Hu Xiansu or Hu Hsien-Hsu (, 24 May 1894 – 16 July 1968), was a Chinese botanist and an influential traditional scholar of his time. He was a founder of

plant taxonomy Plant taxonomy is the science that finds, identifies, describes, classifies, and names plants. It is one of the main branches of taxonomy (the science that finds, describes, classifies, and names living things). Plant taxonomy is closely allied ...

in China and a pioneer of modern

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

research in the country.

Education and career

Hu Xiansu studied preparatory course at

Imperial University of Peking Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...

in 1909. In 1912 after the 1911 Revolution he went to America, and graduated from

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in 1916. In 1918, he became a faculty member of National Nanking Higher Normal School and then

National Southeastern University Nanjing University (NJU; ) is a national public research university in Nanjing, Jiangsu. It is a member of C9 League and a Class A Double First Class University designated by the Chinese central government. NJU has two main campuses: the Xianl ...

(later renamed

National Central University National Central University (NCU, ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Kwet-li̍p Chung-yong Thài-ho̍k'', Wade–Giles: ''Kuo2 Li4 Chung Yang Ta4 Hsüeh2'' or ''中大'', ''Chung-ta'') is a public research university with long-standing traditions based in Taiw ...

and

Nanking University Nanjing University (NJU; ) is a national public research university in Nanjing, Jiangsu. It is a member of C9 League and a Class A Double First Class University designated by the Chinese central government. NJU has two main campuses: the Xianl ...

). He went to America again in 1923 and received a doctor's degree from

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 high ...

in 1925. His wife died in

Nanking Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

in 1926, then he resigned from Department of Biology of Southeastern University and became a full-time research fellow at Institute of Biology of

China Science Society The Science Society of China (, 1915-1960) was a major science organization in the modern history of China. It was initiated by Chinese students at Cornell University in 1914, including P.C. King, H. C. Zen, Zhou Ren, Hsingfo Yang and later re ...

. He cofounded Fan Memorial Institute of Biology in Peiping (Beijing) in 1928. He founded Lushan Botanical Garden in 1934 and

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

Institute of Agriculture and Forest (later renamed Kunming Institute of Botany,

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...

) in 1938. Along with his colleagues of the

Science Society of China The Science Society of China (, 1915-1960) was a major science organization in the modern history of China. It was initiated by Chinese students at Cornell University in 1914, including P.C. King, H. C. Zen, Zhou Ren, Hsingfo Yang and later re ...

, Hu was a key leader of the first biological research institute in the country, and played an important role in founding the Botanical Society of China. He established the first plantation for botanical research at

Mount Lu Mountain Lu or Lushan (, Gan: Lu-san), officially named Mountain Lu National Park, is a mountain in China. It was also known as Kuanglu () in ancient times. It is situated in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, and is one of the most renowned mounta ...

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

, and initiated or conducted large-scale survey of

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

of China. Between 1940 and 1944, he was the founding president of the National Chung Cheng University (renamed National Nanchang University 1949). In the 1940s, he played a key role, along with

Wan Chun Cheng Wan Chun Cheng or Zheng Wanjun (, 1908–1987) was a Chinese botanist. Initially one of the Chinese plant collectors who followed in the wake of the Europeans after 1920, he became one of the world's leading authorities on the taxonomy of gymnosp ...

, in identifying and naming a new living species of

Metasequoia ''Metasequoia'', or dawn redwoods, is a genus of fast-growing deciduous trees, one of three species of conifers known as redwoods. The living species '' Metasequoia glyptostroboides'' is native to Lichuan county in Hubei province, China. Althou ...

previously known only from fossils, in

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, China. In the 1950s, Hu was openly critical of Lysenko's anti-Mendelian doctrines in

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

and agricultural practices, despite heavy Soviet influences and political pressures at that time.

Notes

References and further reading

External links

THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE “LIVING FOSSIL” METASEQUOIA GLYPTOSTROBOIDES (TAXODIACEAE): A REVIEW (1943–2003)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hu, Xiansu 20th-century Chinese botanists Botanists active in China Presidents of universities and colleges in China Peking University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Harvard University alumni National Central University faculty Nanjing University faculty 1894 births 1968 deaths Members of Academia Sinica Educators from Jiangxi People from Nanchang Peking University faculty Republic of China science writers People's Republic of China science writers Writers from Jiangxi Biologists from Jiangxi

Education and career

See also

Notes

References and further reading

External links