ABSTRACT
Chen Yinke (1890–1969) is a leading historian in modern China, known internationally for his study of Tang history. Born in the twilight years of the Qing dynasty, the country's last imperial ruler, he lived through a tumultuous period in modern Chinese history. As a devoted student, Chen not only received solid Chinese education, but he also studied in both Europe and the United States for over a decade. A polyglot, Chen had learned over a dozen Asian languages, in addition to such European tongues as Latin, Greek, German, French, English, and Russian, which enabled him to become a first-rate philologist, specializing in the critique of translated Buddhist sutras. But Japan's invasion of China in 1937, from which Chen suffered great losses, turned him to history. In wartime, he published two books that examine the development of the Tang dynasty and its institutions from a cross-cultural and multilingual perspective, reflecting his philological training. Chen's knowledge and insights are stimulating and seminal for understanding the key historical changes in the Tang to this day.
