School of Humanities

Department of Chinese Language and Literature

The Department of Chinese Language and Literature has a long history in Sun Yat-sen University. Along with the establishment of Sun Yat-sen University, the Division of Chinese Literature was founded in 1924. In 1926 the Division of Chinese Literature changed to its present name. At that time the Department offered courses in literature, linguistics, folklore and journalism. During the national restructuring of schools and departments in 1953, the branch of linguistics moved to Peking University, and journalism to Jinan University in 1959.The Chinese Training Center later merged with the School of Foreign Languages in 1992.

There are some famous scholars in the Department, including those who taught in the early years, such as Xun Lu, Moruo Guo, Sinian Fu, Dafu Yu, Fanwu Cheng, Jiegang Gu, Jingwen Zhong, Yuanren Zhao and Changpei Luo. Other well-known scholars who have taught in more recent years include Li Wan, Qixiang Cen, Geng Rong, Chengzuo Shang, Antai Zhan, Xiaoyue Fang, Meikan Dong, Qi Wang, Haizhang Huang and Qi Lou.

The Department aims to empower its undergraduates with a solid foundation of the major, to widen their knowledge and to instill good ideological qualities on Chinese language and literature into them. Upon graduation, students are qualified  in teaching at institutes of higher education or research departments, or working as senior secretaries and administrators. Over the past 70 years, graduates of the Department have gained an excellent reputation for their working performance in various fields at home and abroad.

The Department of  History

The Department of History was founded in 1924 when the University came into being. In the 1950s, the Department embraced a considerable number of historians who formerly worked in various disciplines in Lingnan University, constituting a much stronger and more innovative team among its faculties. Some renowned Chinese historians have taught in the Department, such as Sinian Fu, Jiegang Gu, Yinke Chen, Xujing Chen, Zhongmian Cen, Jie Liu and Fangzhong Liang. The academic tradition they established in their approaches to research and teaching has a profound impact on the successors.

The Department has a number of research institutes specializing in specific areas. It also runs the Memorial Hall of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and publishes two academic journals, the Journal of History and Anthropology and the Study of Art History.

In recent years, the Department has made significant progress in research projects, including Dr. Sun Yat-sen and Modern Chinese Politics, the Transformation of Institution and Knowledge Structure in Modern China, the Dunhuang Manuscripts, the History of Religion, the World Trade System and Treaty Ports, Historical Anthropology, and Regional Studies focusing on South China.

The Department of Philosophy

The Department of Philosophy was founded in 1924, when the University came into being. Quite a few famous scholars, such as Youlan Feng, Da Li, Kang Wu, Qianzhi Zhu, Fucheng Zhou, Keding Luo and Cai Ma, contributed to the growth of the Department. In 1952, the faculty split up and joined in other universities during the nation-wide reshuffle of colleges and departments. In 1960, the Department was restored. Since then, it has made a remarkable progress.

At present, the Department is one of the national bases for philosophical research and training endorsed by the Ministry of Education, and is authorized to award doctoral degrees in all branches of the philosophical disciplines. There are two "National Key Disciplines" and two "National Key Research Bases" in the higher education for humanities and social sciences. The Philosophy Major has been evaluated and authorized as the famous-brand specialty in Guangdong Province. In 2003, it ranks the fifth throughout the whole country in the Disciplines Assessment by the Ministry of Education.

The Department has made great advance in the reform of curriculum design and teaching method in recent years. It collects a number of outstanding scholars of important influence in the realm of domestic and overseas academia,  and  also cultivates thousands of high-quality academic professionals for the society.

The Department of Anthropology

The Department of Anthropology is the oldest anthropology department in China. Anthropological research and teaching at Sun Yat-sen University originated from the Anthropological Research Team set up by the History and Language Research Institute in the late 1920's. The former Department of Anthropology was established in 1948, with Prof. Chengzhi Yang as the first chair. In 1951, it officially ceased to operate. The Department was reestablished in 1981, and became the only anthropological institute that offered postgraduate and undergraduate programs in China. Prof. Zhaotao Liang, the first chair of the new department, was one of the first PhD supervisors in China.

The Department is the largest and the most diverse anthropology department in China. It offers undergraduate degrees in social/cultural anthropology and archeology, MA and PhD programs in social/cultural anthropology, and MA degrees in archeology. It has 250 undergraduate and 90 graduate students, including students from Hong Kong, Macao, Japan and Vietnam. There is a full-time academic staff of 24 and also 6 part-time professors with expertise in social/cultural  anthropology,  linguistics,  physical  anthropology  and archeology, including 13 professors, 11 associate professors and 6 lecturers. The staff is divided into 4 teaching groups to provide academic training in 4 sub-fields of anthropology.

Focusing on public research, the Department has several research centers: China Cross-Cultural Consulting Center, Anthropology Museum, Cultural Heritage Research Center of South China, Health and Human Development Research Center, Historical Anthropology Research Center (in collaboration with the Department of History) and Folklore Research Center (in collaboration with the Department of Chinese Language and Literature). In 2002, the Ministry of Education rated the anthropology program in the Department as the state key program.

The Department conducts summer fieldwork for undergraduate and graduate students to give them an appreciation and a better understanding of the complexities of the natural world. It also encourages its academic staff and students to participate in interdisciplinary and academic exchange within the University. The Department is active in international academic exchange with nearly 20 universities or academic institutes from Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. It also participates in international conferences and has organized several national and international conferences. Famous experts are invited each year to give lectures at the Department.