Deng Guangming

Dèng Guǎngmíng (16 March 1907 – 10 January 1998) was a Chinese historian who specialized in the 10th to 13th century Song, Jin and Liao dynasties.

Born in Linyi County, Shandong and known by the courtesy name Gongsan , Deng's principal works include: Outline of Chinese History • The Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties Wang Anshi's Political Reforms During the Northern Song Dynasty Biography of Yue Fei Biography of Xin Qiji Biography of Chen Longchuan Chronicle of Xin Qiji's Life Annotated Works of Xin Qiji Amended Institutional Function Records from the History of Song Amended Criminal Law Records from the History of Song

Life

Early life Born to a relatively well-off family in Qijia Village , Linyi County, Deng entered a private school in 1913 at the age of six. In the autumn of 1920 he passed the entrance examination for the Lingao County Number One Advanced Primary School then three years later entered Shandong Number 1 Normal School where he "received enlightenment through real education". As this was the warlord era in China, a reactionary appointed new headmaster causing a school-wide protest strike. Deng joined in and was expelled in 1927. He sat the entrance exam for Peking, now Beijing University in 1931 but was not enrolled. Instead Deng entered the English Department at the Catholic University of Peking (now Fu Jen Catholic University). The following year he retook the entrance examination for Peking University and was admitted as a student.

University career During his time at Peking University Deng met the two greatest influences on his academic career, Fu Sinian and Hu Shih, who were both his tutors.

Following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on 7 July 1937 the War of Resistance against the Japanese began. Deng continued his research at the Beiping Library and with the assistance of Fu Sinian and Zhao Wanli completed a work containing Chronicle of Xin Qiji's Life , Annotated Works of Xin Qiji and Treasury of Xin Qiji's Writing and Poetry . Later Deng began to contribute to the compilation of the Outline of Chinese History • The Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties .

Following the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Deng was denounced as a "reactionary academic" and sentenced to forced labor at either Beijing University Re-education Camp or sent to a re-education village in the countryside where he "reformed through living in a cowshed". In October 1969 according to a decision by the army propaganda team he was sent to Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province along with the rest of the teaching and administrative staff of Beijing University for "re-education through labor" which involved manual work in the fields. At the same time Deng's academic achievements continued to grow.

Academic Honors "In the 20th century, Deng initiated study and research into the History of Song and was the founder of the system of Song Dynasty historiography".