Ray Huang

Ray Huang (1918–2000), born in Changsha, Hunan, was a Chinese-American historian. He served in the military in his early years, then went to the University of Michigan, where he earned a doctorate, and later taught at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He is known for his "macro-history" approach, which observes Chinese history through long-term structures, and is the author of 1587, A Year of No Significance and China: A Macro History, among other works. His writings combine scholarship with readability, often examining institutional details such as finance and taxation to explore the social structure of traditional China. He also wrote the memoir Yellow River, Blue Mountain. Chinese translations of his works have circulated widely among Chinese readers and have deeply influenced general readers' understanding of the Ming dynasty and Chinese history.