Rao Zongyi
Encyclopedia
Jao Tsung-I is a Chinese
scholar, poet, calligrapher and painter. A versatile scholar, he contributes to every field of humanities
, including archaeology, literature, philology, musicology and history. Currently he lives in Hong Kong
. He has two daughters.
Born into a wealthy family, he is largely an autodidact. He began to publish scholarly works at a young age. Later he was invited to work as lecturer and researcher at different colleges in mainland
. He moved to Hong Kong in 1949. During the following years, he taught in the University of Hong Kong, while learning Sanskrit
from the Indian diplomat and China expert V. V. Paranjpe
, who in turn learnt ancient Chinese from Jao. In 1959, he published Yindai zhenbu renwu tongkao (殷代貞卜人物通考 "Oracle Bone
Diviners of the Yin Dynasty"), which later earned him the Prix Stanislas Julien from the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
.
From 1963 onwards, he travelled to different countries to research and teach, including India
, France
, Singapore
, United States
and Japan
. Currently he is the Wei Lun Honorary Professor of Fine Arts and Emeritus Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at the Chinese University of Hong Kong
.
Many of his works are pioneering. For instance, he is the first scholar to render the Babylonian epic Enûma Elish
into Chinese, after learning the Akkadian language
from Jean Bottéro
while he was a visiting scholar in Paris
(see his work Jindong kaipi shishi 近東開闢史詩 "Creation Epic of the Near East"), and the first one to make a comparative study of the oracle bone script and the Indus script
(see his essay Tan Yindu Hegu tuxing wenzi 談印度河谷圖形文字 "On the Indus Valley Pictorial Characters").
Yu Qiuyu (余秋雨), a popular writer in mainland, once said publicly that "with the presence of Jao Tsung-I, Hong Kong would not be a cultural desert", reacting to the common opinion that the region is a utilitarian cultural desert (文化沙漠). His remark has become a catchphrase in the Chinese intellectual circle (see, for example, this site).
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
scholar, poet, calligrapher and painter. A versatile scholar, he contributes to every field of humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, including archaeology, literature, philology, musicology and history. Currently he lives in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. He has two daughters.
Born into a wealthy family, he is largely an autodidact. He began to publish scholarly works at a young age. Later he was invited to work as lecturer and researcher at different colleges in mainland
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
. He moved to Hong Kong in 1949. During the following years, he taught in the University of Hong Kong, while learning Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
from the Indian diplomat and China expert V. V. Paranjpe
V. V. Paranjpe
V. V. Paranjpe is a retired Indian diplomat and an expert on China. In 1947, he came to China to study the Chinese language at Beijing University. He later worked as an ambassador in China, until 1957. He served as the interpreter when Nehru visited China and talked with Mao Zedong in...
, who in turn learnt ancient Chinese from Jao. In 1959, he published Yindai zhenbu renwu tongkao (殷代貞卜人物通考 "Oracle Bone
Oracle bone
Oracle bones are pieces of bone normally from ox scapula or turtle plastron which were used for divination chiefly during the late Shang Dynasty. The bones were first inscribed with divination in oracle bone script by using a bronze pin, and then heated until crack lines appeared in which the...
Diviners of the Yin Dynasty"), which later earned him the Prix Stanislas Julien from the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres is a French learned society devoted to the humanities, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France.-History:...
.
From 1963 onwards, he travelled to different countries to research and teach, including India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Currently he is the Wei Lun Honorary Professor of Fine Arts and Emeritus Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
.
Many of his works are pioneering. For instance, he is the first scholar to render the Babylonian epic Enûma Elish
Enûma Elish
The is the Babylonian creation myth . It was recovered by Austen Henry Layard in 1849 in the ruined Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh , and published by George Smith in 1876.The Enûma Eliš has about a thousand lines and is recorded in Old Babylonian on seven clay tablets, each holding...
into Chinese, after learning the Akkadian language
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
from Jean Bottéro
Jean Bottéro
Jean Bottéro was a French historian. He was a major Assyriologist and a renowned expert on the Ancient Near East...
while he was a visiting scholar in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(see his work Jindong kaipi shishi 近東開闢史詩 "Creation Epic of the Near East"), and the first one to make a comparative study of the oracle bone script and the Indus script
Indus script
The term Indus script refers to short strings of symbols associated with the Indus Valley Civilization, in use during the Early Harappan and Mature Harappan period, between the 35th and 20th centuries BC. In spite of many attempts at decipherments and claims, it is as yet undeciphered...
(see his essay Tan Yindu Hegu tuxing wenzi 談印度河谷圖形文字 "On the Indus Valley Pictorial Characters").
Yu Qiuyu (余秋雨), a popular writer in mainland, once said publicly that "with the presence of Jao Tsung-I, Hong Kong would not be a cultural desert", reacting to the common opinion that the region is a utilitarian cultural desert (文化沙漠). His remark has become a catchphrase in the Chinese intellectual circle (see, for example, this site).