A Study On Yen Keng-wang’ Historiography

Yen Keng-wang (1916-1996) is a famous modern historian on Ancient Chinese History Study in China. He mainly engaged in the research of History of the Political Systems and Historical Humanities Geography. He produced a great deal of works and had a good reputation in academic world. In this paper, we took the life of Yen’s academic activities and his representative works as the analyzing main line, linking to the whole trend of the development of Modern Chinese Historiography, to make a comprehensive inquiry into his academic achievement and his learning methods etc. On the basis of seeking truth from facts, we strove to understand Yen’s original academic style, to reveal his thoughts and characteristics, in order to provide useful lessons and enlightenment for the contemporary academic research.This paper consists of the preface, Chapters One:Yen’s life and his historical origin, Chapters Two:Yen’s research achievements on History of the Political Systems, Chapters Three:Yen’s research achievements on Historical Humanities Geography, Chapters Four:Yen’s historical method and his historical characteristics, Chapters Five:Yen’s status and influence in the historiography of Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the conclusion.The preface introduces the significance of this topic, the related researches and its analysis path. We also make a comprehensive review on the problems and deficiencies of this paper, and propose a series of need for further study.Chapter One clarifies Yen’s life and the academic road to understand his academic origin. As a pure scholar, Yen’s life looks relatively simple. It can be divided into Tong-cheng(桐城)high school and before, Wuhan University, Ancient Chinese literature search Institute of Qi-lu(齐鲁)University, the Institute of History and Philology of the Academia Sinica(中央研究院历史语言研究所),New Asia College and New Asia Research Institute of the Chinese University of Hong Kong(香港中文大学新亚书院新亚研究所). In these periods, Yen did nothing but reading, writing, research, teaching, and his other major activities were also related with academy. His historical origin mainly has the following three aspects, as his study in high school, including Li ze-gang, Wu qi-chang, Liang Qi-chao’s influence, as Chien Mu’s influence, as the Institute of History and Philology’s style of study and its environment.Chapter Two and Chapters Three focuses on Yen’s research results in the field of the political system in ancient Chinese history and Chinese historical geography, to dissertate his academic achievement, including the gains and losses. We analyze Yen’s study on the local administrative system of the Qin and Han Dynasties, of Wei Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, of Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the Shang-shu(尚书)system of the Northern Wei Dynasty and Tang Dynasty. We focuses on the analysis and evaluation of Yen’s several representative works, such as "the History of Chinese local administrative system’(《中国地方行政制度史》),"Table of Pu, Shang, Cheng, Lang in Tang Dynasty’(《唐仆尚丞郎表》),"Table of Han Prefecture governor(《两汉太守刺史表》)etc. And we also make a comprehensive and in-depth discussion on Yen’s contribution of Chinese historical humanities geography. Mainly along Yen’s trilogy of humanities geography studying program. Firstly on his traffic geographic research in Tang, and make an analysis of Yen’s "A Study on the Traffic and charts in Tang Dynasty"(《唐代交通图考》), including the purpose, process of creation, the research methods, the main achievements and shortcomings etc. After that, we make a discussion and research on Yen’s humanities geography study of Tang and the humanities geography study of Chinese History.Chapter Four summarizes of his research methods and characteristics, to further analyze Yen’s historical thinking and orientation. Yen’s main historical characteristics embodies in his pursuit of historical and realistic spirit. Yen’s history orientation of specific problem is a reflection of his simple nature and pragmatic style. The humanism and liberal education received from Chien Mu make Yen gradually forming "the whole concept of Chinese history". In Yen’s specific history process, there is also has some concrete and indeed available historical method for reference, such as he prefers Induction, statistics of mathematical logic method, he is good at’small to see’ or’Poly small for big’for study, he formulates a long-term research program, and follow the prescribed order execution, he Widely participate in each card and traces to its source during the historical research.Chapter Five attempts to study the relationship between Yen and the historiography of Hong Kong and Taiwan, including the history institution and Other scholars, in order to understanding Yen’s historical achievements and his status and influence in the developing process of the historiography of Hong Kong and Taiwan broadly.The conclusion summarizes and appraises Yen’s achievements and characteristics, especially on his academic significance and enlightenment.