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| Born | (1935-07-13)July 13, 1935 (age 89) Shanghai, China |
| Alma mater | Fudan University |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Ancient Chinese history,palaeography,graphemics |
| Institutions | |
Qiu Xigui (simplified Chinese:裘锡圭;traditional Chinese:裘錫圭;Wade–Giles:Ch'iu Hsi-kuei; born 13 July 1935) is a Chinese historian,palaeographer, and professor ofFudan University. His bookChinese Writing is considered the "single most influential study of Chinese palaeography".[1]
Qiu Xigui was born in July 1935 inShanghai, ofNingbo ancestry. In 1952 he was admitted to the history department ofFudan University, and was interested in pre-Qin dynasty Chinese history. Under the influence of the renownedoracle bone expertHu Houxuan, he took interest in the oracle bones andChinese bronze inscriptions. After graduating in 1956, he became a graduate student of oracle bones andShang dynasty history, studying under Professor Hu. The same year, Hu was transferred to the Institute of History of theChinese Academy of Sciences inBeijing, and Qiu followed Hu to the institute.[2][3]
After finishing his graduate studies in 1960, Qiu was assigned to be a teaching assistant in the Department of Chinese ofPeking University (PKU). From 1964 to 1966, Qiu, like many other intellectuals, wassent down to the countryside to be "reeducated by peasants" as part of Mao'sSocialist Education Movement. He was sent toJiangling County,Hubei andYanqing County, Beijing. During the subsequentCultural Revolution, he worked as a labourer at a farm inJiangxi province from 1969 to 1971.[2]
In 1972, Qiu participated in the study ofHan dynasty documents excavated fromMawangdui, under the leadership ofZhu Dexi. From 1974 to 1976, he worked under Zhu at the Wenwu (Cultural Relics) Publishing House, where they researched theYinqueshan Han Slips and other excavatedbamboo and wooden slips. He became an associate professor at PKU in 1978 and a full professor in 1983.[2]
From 1982 to 1983, Qiu taught Chinese palaeography atUniversity of Washington inSeattle as a visiting scholar. From February to July 1998, he gave lectures on palaeography and ancient literature at the Chinese department ofNational Tsing Hua University inTaiwan.[2] In November 2000, he was awarded anhonorary doctorate by theUniversity of Chicago.[4]
In 2005, Qiu returned to his alma mater Fudan University to lead its Center for Research on Chinese Excavated Classics and Palaeography.[2]
Much of Qiu's research findings were published in his 1988 book "Chinese Writing" (文字学概要).[2] According to American sinologistEdward L. Shaughnessy, the book is the "single most influential study of Chinese palaeography", and "universally acclaimed to be the definitive overview" of the field.[1] It was translated into English by Gilbert L. Mattos andJerry Norman, two leading Western scholars of Chinese linguistics, and published in 2000 under the titleChinese Writing.[1]
As of 2002, Qiu had published about 300 academic papers, some of which were included in his 1992 book "Collected Papers on Palaeography" (古文字论集).[2][3] In 2012, theCollected Works of Qiu Xigui (裘锡圭学术文集), comprising six volumes and three million characters, was published by Fudan University Press.[5]
