11 Facts About Tang Yijie

Tang Yijie was a Chinese scholar and professor at Peking University, who has been described as China's top scholar on philosophy and Chinese studies.

Tang Yijie spearheaded the Confucian Canon project, seeking to compile all known classical works on Confucianism, and was the first director of the Institute of Confucian Studies at Peking University.

Tang Yijie's father, Tang Yongtong, was a scholar of Chinese traditional philosophy and President of Peking University.

Tang Yijie entered PKU in 1946 and graduated in 1951.

In 1958, Tang was affected by the Anti-Rightist Movement, when he objected to his wife being declared a "Rightist" and expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.

Tang Yijie was not able to resume teaching until 1980, when he was 51.

Tang Yijie wrote more than two dozen books on schools of Chinese philosophy.

In 2010, the Institute of Confucian Studies was established at Peking University, and Tang Yijie was named its first director.

In May 2014, CCP general secretary Xi Jinping visited Tang Yijie at Peking University, and lauded him for his "exceptional contribution" to the promotion of traditional Chinese culture.

Tang Yijie met Yue Daiyun, a fellow student at Peking University, in 1949, and married her in 1952.

Tang Yijie fell ill in 2013 and died on 9 September 2014 in Beijing, at the age of 87.