Xu Jilin (born 1957; ) is a Chinese historian. He is a professor of history at East China Normal University, and specializes in 20th century Chinese intellectual history.

Early life

Born in 1957 in

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 ...

, Xu Jilin dropped out of school and became a librarian because of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

. As time passed, he eventually decided to pursue further education after passing

National Higher Education Entrance Examination The National College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as the gaokao (), is a standardized college entrance exam held annually in mainland China. It is required for entrance into almost all higher education institutions at the underg ...

. He studied policy at East China Normal University.

Career

In 1982 Xu graduated with a Bachelor's degree. He became a university lecturer. From 1997 to 2003, Xu Jilin traveled to three universities as a visiting professor and visiting scholar: the

Harvard–Yenching Institute The Harvard–Yenching Institute is an independent foundation dedicated to advancing higher education in Asia in the humanities and social sciences, with special attention to the study of Asian culture. It traditionally had close ties to Harvard ...

, the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

, and the University of Tokyo. In 2003, he returned to the East China Normal University where he continued his career. Xu Jilin serves on the editorial board of the journal ''Twenty-First Century Bimonthly'', published by Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Views

Xu is a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

who disavows what he terms the political extremes. He believes in "small government, big society", and criticized the statist, conservative intellectual current of the Chinese New Left.

Selected works in English

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xu, Jilin Living people 1957 births Educators from Shanghai Academic staff of the East China Normal University Historians from Shanghai 21st-century Chinese historians Liberalism in China