58 Facts About Huang Xianfan

Huang Xianfan was a Zhuang Chinese historian, ethnologist and educator.

Huang Xianfan dedicated five decades of his life to the study of history and ethnology, his research encompassing a vast range of fields, including Chinese general history, pre-Qin history, medieval history, social and living history, cultural history, ethnology, linguistics, and Zhuang studies.

Huang Xianfan's pioneering theories, including the "Indigenous Origin of the Zhuang People in Guangxi" and "The Justification of Nong Zhigao's Rebellion Against the Song Dynasty," have become cornerstones for subsequent scholars and are now widely accepted as definitive interpretations.

Huang Xianfan was born on 13 November 1899 in the town of Qujiu in Fusui County, Guangxi province, Qing dynasty.

Huang Xianfan's uncle, recognizing Huang's intellectual promise, encouraged the family to steer him towards scholarly pursuits.

At the age of nine, Huang Xianfan began his studies, diligently poring over texts like the Four Books and Five Classics, with the goal of eventually taking the Imperial Examination.

Huang Xianfan later admitted that he didn't enjoy the Confucian classics, favouring instead history books such as Records of the Grand Historian.

At eighteen, Huang Xianfan moved to a higher primary school in nearby Quli, where he was bullied because he came from a peasant background.

Huang Xianfan dedicated himself to translating historical works from various countries into Chinese, further expanding his knowledge While studying at Beijing Normal University, Huang lectured on language and history at a private high school in Beijing.

Huang Xianfan made a significant contribution to anthropology by developing a new fieldwork methodology.

Two years later, Huang Xianfan undertook two more intensive research trips to ethnic minority regions.

In June 1953, Huang Xianfan established the Historical and Cultural Relics Survey Team under the Cultural and Educational Bureau of the Guixi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Government at Guangxi University.

Huang Xianfan led the team to conduct investigations in Nandan, Tian'e, Hechi, Luocheng, and Yicheng.

In June 1953, Huang Xianfan established the Historical and Cultural Relics Survey Team under the Cultural and Educational Bureau of the Guixi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Government at Guangxi University.

Huang Xianfan led the team to conduct investigations in Nandan, Tian'e, Hechi, Luocheng, and Yicheng.

Between 1951 and 1953, Huang Xianfan conducted extensive fieldwork on the Zhuang, Dong, Yao, Miao, Shui, Qin, Li, and Gelao ethnic groups in Guangxi, gathering a wealth of invaluable material on their cultures and traditions.

Huang Xianfan's work provided unique insights into a culture lacking a written tradition.

Huang Xianfan consolidated the vast amount of first-hand information he collected into the "Investigation Report on the Situation of Ethnic Minorities in Luocheng and Hechi Counties," which he submitted to the People's Government of the Guixi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Huang Xianfan's scholarship forged new paths in the study of ethnic minorities in China.

Huang Xianfan asserts, 'While maintaining their own traditions over millennia, the Zhuang people have absorbed aspects of Han culture and gradually formed their own unique and rich culture.

Between 1978 and 1982, Huang Xianfan's presence graced the towering mountains of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Huang Xianfan's scholarship was not only at the forefront of Chinese social history but resonated with emerging international trends.

Huang Xianfan urged these students to shed their passivity and embrace active engagement in national affairs, drawing inspiration from the unwavering loyalty and righteous actions of Song Dynasty Imperial Academy scholars.

Huang Xianfan's aim was to galvanize a spirit of resistance against Japanese aggression and a resolute defense of the homeland.

Huang Xianfan's "New Applied Historiography" transcended the limitations of the Qianlong and Jiaqing eras' focus on textual research as an end in itself.

Furthermore, Huang Xianfan drew inspiration from James Harvey Robinson's New History, which emphasized the social and cultural dimensions of the past and its relevance to contemporary issues.

Huang Xianfan was an early pioneer in exploring material culture within folklore studies, significantly expanding the scope of Chinese folklore research at that time.

Huang Xianfan's approach went beyond traditional concepts and customs, delving into everyday material culture and opening up new perspectives in the field.

Huang Xianfan was a staunch advocate for independent academic research, viewing pioneering scholarship and intellectual freedom as his lifelong pursuits.

Huang Xianfan lived by the principle of "maintaining integrity and resisting subservience to authority," embracing the motto "Unbound by authority, limitless in scope, and free from restriction" in his academic work.

Huang Xianfan consistently critiqued 20th-century Chinese general history for its lack of ethnic inclusivity, arguing against the prevailing view that equated Chinese history solely with Han history.

Huang Xianfan actively challenged the notion that China was synonymous with Han culture, advocating for the dismantling of such feudalistic biases.

Huang Xianfan was openly critical of the dogmatism, rigidity, and inflexible application of Marxism.

In 1979, Huang Xianfan first introduced the concept that "a slave society never existed in Chinese history," a claim that quickly sparked widespread debate and discussion within academic circles.

Huang Xianfan believed that inequality was the root cause of ethnic problems and a major factor driving historical conflicts between groups.

Huang Xianfan championed global ethnic equality and a scientific approach to ethnic studies.

The Bagui School, an influential group of ethnologists centered around Huang Xianfan, emerged at Guangxi Normal University in China during the mid-1950s.

Huang Xianfan strongly believed in shaping students' character through education, emphasizing the importance of combining knowledge with action.

Huang Xianfan was a true educational giant of his time and holds a prominent place in modern Chinese history.

Professor Huang Xianfan's scholarship was characterized by three key elements: pioneering historical research, a multi-evidence approach, and an innovative textual research methodology.

Huang Xianfan was a scholar first and foremost, dedicated to teaching and research.

Huang Xianfan never hesitated to speak up for students and colleagues facing unfair treatment, and his unwavering commitment to academic independence often found him caught in the crossfire of political turmoil.

Professor Huang Xianfan disapproved of the Kuomintang's Chen Cheng faction taking over Guangxi University.

Huang Xianfan became a committee member of the CPWDP's Guangxi branch.

Huang Xianfan then served as a member of both the Guangxi Provincial People's Committee and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional People's Government.

Huang Xianfan served as both the Vice Leader of the Central-South Sub-group and the Leader of the Guangxi Sub-group within the central government's ethnic mission led by Fei Xiaotong.

Huang Xianfan's influence reached beyond Guangxi as well, leading to his election as a council member of the newly established Chinese People's Association for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries.

Huang Xianfan faced a barrage of accusations, including undermining national unity, inciting discord between the CCP and the masses, and opposing the unified purchase and sale system.

Outwardly, Huang Xianfan was forced to accept the criticism, but inwardly, he never admitted guilt.

Huang Xianfan believed he was simply doing his duty as a representative to the People's Congress.

The Anti-Rightist Campaign was inherently a campaign of political persecution, and Huang Xianfan was considered the top of the five people being criticized.

Huang Xianfan was not only wrongly labeled as the number one "Rightist" in Chinese historical academia and among the Zhuang people, but one of the six famous "Rightist" figures among China's ethnic minorities.

Huang Xianfan was the earliest born, longest-lived among the five major rightists in the field of history, and the only one to be rehabilitated during his lifetime.

Huang Xianfan served as a member of the editorial committee for the "Encyclopedia of Chinese Ethnicities" and as a member of the Fifth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Huang Xianfan resisted the false charges, appealing multiple times and escaping from prison twice.

The first full-body standing bronze statue of Huang Xianfan was erected in his hometown by the Culture and Sports Bureau of Fusui County Government.

On September 10,2022, which coincided with Teachers' Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival, an unveiling ceremony for "Mr Huang Xianfan's Statue" was held in Leyangcheng, Fusui.

The second full-body seated bronze statue of Huang Xianfan was installed by Guangxi Normal University on November 13,2023, marking the 124th anniversary of Professor Huang Xianfan's birth.