Yi Zhongtian

Yi Zhongtian
Born 8 February 1947
Changsha, Hunan, China
Occupation Writer, scholar, historian, professor
Language Chinese
Nationality Chinese
Education Master of Chinese Language and Literature
Alma mater Wuhan University
Subject Chinese history, Chinese politics, aesthetics
Notable works
  • Pin Ren Lu (品人录)
  • Du Cheng Ji (读城记)
  • Pin San Guo (品三国)
  • Xian Qin Zhuzi Baijia Zhengming (先秦诸子百家争鸣)
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Yi.
Yi Zhongtian
Chinese 易中天

Yi Zhongtian (born 8 February 1947) is a Chinese writer, scholar and historian. He is also a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature in the School of Humanities in Xiamen University.

Life and career

Yi's father, Yi Tingyuan (易庭源), was an accountant. Yi spent his childhood in his birth place, Changsha, Hunan, before moving to Wuhan, Hubei, 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).

In 1965, after graduating from high school, Yi was sent to Xinjiang to join the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Later he became a secondary school teacher.

Yi was accepted into Wuhan University and he read ancient Chinese literature under the tutelage of Hu Guorui (胡国瑞). He graduated in 1978 with a professional degree, and obtained a master's degree in 1981. He stayed at his alma mater after graduating and became a lecturer. He is currently a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature in the School of Humanities in Xiamen University.

Academic interests

Yi's academic interests span a variety of disciplines, including literature, visual arts, aesthetics, psychology, humanities, anthropology, history, and others. He is also interested in the development of modern cities in China, and has been referred to as a "city planner" or "city observer".

Works

Yi's published works focus on popularising academic subjects. This has caused some controversy, but has also led to the popularity of his works.

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, but there was also criticism about the academic quality of his lectures. Due to the popularity of his lectures, in 2006, Yi was contracted by CCTV-10 to produce a series of lectures on the history of the Three Kingdoms period.

On 11 October 2008, Yi started a series of lectures about the Hundred Schools of Thought on Lecture Room.

List of works

External links