Liu Wei-ping 劉渭平 (1915 Beijing – 2014 Sydney) was a key figure in the development of Chinese studies in Australia. Of a scholarly family from Nantong and attended Xiamen University. Becoming a

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

diplomat, he became Vice-Consul at Sydney in 1945. In that role, he was involved in the repatriation of Formosans to Taiwan from Australia, including on the crowded Yoizuki. When the People's Republic of China was established, he remained in Australia, obtaining a master's degree in history from the University of Sydney in 1948 and in 1956 began teaching Chinese at the same institution alongside

A. R. Davis Professor Albert Richard ('Bertie') Davis (1924-1983) was born in Dorking and died in Sydney. The Chair of Oriental Studies at the University of Sydney for over a quarter-century, he was a major figure in the development of Asian Studies in Austra ...

. He retired in 1980. He published articles on Taoism and late Qing Poetry in the Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia as well as two books on Chinese Australians and an autobiography, ''Drifting Clouds: Between China and Australia'', was published by Sydney-based

Wild Peony Press Wild Peony Press was a Sydney-based independent press, dedicated to fostering the better understanding of Asian cultures in English-speaking countries. Co-founded by Mabel Lee, Wild Peony Press was active between 1984 and 2009 and their work was ...

in 2002. Wei-ping was naturalised as an Australian citizen in 1961.

References

1915 births 2014 deaths 20th-century Chinese diplomats University of Sydney alumni Academic staff of the University of Sydney Chinese emigrants to Australia {{Australia-academic-bio-stub