The teaching and research activities of JLU in the field of Paleography was initiated in 1955. Yu Xingwu, the famous palaeographer, historian, and archaeologist, founded the discipline and trained several graduate students, all of whom became well-known paleographers. JLU paleography has developed into a world reputed discipline over the past 60 years, through the unremitting efforts and conscientious management made by generations of scholars represented by Yu Xingwu, Yao Xiaosui, Lin Yun, Wu Zhenwu, etc.
Professor Yu Xingwu was teaching
The faculty has 13 full-time teachers, including 10 professors, 1 associate professor, and 2 lecturers. In recent years, it has undertaken a major research and development task to develop the seventh package “Collection and Sorting of Slips and Slips of Han Dynasty, Wu, Wei, and Jin Dynasty” as part of the “Chinese Character Collection” project assigned by National Press and Publication Major Science and Technology. The faculty also undertook 3 major projects granted by the National Social Science Fund, key and general projects granted by the same Fund, as well as its special project for disciplines facing extinction, and the special project of the National Language Commission “The Research and Application of Oracle and Other Ancient Character”. The faculty have won the highest awards in the industry, such as the Lu Shuxiang Linguistic Award of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Wang Li Linguistic Award of Peking University, and the Luo Changpei Linguistic Award of the Chinese Linguistic Society.
The first three directors of the Institute of Ancient Books (from right: Lin Yuan, Yao Xiaosui, Wu Zhenwu)
JLU Paleographology provides courses covering “Oracle Bone Inscriptions Research”, “Bronze Inscriptions Research”, “Warring States Qin Han Characters Research”, “‘Shuo Wen’ and Ancient Chinese Characters”, “Selected Readings on Bamboo Slips and Silks”, “Study on Han Dynasty Bamboo Slips”, “Unearthed Documents and Qin and Han Society”, and “Ancient Character Research Methods and Practice”, etc. The faculty possess the most comprehensive curriculum related to unearthed documents and ancient characters in China, which can effectively improve students’ research ability whilst laying a solid academic foundation.
Group photo of the seventh package of Chinese character bank start-off conference in 2011
In November 1978, Professor Yu Xingwu, the founder of this major, also the convener, held a nationwide “Jilin University Ancient Characters Symposium” in Changchun. The decision of establishing the “Chinese Ancient Characters Research Association” was made during the meeting. This is the first non-governmental academic group after the reform and opening-up policy was implemented. The “Research on Ancient Characters” sponsored by the Society has always been an important publishing platform for cutting-edge research results of unearthed documents and ancient characters. In addition, JLU Paleographology has a collaborative innovation center at the National level, the “Unearthed Documents and Ancient Chinese Civilization Research” Collaborative Innovation Center. The faculty also possess a provincial key research base “Chinese Ancient Characters Research Center of Jilin University”.
