Lü Simian (; February 27, 1884 – October 9, 1957) was a Chinese historian. He was a former professor and history department head at Kwang Hua University, a predecessor of the

East China Normal University East China Normal University (ECNU) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Shanghai, China. It was formed in 1951 by the merger of the Great China University (est. 1924) and Kwang Hua University (est. 1925) and origin ...

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 ...

. Lü took the courtesy name Chéngzhī () and wrote under the pseudonym Núniú (). His students included famous historians

Ch'ien Mu Ch'ien Mu or Qian Mu (; 30 July 1895 – 30 August 1990) was a Chinese historian, philosopher and writer. He is considered to be one of the greatest historians and philosophers of 20th-century China. Ch'ien, together with Lü Simian, Chen Yink ...

and

Yang Kuan Yang Kuan (1914 − September 1, 2005) was a Chinese historian specializing in pre-Qin Dynasty Chinese history. He is considered an authority of the Warring States period, and his ''History of the Warring States'', first published in 1955, rema ...

. Historian Yan Gengwang () considered Lü one of the four greatest modern Chinese historians, along with his student Ch'ien Mu,

Chen Yuan Chen Yuan (, born in January 1945) is a Chinese economist who served as the Chairman of the China Development Bank from March 1998 to April 2013. Chen Yuan then served as Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Politica ...

, and

Chen Yinke Chen Yinke, or Chen Yinque (3 July 18907 October 1969), was a Chinese historian, linguist, orientalist, politician, and writer. He was a fellow of Academia Sinica, considered one of the most original and creative historians in 20th century China ...

. In 1926 Lü was invited to teach at Kwang Hua University by his friend and the school's headmaster Qián Jībó (). Lü remained at the school, which later became part of

, until his death. Lü was born in Wujin (now

Wujin district Wujin District (; postal: ''Wutsin'') is a district under the jurisdiction of Changzhou in Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. In 2005 Wujin was ranked as 8th in the top 100 best cities and counties in mainland China. History In ...

Changzhou Changzhou ( Changzhounese: ''Zaon Tsei'', ) is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provin ...

city) in China's

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...

province. At the age of 15 he entered the county school. In the second year he began teaching himself history. He later became a member of the

Doubting Antiquity School The Doubting Antiquity School or Yigupai ( Wilkinson, Endymion (2000). ''Chinese History: A Manual''. Harvard Univ Asia Center. . Page 345, see/ref>Loewe, Michael and Edward L. Shaughnessy (1999). ''The Cambridge History of Ancient China'' Cambridg ...

which was a group of scholars and writers who showed doubts regarding the authenticity of pre-

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

texts. His former residence in Changzhou is a protected property open to the public, offering numerous artifacts from his life displayed in the restored building.

Notable publications

* Song Dynasty Literature (1931) * An Introduction to Early Qin Science (1933) * A History of Chinese Ethnic Minorities (1934) * A History of Pre-Qin Era (1941) * A History of the Three Kingdoms (1943) * A History of Qin and Han Dynasties (1947) * A History of Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties (1948) * A History of Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties (1959) * A History of the Chinese Political System (1985)

References

* 常州年鉴200

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Simian 1884 births 1957 deaths 20th-century Chinese historians East China Normal University faculty Educators from Changzhou Historians from Jiangsu People's Republic of China historians Republic of China historians Writers from Changzhou Kwang Hua University faculty