An Academic History of China’s Han Dynasty: Communicational Factors in Academic Development

This book offers an innovative take on the study of Chinese academic history, approaching the subject from the perspective of broader social and cultural developments, one that is not only comprehensive and inclusive, but also sheds new light on the subject. The book investigates the main academic developments of the Han Dynasty, such as the formation of new-Confucianism and the new-Daoism of Han, the establishment of history studies, advances in astronomy and geography, breakthroughs in agronomy and hydraulics, and the achievements in traditional Chinese medicine. It also explores the cultural and political backgrounds, the main influencing factors, and the main features of academic developments, especially academic carriers and Chinese hermeneutics. It provides a new paradigm for academic history studies and includes many new theories, e.g., the reconstruction of the pre-Qin academics by the Han scholars. This book offers a unique resource for all those who want to learn about and understand Chinese history and culture, especially the academic history of the Han Dynasty.

Prof. Xiong Tieji (熊铁基, 1933- ) received his B.A. in history from Central China Normal University (CCNU) in 1956 and his M.A. in history from Eastern China Normal University (ECNU) in 1958. He has been teaching and researching Qin & Han history for over 6 decades and is now a professor emeritus at the School of History and Culture, Central China Normal University (CCNU), Wuhan, P. R. China. He is a renowned historian in the history of the Qin & Han Dynasties, as well as a renowned expert in Daoism Studies, acting as adviser at the Chinese Association of Qin & Han History Studies. He has published many works on the culture, institution and thoughts of the Qin & Han period, which are highly valued and have great influence. His main works include The Official Institutions History of Qin & Han Dynasties (1984), The Military Institutions History of Qin & Han Dynasties (1990), The Cultural History of Han & Tang Dynasties (1993), ChineseHistory of Studies on Laozi(1995), The Cultural Records of Qin & Han Dynasties (1998), The Neo-Daoism of Qin & Han Dynasties (2001), Chinese History of Studies on Zhuangzi (2003), The Cultural History of Qin & Han Dynasties (2007), An Academic History of the Han Dynasty (2013), etc. He has won many academic awards, including the second prize of the ＂Humanities & Social Sciences Achievement Awards from Ministry of Education, P. R. China＂ in 1998 for his ChineseHistory of Studies on Laozi (1995) and the third prize of the same title in 2006 for hisChinese History of Studies on Zhuangzi (2003).

Prof. Li Yinbo (李银波，1968-) received his BA in history from Central China Normal University (CCNU) in 1991, his MA in history in 1994 and his Ph.D. in history in 2010, both from Wuhan University. He was a visiting scholar at Mainz University in Germany in 2003-2004 and at University of Wisconsin-Madison in the USA in 2007-2008. He is now a professor of journalism and communication at the School of Law, Humanities & Sociology, Wuhan University of Technology (WUT), Wuhan, P. R. China. His main fields of study include Western media and culture, communication history, and intercultural communication. He is a council member of the ＂Chinese Association for Studies on German History＂ and ＂Chinese Association for Studies on Comparative Literature and Intercultural Communication＂. His main works include A Study on the Press Reconstruction in the German West-zone after World War II (2012), History of American Television (2012), A Study on International Dissemination of Ethical LiteraryCriticism (2023), etc.