Ge Jianxiong (; born 15 December 1945) is a Chinese

historical geographer Historical geography is the branch of geography that studies the ways in which geographic phenomena have changed over time. It is a synthesizing discipline which shares both topical and methodological similarities with history, anthropology, eco ...

. He is a professor and the former Director of the Institute of Historical Geography of

Fudan University Fudan University () is a national public research university in Shanghai, China. Fudan is a member of the C9 League, Project 985, Project 211, and the Double First Class University identified by the Ministry of Education of China. It is als ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, and Director of the Fudan University Library. His research focus is on historical population movements and human geography. Ge is also a well-known public figure in China. He is a member of the Standing Committee of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

(CPPCC) and is on the Advisory Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Government.

Biography

Ge Jianxiong was born on 15 December 1945 in Nanxun, Wuxing County (now Huzhou),

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

, China. He graduated from Chang'an Middle School and Shibei High School. After a year of teacher's training, he taught at Gutian High School in

Zhabei Zhabei, formerly romanized as Chapei, is a neighborhood and a former district of Shanghai with a land area of and a resident population of 847,300 as of 2013. It is the location of the Shanghai railway station, one of the main railway stations ...

, Shanghai. When the

National Higher Education Entrance Examination The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as the gaokao (), is a standardized college entrance exam held annually in mainland China. It is required for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the underg ...

was restored after the end of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, Ge took the graduate examination. Despite having never attended college, he excelled in the exam and was admitted to the graduate school of

to study historical geography under the famous scholar, academician

Tan Qixiang Tan Qixiang (; 25 February 1911 − 28 August 1992) was a Chinese geographer and historian who is considered a founder of the field of historical geography in Modern China. His ''magnum opus'', the eight-volume ''The Historical Atlas of China'', ...

. In 1981 he earned a master's degree in history, and in 1983, Ge and his classmate

Zhou Zhenhe Zhou Zhenhe (; born 1941) is a Chinese historical geographer and a distinguished senior professor at the Institute of Historical Geography of Fudan University in Shanghai. His main research interests are cultural and administrative geography and ...

became the first two recipients of the doctoral degree in humanities (文科博士) in the People's Republic of China. His dissertation, ''Population Geography of the Western Han Dynasty'', was published as a

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monograph ...

by the

People's Publishing House People's Press (), commonly known as People's Publishing House, abbreviated as PPH, is a China's state-run and CCP-run comprehensive publishing house based in Beijing, which mainly publishes books on philosophy and social sciences, and is the of ...

in 1986. Ge has been a faculty member of the Institute of Historical Geography of Fudan University since 1981, and became a full professor in 1991. He served as Director of the Institute of Historical Geography from 1996 to 2006. He is also Director of the Fudan University Library. He was a visiting scholar at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(1985–1986) and the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(1998), and a visiting professor at the

School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (french: École des hautes études en sciences sociales; EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and ''grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The ...

(1991) and the

International Research Center for Japanese Studies The , or Nichibunken (日文研), is an inter-university research institute in Kyoto. Along with the National Institute of Japanese Literature, the National Museum of Japanese History, and the National Museum of Ethnology, it is one of the Nati ...

(1997–1998). Ge also writes popular columns and blogs in the mainstream media and is a well-known public figure in China. He is a member of the Standing Committee of the

(CPPCC) and is on the Advisory Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Government.

Selected publications

Ge has published numerous books and articles, including: *''Population Geography of the Western Han Dynasty'' 西漢人口地理, 1986. *''Unity and Fragmentation'' 統一與分裂, , 1994. *''History of Migrations in China'' 中国移民史, , 1997. *''Changes in Boundaries and Administrative Divisions in Chinese History'' 中国历代疆域的变迁, , 1997. *''Population and Modernization in China since 1850'' *''China's Historical Geographic Studies in the Twentieth Century'' *''Emigrants and Chinese Traditional Culture'', , 2004. *''Population History of China'' 中国人口史, , 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ge, Jianxiong 1945 births Living people Fudan University alumni Fudan University faculty People's Republic of China historians Chinese historical geographers 20th-century Chinese historians 21st-century Chinese historians People from Huzhou Historians from Zhejiang Members of the Standing Committee of the 11th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the Standing Committee of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference