Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t39: Huang Xinchuan
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t39
- Language
- English
Huang Xinchuan
v2.c15.s2.t39.1
Huang Xinchuan (July 30, 1928 - present), Chinese scholar in Indian philosophy. He was born in Changshu City, Jiangsu Province. His former name was Huang Shunkang. He is a researcher of the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and honourary academician of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
v2.c15.s2.t39.2
Huang Xinchuan was born into a merchant family in Xupu, a famous historic and cultural city. In 1946, he was admitted to School of Literature, Hangchow University, and received education in Western literature and philosophy. In 1956, he joined the Philosophy Department of Peking University as a licentiate graduate majoring in Foreign Philosophy, studied Western philosophy and Indian philosophy under philosophers including Ren Hua, Tang Yongtong, Zhu Qianzhi and Hong Qian, and also studied Greek and Sanskrit at the same time. In 1958, he became a lecturer of the Philosophy Department of Peking University after graduation to teach Western, Indian and Japanese philosophy history, among other special subjects. In 1964, he started to work in the Institute of World Religions, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. In 1978, be became the Deputy Director of China’s South Asia Research Institute, co-founded by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Peking University. In 1988, he served as Director of the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Afterwards, he used to serve as an honourary Dean of the Oriental Culture Research
v2.c15.s2.t39.3
Huang Xinchuan
v2.c15.s2.t39.4
Center, CASS, Director of Xuanzang Research Center and Executive Member of International Indian Philosophy Research Association. He became one of the first batch of honourary members of CASS in 2006.
v2.c15.s2.t39.5
Huang Xinchuan has mainly engaged in studies of Indian philosophy. He has composed many works on Indian philosophy, including ‘*Studies on Modern Indian Philosopher Vivekananda*’ (1979), ‘*Modern Eastern Philosophy*’ (1988), ‘*A History of Indian Philosophy*’ (1989) and ‘*Contemporary Indian Philosophy*’ (1989). These works have discussed the law of development of philosophy, the relationship between religion and philosophy, development of materialism in India, social function of different schools of philosophy in India, relationship between Indian philosophy & Chinese philosophy for one part and Buddhism for another, based on abundant historical materials. He elaborated comparatively and systematically the history and status quo of Indian philosophy and the philosophy of Eastern countries, laying a foundation for studies on the teaching & studies of Indian philosophy in modern China. ‘*Contemporary Indian Philosophy*’ includes studies on main philosophers of modern India including Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Aurobindo Ghose, and their perspectives in Chinese culture. He has many works in the field of religion, such as ‘*Indian Buddhist Philosophy*’ (1979), ‘*Indian Origin of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism*’ (1979) and
v2.c15.s2.t39.6
[Figure: Huang Xinchuan's, 'Yindu jindai zhexuejia bianxi yanjiu' (Research on the modern Indian philosopher Vivekananda)]
v2.c15.s2.t39.7
‘*Spread and Influence of Hinduism in China*’ (1996) in which he stated the spread of Hinduism in China, the relations between Indian Buddhist sects and Chinese Buddhist development, and the influence of Indian religion on Chinese culture, arts, science and yoga.
v2.c15.s2.t39.8
He edited ‘*Ten Major Religions of the World*’ (1988), ‘*Collected Works of Studies on Xuanzang*’ (1995), ‘*South Asia Dictionary*’ (1998), ‘*Modern Eastern Philosophy*’ (1998), and was involved in the compilation of the ‘*Encyclopedia of China·Religion*’ Volume (1988), ‘*Dictionary of Religion*’ (1995) and ‘*Great Dictionary of Religion*’ (1998), and so on. The ‘*Ten Major Religions of the World*’ opened a new situation for Chinese scholars to study foreign religions and new religions. ‘*Encyclopedia of China·Religion*’ represents an authoritative religious dictionary in China. The publication of reference books like ‘*Dictionary of Religion*’, ‘*Great Dictionary of Religion*’ and ‘*South Asia Dictionary*’ has provided great convenience to researchers in South Asia and related fields. Huang Xinchuan has also been participating and engaging in the promotion of academic exchange activities between India and China. He went to India many times to attend academic meetings and for visits. For instance, he went to India to attend academic meetings held by “International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences” and “International Association of Buddhist Studies” between 1979 and 1980; he led a Chinese delegation to India in 1982 to attend the “2000 China-India International Academic Symposium”; in 1997, he participated in the “International Conference on Perspectives on Religion, Politics and Society in South Asia” and “International conference on Vedanta” held in India; in 2004, he went to New Delhi to attend the International Symposium on Buddhism; in July and August, 2005, he visited Indian major Buddhist holy lands and the new Nalanda University. He also gave academic speeches in many colleges, universities and academic institutions in India; including University of Delhi, Acharya Nagarjuna University and Royal Asiatic Society.
v2.c15.s2.t39.9
(*Wang Lingnan*)