Rafe de Crespigny
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Richard Rafe Champion de Crespigny (born 1936), also known by his Chinese name Zhang Leifu (), is an Australian
sinologist Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ex ...
and historian. He was an adjunct professor in the College of Asia and the Pacific at the
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
. He specialised in the history, geography, and literature 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 ...
, particularly the translation and historiography of material concerning the Han dynasty 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.


Family

The son of Richard Geoffrey Champion de Crespigny, (1907-1966), and Kathleen Cavenagh Champion de Crespigny (1908-2013), née Cudmore, Richard Rafe Champion de Crespigny was born in Adelaide in 1936. He married Christa Boltz in
Turner, Australian Capital Territory Turner is a suburb in the Australian city of Canberra, close to Canberra City and the Australian National University (located in the suburb of Acton). Turner is named after Sir George Turner, a Federalist, legislator and one of the founders o ...
on 19 May 1959.


Education

De Crespigny received his tertiary education at 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 ...
(B.A. Honours History 1957; M.A. History 1961) and the
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
(B.A. Honours Chinese 1962; M.A. Oriental Studies Honours 1964; PhD Far Eastern History 1968). During his early years as a scholar and academic, de Crespigny benefited from the guidance of
Geoffrey Elton Sir Geoffrey Rudolph Elton (born Gottfried Rudolf Otto Ehrenberg; 17 August 1921 – 4 December 1994) was a German-born British political and constitutional historian, specialising in the Tudor period. He taught at Clare College, Cambridge, and w ...
and sinologists such as
Hans Bielenstein Hans Henrik August Bielenstein (8 April 1920 − 8 March 2015) was a Swedish sinologist and Dean Lung Professor Emeritus from Columbia University specialising in the history of the Han Dynasty. Life Hans Henrik August Bielenstein was born on 8 Ap ...
, Otto van der Sprenkel, Fang Chao-ying, Liu Ts'un-yan, and
Göran Malmqvist Nils Göran David Malmqvist (6 June 1924 – 17 October 2019) was a Swedish linguist, literary historian, sinologist and translator. He was also a member of the Swedish Academy between 1985 and 2019. Biography Göran Malmqvist was born on 6 Ju ...
, and he developed an interest in the late
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 ...
through the historical novel ''
Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...
''. His doctoral dissertation of 1968 on the development of the Chinese empire in the south and the origins of 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 ...
state of Wu has provided the basis for much of his later work.


Publications

De Crespigny's publications include ''China: The Land and its People'' (Melbourne, 1971); ''China This Century'' (Melbourne 1975; 2nd Edition Hong Kong 1992), both discussions of modern China. His most significant works, however, are those concerned with the Later Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. Among these are ''Northern Frontier: The Policies and Strategy of the Later Han Empire'' (Canberra, 1984); while ''Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling'' and ''To Establish Peace'' (Canberra, 1996) provide an annotated translation of the chronicle for the years 157 to 189 (chapters 54 to 59) and 189 to 220 (chapters 59 to 69) from the ''
Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
'' of
Sima Guang Sima Guang (17 November 1019 – 11 October 1086), courtesy name Junshi, was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer. He was a high-ranking Song dynasty scholar-official who authored the monumental history book ''Zizhi Tongjian''. Sima was ...
respectively. He has also published more than twenty articles in Australia and overseas. ''Generals of the South'', published in 1990, narrates the rise of the
Sun clan The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared rad ...
and the formation of 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 ...
tripartite. It builds on the broad range of his translation experience and is telling about his historical interests. Like ''Northern Frontier'', the work focuses on strategies, campaigns, and personalities. The approach owes a great deal to the narrative tradition of the historical novel ''
Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...
'' but ''Generals of the South'' also discusses the population and development of southern China from the second century AD. In dealing with the military defence of the south via the boundary of the
Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...
, it presents the best discussion of the
Battle of Red Cliffs The Battle of Red Cliffs, also known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive naval battle in the winter of AD 208–209 at the end of the Han dynasty, about twelve years prior to the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. T ...
and early Chinese riverine warfare available in English. The work also provides an important prelude to further research into the political and cultural divisions of the
Northern and Southern dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...
. In 2007, ''A Biographical Dictionary of
Later Han Later Han (後漢) may refer to two dynastic states in imperial China: *Eastern Han (25–220), the second period of the Han dynasty, also called Later Han * Later Han (947–951), a dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period See al ...
to the Three Kingdoms 23–220 AD'' was published by
Brill Brill may refer to: Places * Brielle (sometimes "Den Briel"), a town in the western Netherlands * Brill, Buckinghamshire, a village in England * Brill, Cornwall, a small village to the west of Constantine, Cornwall, UK * Brill, Wisconsin, an un ...
as a companion to
Michael Loewe Michael Arthur Nathan Loewe (born 2 November 1922) is a British Sinologist, historian, and writer who has authored dozens of books, articles, and other publications in the fields of Classical Chinese as well as the history of ancient and ear ...
's biographical dictionary dealing with the
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 ...
,
Former Han 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 Xin periods 221 BC – 24 AD (Brill 2000). De Crespigny's more recent publications include ''Imperial Warlord'', a biography of
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 ...
(Brill 2010), which was awarded the Stanislas Julien Prize for 2011 by the French Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. In 2016 Brill published ''Fire over Luoyang'', a narrative and analytical history of Later Han. He was brought on as a consultant for the
Creative Assembly The Creative Assembly Limited (trade name: Creative Assembly) is a British video game developer based in Horsham, founded in 1987 by Tim Ansell. In its early years, the company worked on porting games to MS-DOS from Amiga and ZX Spectrum platfor ...
strategy video game '' Total War: Three Kingdoms'' (released 2019).


Associations and appointments

De Crespigny is a Fellow of the
Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australia ...
. He has also been President of the Chinese Studies Association of Australia, a Fellow of the
Oriental Society of Australasia The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...
, a vice-president of the
Australian Institute of International Affairs The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) is an Australian research institute and think tank which focuses on International relations. It publishes the ''Australian Journal of International Affairs''. It is one of the oldest act ...
; and a member of the
Asian Studies Association of Australia The Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) is the peak body of university experts and educators on Asian Studies in Australia. Established in 1976, the ASAA promotes and supports the study of Asia in Australian universities and knowledge ...
, the Historical Association (UK) and the
Royal Geographical Society of Australasia On 22 June 1883, the Geographical Society of Australasia started at a meeting in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. A branch was formed in Victoria in the same year. In July 1885, both the Queensland and the South Australian branches started. ...
. * 1971: Secretary-General of the 28th International Congress of Orientalists at Canberra * 1971–72: Visiting Fellow of Clare Hall,
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 ...
* 1972 and 1984: Academic Exchange Visitor of the
German Academic Exchange Service The German Academic Exchange Service, or DAAD (german: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), was founded in 1925 and is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation. Organisation ''DAAD'' is a ...
AAD* 1978: Visiting Professor, Asian Studies Program,
University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
* 1978: Guest Professor, College of Chinese Culture * 1983–97: Honorary Treasurer, Australian Committee for the
Cambridge Commonwealth Trust The Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust is an organization that offers scholarships to students from overseas and the Commonwealth (excluding the United Kingdom) who have been accepted for admission to the University of Cambr ...
* 1986: Visiting Fellow, Institute of Sinology,
Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...
* 1991–2001: Master of University House, Australian National University


Honours

De Crespigny was awarded a
Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...
in 2001 for services to Australian society in Asian studies.It's an Honour
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See also

* C. T. C. de Crespigny, Rafe de Crespigny's grandfather, includes details of the Australian branch of the Champion de Crespigny family


Footnotes


References


de Crespigny, Rafe, "Kathleen Cudmore: a Memoir", ''Anne's Family History'', 1 January 2017.

de Crespigny, Rafe, ''Champions from Normandy: An Essay on the Early History of the Champion de Crespigny family 1350-1800 AD'', Anne Young, (Ballarat West), 2017.


External links


Publications of Rafe de Crespigny at the ANU Australian Centre on China in the World

Interview with Rafe de Crespigny
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Crespigny, Rafe 1936 births Living people Alumni of the University of Cambridge Australian historians Australian National University alumni Australian National University faculty Australian sinologists Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities Historians of China Australian people of French descent