity, nationality or gender. A cash prize of NT$50 million (approx. US$1.7 million) is allocated to each category, with NT$10 million (approx. US$ 0.35 million) of it being a research grant intended to encourage professionals in every field to examine mankind's most urgent needs in the 21st century, and become leading forces in the development of human society through their outstanding research outcomes and active civic engagement.

SOURCE Tang Prize Foundation