Yi Zhongtian

Yi Zhongtian

Yi giving a talk at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in July 2013
Born (1947-02-08) 8 February 1947
Changsha, Hunan Province, Republic of China
Occupation Writer, scholar, historian, professor
Language Chinese
Nationality People's Republic of China
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)
Yi Zhongtian
Chinese 易中天

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

Life and career

Yi'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 the Department of History, Tsinghua University, in 1935. Yi's father, Yi Tingyuan (易庭源)(1919-2011), was an accountant.

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).

In 1965, after graduating from middle school, Yi went to Xinjiang to join the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Later, he became a middle 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 and PhD supervisor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, School of Humanities, 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.

In 2013, Yi wrote Yi Zhongtian Zhonghua Shi (易中天中华史; Yi Zhongtian's Chinese History). 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

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