Fei Zhengqing

Fei Zhengqing

John King Fairbank (May 24, 1907 - September 14, 1991) is a professor of Harvard University, a famous historian, an observer of China issues, an international leader in Sinology, and the founder of Harvard Center for East Asian studies.

In 1932, Fei Zhengqing came to China to study Chinese under the guidance of Jiang Tingfu of Tsinghua University. In 1936, he received his doctorate and taught at Harvard University. Fei Zhengqing has successively served as vice president of the Far East Association of the United States, President of the Asian Association, President of the history society, President of the Council for East Asian Studies, and other important positions. He was also an employee of the United States government, a social activist, and a policy adviser. Fei Zhengqing devoted himself to the study of China for 50 years.

Life of the characters

On May 24, 1907, Fei Zhengqing was born in hushuren, South Dakota, the only son of Arthur Bo Fei and Lorena.

In 1911, Fei Zhengqing's family moved to sufels, South Dakota.

In 1921, after graduating, Fei Zhengqing settled down in South Dakota, worked as a lawyer in HuLong town and served as a town lawyer.

In 1923, Fei Zhengqing entered Phillips Exeter school in New Hampshire.

In 1925, Fei Zhengqing entered the University of Wisconsin.

In 1927, Fei Zhengqing transferred to Harvard University to study, but at this time, he did not consider the study of China, and at that time, Harvard University did not offer a systematic study of modern East Asia. He majored in liberal arts, including Greek, history, philosophy, politics, art and economics.

In the autumn of 1929, Fei Zhengqing won a Rhodes scholarship and went to Balliol College of Oxford University. He majored in East Asian Studies, but at that time he did not have the foundation of Chinese language and Chinese history and culture. Fortunately, Oxford University did not require examination or relevant academic experience for his dissertation at that time.

In 1931, after finishing his thesis, Fei Zhengqing began to study for his doctorate. In the same year, Fei Zhengqing collected data in Washington, D.C., and then in Cambridge and Paris.

In February 1932, Fei Zhengqing did research for his doctoral dissertation. He went to China to study Chinese while studying with Jiang Tingfu of Tsinghua University.

From 1933 to 1935, Fei Zhengqing was a lecturer at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

On Christmas day in 1935, Fei Zhengqing left China and returned to the United States.

In January 1936, Fei Zhengqing returned to Oxford, England, and received his doctorate. His dissertation was entitled the origin of Chinese customs. After revision and supplement, this paper was published in 1954 with the title of "trade and diplomacy along the coast of China: the opening of trading ports from 1842 to 1854". Fei Zhengqing received his PhD from Oxford University and returned to the United States to teach at Harvard University.

Since 1939, Fei Zhengqing and leshor have opened the course of East Asian civilization at Harvard University. Four months before the outbreak of the Pacific War, he was recruited to work in the intelligence Coordination Bureau, and he came to China twice in the middle.

In August 1941, Fei Zhengqing entered the Far East Group of the intelligence Coordination Bureau in Washington, D.C.

In 1942, Fei Zhengqing was sent to Chongqing by the intelligence Coordination Agency (changed to the strategic intelligence agency in June 1942) as a civil servant of the China Relations Office of the Department of cultural relations of the State Department of the United States and a special assistant to the US ambassador to China. Before that, the 35 year old diplomat had been a professor at Harvard University.

At the end of 1943, Fei Zhengqing returned to Washington and transferred the Far East Department of the Army Intelligence Agency.

In September 1945, Fei Zhengqing came to China to work for the US information service.

In August 1946, Fei Zhengqing returned to Harvard University as the first host of the Regional Studies (China) project.

In 1948, America and China was published by Harvard University Press.

On March 10-11, 1952, Fei Zhengqing was charged and presented to the McCullen Committee (the internal security sub committee of the Senate).

From 1952 to 1953, Fei Zhengqing visited Japan as a scholar of Guggenheim foundation.

In 1953, China's coastal trade and Diplomacy: the opening of treaty ports from 1842 to 1854 was published by Harvard University Press.

In 1955, with the support of Harvard University and the support of Ford foundation, Fei Zhengqing founded the East Asian Research Center of Harvard University.

In 1956, Fei Zhengqing became the director of the newly established center for East Asian Studies at Harvard University (renamed as the center for East Asian Studies in 1961 and Fei Zhengqing Center for East Asian Studies in 1977) until 1973.

In 1958, Fei Zhengqing was elected president of the American Association for Asian studies.

In 1960, Fei Zhengqing went to the Soviet Union for the first time to attend the International Congress of Orientalists.

In 1968, Fei Zhengqing was elected president of the American Historical Association.

In the summer of 1972, Fei Zhengqing and Wilma visited China again.

In May 1973, Fei Zhengqing resigned as director of the center for East Asian Studies and served as chairman of the Committee on East Asian Studies at Harvard University.

In March 1977, Fei Zhengqing gave his last lecture for Harvard University and then retired. When he retired from his teaching position, the center for East Asian Studies of Harvard University was named Fei Zhengqing Center for East Asian studies.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1979, Fei Zhengqing suffered an almost fatal heart attack.

On September 12, 1991, Fei Zhengqing completed the manuscript of China: a new history and submitted it to Harvard University Press. Two days later, he died in Cambridge, USA, at the age of 84.

Main achievements

Academic achievements

From 1931 to 1936, Fei Zhengqing made great achievements in his two years of research at Oxford University. He took modern China as the research topic and took the history of Sino US diplomacy and institutions as a new perspective. His doctoral dissertation discussed the development history of Sino US relations from the above three aspects, breaking through the limitations of traditional Sinology, which has considerable innovative significance. Fei Zhengqing believes that China studies should not only be limited to Western materials, but also rely on China's local resources to study China's views, which naturally requires mastering Chinese and living experience in China. Oxford's research team is very limited, and there is no Chinese course. Fei Zhengqing applied to the Rhodes scholarship committee, which approved his application. Fei Zhengqing became the first Rhodes scholarship scholar in the Far East.

Academic works

In 1948, the United States and China (American foreign policy Library) was published. Since then, it has been supplemented and revised with the development of the situation, and reprinted in 1958, 1971, 1979 and 1989 respectively. In 1966, together with British historian Denis Twitchett, he began to edit the Cambridge History of China. With leshall and AlbertM.Craig "East Asia, tradition and transformation". Two days before death《 China:ANewHistory 》Delivery for publication.

In 1966, the large-scale Cambridge History of China began to be compiled. It is planned to produce 15 volumes, which will be written in chapters by more than 100 scholars from 12 countries. Fei Zhengqing is one of the two chief editors. Since 1985, the Chinese versions of this set of "super monographs" (Fei Zhengqing language) have been published one after another in China, and have been widely welcomed and praised by the academic circles. Those who pay attention to the academic frontier will notice that this set of Cambridge History of China, especially some viewpoints of the volumes since the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, has had an impact on Chinese academic circles.

East Asia: a great tradition was published by Houghton Mifflin press in 1960.

In 1965, East Asia: modern change was published by Houghton Mifflin press.

He began to write Cambridge History of China in 1966 and co edited with Denis Twitchett (March 10) to testify on China policy in the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.

The 60th birthday celebration was held in Cambridge in 1967, and the book introduction to modern Chinese history (published by University of California Press) edited by Albert feuerwerker, Rhoads Murphy and Mary Wright was presented as a congratulatory gift.

In 1982, heart for China was published by Hubble bellow publishing house.

Come to China again

Fei Zhengqing's first stop in China this time is Kunming. His mission is to understand the situation of Southwest Associated University (mainly Tsinghua University) and meet some old friends, especially Professor Jin Yuelin, Chen Daisun, Zhang Xiruo and Qian Duansheng who once studied in the United States. Then there is Chen Futian, the head of the foreign languages department. He is a Chinese American born in Hawaii.

Fei Zhengqing first called on Mei Yiqi, President of Tsinghua University (he is one of the three standing committee members of the UN General Assembly and actually presides over the work of the UN General Assembly), and interviewed some Tsinghua professors. At that time, the US consulate in Kunming was at Tang Jiyao's residence in Beimen street. Fei Zhengqing visited Jin Yuelin (philosopher), Chen Daisun (Economist) and Chen Futian, who were temporarily living on the old stage of the Tang family next to the consulate, and Zhang Xiruo (political scientist) who lived in the "Qin family ancestral hall" (which should be Jin handing family ancestral hall, on the campus of today's normal college). Then Zhang Xiruo served as a guide and took the military Use a jeep to go to Longtou village in the northern suburb and visit the people who live there

Chinese PinYin : Fei Zheng Qing