▲Professor Qiu Xigui is introduced to an assitive reading device
▲ Professor Qiu Xigui
Today, the CCTV “People” column told the story of Professor Qiu Xigui, an outstanding professor of humanities at Fudan University.
Qiu has spent decades dealing with inscriptions on oracle bones, bronzes, bamboo slips, wooden slips and silk pieces, etc., interpreting words written thousands of years ago.
▲ Qiu's publications over the years
Being a voracious reader, Qiu has been suffering from glaucoma as all those reading overwhelmed his vision years ago. His worsening eyesight in recent years has become a huge barrier between him and regular print books.
▲ancient inscriptions on slips
Since 1974, Qiu has examined inscriptions found during expeditions in places such as the western Han (202 BC - 8AD) tomb at Yin-ch'üeh-shan (Silver Sparrow Mountain), the Qin dynasty (221 - 207 BC) tomb at Yun-meng County, the early western Han (around 200 BC) tomb at Ma-wang-dui, the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng Kingdom in the early Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC) and the Chu Kingdom tomb at Guo-dian in Hunan Province in the middle Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC). He has made great contributions to the study of Chinese characters and ancient Chinese history by interpreting writings of the late period of Shang dynasty (1300 - 1046 BC) , the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC) and from before the Qin dynasty (221 - 207 BC) all the way to the Han dynasty (202 BC - 8AD, 25 - 220AD).
▲ Qiu's book: 'A Synopsis of Philology'
His book, A Synopsis of Philology, discusses each and every aspects of Chinese characters including their formation, nature, development, evolution, structural types and links between form, sound and meaning. The original and the revised editions of the book were printed over 20 times and translated into English, Korean and Japanese since its initial release in 1998.
▲ Qiu's book on interpretations of ancient Chinese characters used in late Shang dynasty
Qiu’s interpretations of ancient inscriptions have been widely recognized by academia both at home and abroad. His research methods have also influenced many young scholars. His efforts and practice, recorded by a collection of his research papers, have helped facilitate the overall examination and interpretation of ancient Chinese texts.
▲ piled reading cards
As it became increasingly difficult to read regular prints, Qiu has been making cards of enlarged font sizes from waste paper over the years. He has lost counts of these reading cards which are now piled in tall stacks in his apartment. The font size has grown bigger and bigger throughout the years.
▲ Professor Qiu Xigui
Qiu maintains two principles in his research: seek truth from facts; and be strict with himself and be fair to others. He published articles to correct the errors he made, which manifested his rigorous scholarship.
Qiu was born in Shanghai in 1935. He graduated from the Department of History of Fudan University in 1956. At the end of 1956, he was mentored by Mr. Hu Houxuan, a leading historian, and studied in the History Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1960, he was assigned to work in the Chinese Department of Peking University. In 2005, Qiu returned to Fudan University and established the Institute of Ancient Books Collation and Studies. Bamboo and Silk Integration of Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tomb in Changsha, a publication project of which he wasthe chief editor, won the grand prize of the 13th Shanghai Excellent Achievement Award of Philosophy and Social Science (2016). By that time, no grand prize had been awarded for 14 years.
▲Professor Qiu Xigui in Class [Photo taken in 2014]
At present, Professor Qiu Xigui is spreading his rigorous scholarship across his research team. He is committed to recovering classical Chinese disciplines and enhancing national confidence in Chinese culture. Qiu is determined to go deeper down the surface of Chinese civilization, and dig up more invaluable treasure!
