Zhang Qizhi

Zhang Qizhi (1927–2026) was a native of Nantong, Jiangsu, and a renowned historian, intellectual historian, and educator. He began teaching at Northwest University in 1952 and served as its president and honorary president, devoting more than seventy years to the study of Chinese intellectual history as a leading successor of the Hou Wailu school. His scholarship focused on Chinese intellectual history and Confucianism, emphasizing careful textual analysis and the coherence of intellectual lineages; he edited works including the History of Chinese Thought, the History of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, and the History of China. His books for general readers, such as the Intellectual History of Chinese Confucianism, Fifteen Lectures on Chinese History, and Twelve Lectures on Chinese Civilization, combine scholarly depth with readability and are widely used in general education and the popularization of history. In 2016 he received a lifetime achievement award for Chinese studies.