Huang Xianfan

Huang Xianfan was a prominent Chinese historian, ethnologist and educator who lived in both mainland China and Taiwan. He was born on November 13, 1899 in Fusui County, Guangxi. He studied at Peking University and Tokyo Imperial University under leading historians and linguists in the 1920s and 1930s. He was involved in various political movements, such as the Chinese Communist Youth League, the Kuomintang, and the Peaceful Reunification of China Alliance. He was also a member of the Senate and the Legislative Yuan. He founded the Times Daily newspaper in Hankou and taught at several universities, such as Jinan University, National Taiwan Normal University, and Shih Hsin University. He wrote many books and essays on Zhuang culture and history, such as Ancient Chinese Culture and the Chinese Intellectuals, The History of Chinese Ideologies, and The Biography of Chinese Heroes. He was known as the father of Zhuang studies and the leader of the Bagui School and the Wunu School. He challenged the official narrative of the Chinese Communist Party and Mao Zedong and advocated for democracy and human rights in China. He visited mainland China in 1988 and met with Deng Yingchao, which led to his expulsion from the Kuomintang. He died of an illness on January 18, 1982 at the age of 82. He was widely respected and honored by his students, colleagues, and fellow historians.