Cho-yun Hsu, Influential Historian of Ancient China, Dies at 95

Cho-yun Hsu, a highly influential historian and professor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh, passed away in Pittsburgh on August 4, 2025, at the age of 95. He was widely considered one of the most important historians in the Chinese-speaking world, with research interests that spanned ancient history, economic history, cultural history, archaeology, and sociology[para. 1][para. 2]. His seminal academic works, such as "History of the Western Zhou," "Ancient China in Transition," and "Han Agriculture," have long served as foundational texts in the study of ancient China. For general readers, his accessible books, notably the trilogy "A Perpetual River," "Understanding China," and "The Spirit of Chinese Culture," have together sold over one million copies worldwide[para. 3].

Hsu often characterized the central theme of his scholarship as examining both ends of Chinese history: its ancient origins and its modern transformations. His studies of antiquity delved into how China’s enduring political, economic, and cultural institutions were formed, while his work on the modern period addressed the challenges faced by China in adapting to Western influences despite its early advancements[para. 4]. His academic approach, known as "Big History," was built upon four main principles: focusing on long-term historical developments, comparing China with the West, engaging a broader public audience, and addressing issues relevant to contemporary times. This method reflected his belief that understanding the past is essential for grappling with present-day concerns[para. 5].

Born on September 2, 1930, in Xiamen, China, Hsu came from a distinguished family: his father was a naval officer who participated in the 1911 revolution, and his mother was the daughter of a scholar-gentry family[para. 6]. His youth was profoundly shaped by the turmoil of the Second Sino-Japanese War and by a congenital disability, which required him to be carried in a basket during his family’s flight as refugees. Despite these hardships, he later described this period as an opportunity to witness firsthand the realities of rural life across inland China[para. 7][para. 8].

After relocating to Taiwan in 1948, Hsu enrolled at National Taiwan University, initially planning to study foreign languages before being encouraged to pursue history. This decision set him on a life-long academic journey. He completed undergraduate and graduate studies at National Taiwan University and gained broad training in ancient social history, archaeology, and other fields before joining Academia Sinica as a research fellow[para. 9][para. 10]. In 1957, supported by a scholarship, Hsu enrolled at the University of Chicago, where he studied under renowned sinologist Herrlee G. Creel and completed his doctorate in humanities in 1962[para. 11].

Returning to Taiwan, Hsu became the first local recipient of a humanities Ph.D. from abroad to rejoin his alma mater. He played an active role in advocating for democracy, academic freedom, and intellectual openness, refining his "cultural comparison" approach that would shape his later "Big History" framework[para. 12]. In 1970, Hsu moved to the United States to join the University of Pittsburgh, serving as professor until 1999. He also held visiting roles at several top institutions and was elected an academician of Academia Sinica in 1980[para. 13].

Although paralyzed from the waist down and beset by chronic pain after turning 90, Hsu remained productive, publishing new books, overseeing translations, producing online courses, and engaging in public discussions[para. 14][para. 15]. He encouraged young people to "do what I can do to the best of my ability" and stressed empathy, self-understanding, and appreciation for others[para. 16][para. 17]. Over his lifetime, he received numerous prestigious awards, including the Association for Asian Studies’ Distinguished Contributions Award (2004), a lifetime achievement award from the Global Chinese Conference on Sinology (2020), and the Tang Prize in Sinology (2024)[para. 18].