Hou Renzhi: A lifelong dedication to academia
Dec 07, 2021
Editor's Note: December 6 marked the 110th birthday of our late professor of
#geography Hou Renzhi. Prof. Hou was a key figure promoting cultural
heritage protection in China, as well as the founder of the field of
Chinese historical geography.
Peking University, Decemebr 7, 2021: Hou
Renzhi is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor
of geography at Peking University. He is also the key figure promoting
cultural heritage protection in China, as well as the founder of the
field of Chinese historical geography. Hou Renzhi dedicated his life to
the search for truth through scientific inquiry, a search that extended
beyond the walls of Peking University to the outskirts of Beijing, the
most rural parts of China, and cities all over the world.
Hou Renzhi
Hou’s early life
Hou Renzhi was born in 1911 in Zaoqiang county, Hebei province.
At
the time of “September 18 Incident” in 1931, which kicked off Japan’s
invasion of China during World War II, Hou Renzhi was studying at Luhe
Middle School in Tongzhou. In 1932 he enrolled at Beijing’s (then
Peiping’s) Yenching University to study for a degree in history and,
following his graduation in 1937, was hired as a research assistant for
Gu Yugang, the head of Yenching’s Department of History. Under the
guidance of Gu, Hou Renzhi learned standards of academic discipline that
would play a critical role in his life-long journey on the road of
historical research. More importantly, he cultivated a spiritual
strength and ambition which would enable him to overcome all obstacles
that he encountered along the way.
Following
China’s victory in the Anti-Japanese War in 1946, Yenching University
sent Hou Renzhi to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Liverpool under
the guidance of Percy Maude Roxby, the head of the university’s
Department of Geography. Following Roxby’s untimely death, H.C Darby,
the head of the Department of Geography of Cambridge University, became
Hou Renzhi’s mentor. Darby’s research method and theory of historical
geography made a particularly important impression on Hou Renzhi,
introducing him to a whole new perspective on historical inquiry that he
would carry back with him to China.
On
September 29, 1949, following the completion of his Ph.D., Hou Renzhi
returned to Beijing under the arrangement of the Xinhua News Agency in
Hong Kong, where he began his efforts to establish the field of
historical geography in China.
Hou
Renzhi's interest in Chinese historical geography came not only from
the teachings of Darby, but also from his life experiences in Beijing.
On weekends, he would often walk around the surroundings of Peking
University as a way to clear his mind in preparation for his courses. On
one of his walks, Hou Renzhi walked to the west side of Yuquan Mountain
and saw a stone chasm with a chiseled wall, noticing similarities with
other chasms located at the Biyun Temple and the Reclining Budga Temple
in Xishan. He imagined that, in the past, these chasms might have served
as a passage for water to flow through. After further investigation, he
discovered that the water from the Yuquan Mountain chasm had flowed to
Kunming Lake, located at the Summer Palace, and flowed down to Beijing.
This discovery early on in his academic career became the foundation of
his later study of Beijing's historical geography.
During
the "Cultural Revolution" period, Hou Renzhi was deported to Liyuzhou,
Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province. Following China’s resumption of
academic research in some disciplines, such as cultural relics and
archaeology, in 1972, Hou Renzhi was allowed to return to his academic
endeavors. After the 1978 Science Conference, he returned to the
Northwest Sands for an inspection. In 1980, he was elected a member of
the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one of the penultimate achievements for
a social scientist in China.
Building the discipline of Chinese Historical Geography
Hou
Renzhi’s disciple, the deputy secretary-general of the Beijing
Geography Society, Zhu Zuxi once summarized Hou Renzhi’s contribution to
Chinese geography in four points: developing Chinese “historical
geography” into an influential modern discipline; promoting the study of
Beijing’s urban historical geography; setting up a comparative study on
the planning and construction of capitals in different social systems;
and taking the lead in the protection and declaration of China's World
Heritage.
The
year of 1946 was the turning point of Hou Renzhi's academic career.
After receiving his Ph.D. in 1949 and returning to Yenching University,
he had already made several breakthroughs in his academic thinking,
overcoming the limits of traditional geography and beginning to flesh
out the basic tenets of what would become modern Chinese historical
geography. In 1950, Hou Renzhi published "The Discussion of China's
History Geography Course," which served as the preeminent work on
China’s theoretical understanding of historical geography.
Research in China’s remote deserts
Hou
Renzhi showcased great enthusiasm and ingenuity when it came to
applying his theories of historical geography for the purpose of
practical research. The most prominent example is his geographic
research of China’s desert environments. Since 1960, Hou Renzhi
regularly went to the semi-arid areas of northwest China’s Ningxia
province to investigate the desertification and soil erosion in its
Yanchi and Lingwu areas.
These
desert excursions always proved difficult, if not dangerous. Hou Renzhi
recalled them as an important turning point in his academic career,
where he “finally walked out of his comfortable office and began to
enter the harsh climate of China’s desert." On one particularly notable
trip, Hou Renzhi discovered evidence of a large amount of human
activities and was surprised by the changes they left on the natural
environment. Upon his return from the desert, he published a special
research paper, "Exploring the Changes of Hedong Sha District from the
Remains of Human Activities.”
At
the end of 1962, Hou Renzhi, under the direct leadership of the
Agriculture and Forestry Office of the State Council, formulated an
ambitious 10-year study plan: from 1963 to 1972, he would complete a
comprehensive desert inspection from the west of Inner Mongolia through
the Hexi Corridor to the southern part of Xinjiang. Notable parts of
this project include a 1963 trip to Ulan Boh to conduct research on the
construction of Baotou Steel, and a 1964 trip to the southeast section
of the Mu Us Desert in the Ordos to inspect the ruins of two ancient
cities on the banks of the Hongliu River.
Protecting Culture and Natural Heritage in China
In
the 1980s, Hou Renzhi made another of his great contributions to
Chinese academia: helping to facilitate China’s entrance into the World
Heritage Convention. This story begins in the spring of 1980, when Hou
Renzhi accepted an invitation to give a series of lectures at several
schools in the United States and Canada. On one trip to give a lecture
at the University of Pittsburgh, he brought with him two Chinese bricks
which he would showcase in his lecture. The experience of traveling with
such precious objects made Hou Renzhi realize that China needed a
mechanism to protect similar historical relics. During his visit to the
United States, Hou Renzhi also heard for the first time that there was a
Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
which could help China fulfill this need. Although the Convention had
started more than 10 years ago, few people in China knew of its
existence.
After
returning to China, Hou Renzhi immediately drafted a proposal as a
member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference, writing that "China should participate in the
"Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage" as soon as possible. Soon after, China became incorporated
into the World Heritage Convention.
Hou Renzhi and Beijing
"I
have a special affection for the walls and gates of this ancient city.
It inspired my historical interest and introduced me to a magnificent
science hall." For Hou Renzhi, Beijing not only served as his second
hometown for much of his life, but also one of the most important
subjects of his research. Along with exploring the theories of
historical geography and helping China join the World Heritage
Convention, Hou also dedicated his life to investigating the history of
Beijing, and made a number of contributions.
First,
Hou Renzhi decided to apply his methods of historical geography to
uncover the mystery of Beijing’s construction. This was the topic of Hou
Renzhou’s 1949 doctoral thesis, "Historical Geography of Beijing." In
the view of Wang Nan, an architectural professor at Tsinghua University,
Hou Renzhi’s most important contribution to the study of Beijing was to
sort out the pattern of Beijing’s urban development. “Hou has
determined the location of Beijing in various historical periods through
pieces of evidence such as water systems, geography, and archaeological
literature. Beijing was the first city of the Zhou Dynasty, but there
rarely are scientists who know its specific location. But Mr. Hou read
"Shui Jing Zhu" and other studies of the geographical changes of the
rivers and lakes, and finally concluded that the city is located in the
Guang'anmen area. This is praised as a very large and magnificent
contribution."
Second,
Hou Renzhi paid great attention to the protection of the historical
sites of Beijing. For example, Hou Renzhi publicly called for the
protection of the Lugou Bridge, which later led the government to carry
out renovations. Since then, Lugou Bridge has not only been renovated
several times but also listed as one of the top 10 historical and
cultural reservations and was placed on the reservation list for the
declaration of World Heritage in the "Beijing Historical and Cultural
City Protection Plan." Moreover, in 1998, Hou Renzhi made an important
suggestion, to restore the landscape of the Wanning Bridge, an old
structure on the central axis of Beijing, which is the starting point
for the urban planning of Yuandadu. Hou Renzhi suggested that the water
in Shichahai should be led through the back door bridge to restore the
landscape under the bridge. It was this suggestion that led to the
revitalization of the central axis.
Hou
Renzhi s strong passion for Bejing and his great contributions to its
restoration has left him with several reputations among the Chinese
people. Chief among them are nicknames such as “the life of Beijing,” or
“the giant of Beijing history.”
In
the winter of 1999, Beijing experienced a meteor shower. Several Peking
University students went to the lake to watch it, and found Hou Renzhi
sitting at the edge of the lake. He explained to the students the
scientific and geographic important of meteor showers, making an already
majestic night even more fantastic for the students. This small
anecdote is a reflection of Hou Renzhou’s life, highlighting his
precious personal characteristics and love for science, academia, and
life-long learning.
Hou
Renzhi has lived on campus since joining Peking University, but now it
is impossible to see him when visiting his residence at Yannan Garden.
On October 22, 2013, Hou Renzhi passed away at the age of 102.
Written by: Fang Jiangchen
Edited by: Ethan Paul
