Yi Zhongtian (born 8 February 1947) is a Chinese writer and historian. He is also a professor and Ph.D. supervisor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at

Xiamen University Xiamen University (; Southern Min: ''Ē-mn̂g-toā-o̍h''), colloquially known as Xia Da (; Southern Min: ''Hā-tāi''), is a national public research university in Xiamen, Fujian, China. Founded in 1921 by Tan Kah Kee, a Chinese patriotic exp ...

's School of Humanities.

Life and career

Yi's grandfather, Yi Silin (易思麟; 1885–1983), graduated from the Hunan Law School (湖南法政学堂; now part of

Hunan University Hunan University (HNU; ; pinyin: Húnán Dàxué''),'' colloquially abbreviated as HúDà (湖大), is a national key public research university located in Changsha, Hunan, and a Double First Class University as well as a member of Project 211 ...

) and served as the acting county magistrate of

Dao County Dao County () is a county in Hunan Province, China, it is under the administration of Yongzhou prefecture-level City. Located on the southern margin of the province, it is adjacent to the northeastern border of Guangxi. The county borders to the ...

Hunan Province Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi t ...

. He became a self-taught physician after leaving office. Yi's uncle, Yi Rengai (易仁荄; 1908–1990), graduated from

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...

's Department of History in 1935. Yi's father, Yi Tingyuan (易庭源; 1919–2011), was an accountant. Yi spent his childhood in his birthplace,

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...

, before moving to

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

province at the age of six. He attended Yuemachang Primary School () and No. 1 Middle School attached to

Central China Normal University Central China Normal University (CCNU) or Huazhong Normal University (), located in Luonan Subdistrict, Hongshan District in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, is a comprehensive university directly under the administration of the Chinese Mini ...

(). Between 1965 and 1975, Yi went to

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

to join the

Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (), also known as XPCC or Bingtuan ("The Corps"), is a state-owned economic and Paramilitary forces of China, paramilitary organization in China, China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). ...

. From 1975 to 1978, he taught at a middle school for the children of employees at a steel production firm in Urumqi, Xinjiang. Yi studied ancient Chinese literature in

Wuhan University Wuhan University (WHU; ) is a public research university in Wuhan, Hubei. The university is sponsored by the Ministry of Education. Wuhan university was founded as one of the four elite universities in the early republican period of China and i ...

under the tutelage of Hu Guorui () and graduated in 1978 with a

professional degree A professional degree, formerly known in the US as a first professional degree, is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for licensure or accreditatio ...

. In 1981, after obtaining a MA degree from Wuhan University, he became a lecturer at his alma mater. He is currently a professor and PhD supervisor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at

's School of Humanities.

Works

Yi's academic interests include literature, art, aesthetics, psychology, anthropology and history. His published works focus on popularising academic subjects. This has caused some controversy, but has also led to the popularity of his works. In 2005, Yi appeared on

CCTV-10 CCTV-10 is the science and education focused channel of the China Central Television (CCTV) network in the People's Republic of China. Its schedule includes mostly local and imported documentaries, as well as educational studio productions. Pr ...

's ''

Lecture Room ''Lecture Room'' is a Chinese television programme hosted by China Central Television (CCTV), in which scholars from various disciplines are invited to provide lectures. It was first broadcast on 9 July 2001 on CCTV-10. In its early days, featur ...

'' programme. His series of lectures on personalities of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

and the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period were successful, but there was also criticism about the academic quality of his lectures. Due to the popularity of his lectures, in 2006 CCTV-10 made a contract with him to produce a series of 52 lectures on the history of the Three Kingdoms period. In 2008, he started a series of 36 lectures about the

Hundred Schools of Thought The Hundred Schools of Thought () were philosophies and schools that flourished from the 6th century BC to 221 BC during the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period of ancient China. An era of substantial discrimination in China, ...

on ''Lecture Room''. In 2013, Yi wrote ''Yi Zhongtian Zhonghua Shi'' (易中天中华史; ''Yi Zhongtian's History of China''). A year later, he wrote ''San Guo Ji'' (三国纪; ''Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms'') to dispel myths about the historical figures

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate Grand chancellor (China), grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the End of ...

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...

Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...

and

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang ( zh, t=諸葛亮 / 诸葛亮) (181 – September 234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is r ...

List of works

* Chinese culture series: ** ''Xianhua Zhongguo Ren'' (闲话中国人; ''The Gossiping Chinese'') ** ''Zhongguo De Nanren He Nüren'' (中国的男人和女人; ''China's Men and Women'') ** ''Du Cheng Ji'' (读城记; ''Reading and Cities'') ** ''Pin Ren Lu'' (品人录; ''Analysis of People'') *

'' series: ** ''Han Dai Fengyun Renwu'' (汉代风云人物; ''Prominent Personalities of the Han Dynasty'') ** ''Pin San Guo'' (品三国; ''Analysis of the Three Kingdoms'') ** ''Xian Qin Zhuzi Baijia Zhengming'' (先秦诸子百家争鸣; ''The Hundred Schools of Thought Before the Qin Dynasty'') * Politics: ** ''Diguo De Chouchang'' (帝国的惆怅; ''Melancholy of the Empire'') ** ''Diguo De Zhongjie'' (帝国的终结; ''End of the Empire'') ** ''Feicheng Fengyun: Meiguo Xianfa De Dansheng He Women De Fansi'' (费城风云：美国宪法的诞生和我们的反思; ''Philadelphia: The Birth of the United States Constitution and Our Reflections'') * Aesthetics: ** ''Po Men Er Ru'' (破门而入; ''Forced Entry'') * Social sciences: ** ''Chengdu Fangshi'' (成都方式; ''The Chengdu Method'') * Essays: ** ''Shusheng Yiqi'' (书生意气; ''Scholar's Spirit'') ** ''Shusheng Shaqi'' (书生傻气; ''Scholar's Foolishness'') ** ''Gao Gao De Shu Shang'' (高高的树上; ''High Up on the Tree'') * Others: ** ''Dahua Fangyan'' (大话方言; ''Discussion on Dialects'') ** ''Zhongguo Zhihui'' (中国智慧; ''Chinese Intelligence'') ** ''Wo Shan Zhi Shi'' (我山之石; ''The Rock of My Mountain'') ** ''Yi Zhongtian Zhonghua Shi'' (易中天中华史; ''Yi Zhongtian's History of China'')

References

External links

*
Yi Zhongtian's personal blog
*

on people.com.cn {{DEFAULTSORT:Yi, Zhongtian 1947 births Living people People's Republic of China historians Writers from Changsha Wuhan University alumni Wuhan University faculty Xiamen University faculty People's Republic of China essayists Educators from Hunan Historians from Hunan