Jao Tsung-I | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 9 August 1917 Xiangqiao, Chaoshan, China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 6 February 2018 (aged 100) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resting place | Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Rao Gu'an (饒固庵) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Sinologist, historian, palaeographer, calligrapher, painter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title | Professor of the University of Hong Kong, University of Singapore, Yale University, Academia Sinica, Chinese University of Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Chen Ruonong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent | Rao E (饒鍔) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | 1982: D.Litt (HKU) 1997: Life Achievement Award (HKADC) 2000: GBM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 饒宗頤 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 饶宗颐 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jao Tsung-I or Rao Zongyi (Chinese: 饒宗頤; 9 August 1917 – 6 February 2018)[1] was a Hong Kong sinologist, calligrapher, historian and painter. A versatile and prolific scholar, he contributed to many fields of humanities, including history, archaeology, epigraphy, folklore, religion, art history, musicology, literature, and Near Eastern Studies. He published more than 100 books and about 1,000 academic articles over a career spanning more than 80 years.
Jao and Ji Xianlin were considered China's two greatest humanities academics by their contemporaries. Called the "pride of Hong Kong" by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang,[2] Jao has won many awards including the Grand Bauhinia Medal, the highest honour bestowed by the Hong Kong government. The Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole of the University of Hong Kong, the Jao Studies Foundation, and the Jao Tsung-I Academy in Kowloon have been founded in his name.[3]