Introduction
Academician Keng-wang Yen (1916–1996), a title which he earned in 1970, began working at the IHP in 1945, where he largely specialized in the history of ancient Chinese political systems and historical geography. In his work My Experience of Historical Studies, he outlined the eight core tenets, or attitudes, of historical investigation, namely “diligence, perseverance, willpower from patience, courage, cautiousness, moderateness, unhurriedness, and definiteness,” as well as the trick to learning being “read what everyone is able to read, but say what no one has said,” both of which display his rigorous and innovative approach to scholarship.
Yen’s archival materials include the recordings of four of his lectures, reading and research notes, reference maps, reports on research tools, as well as the manuscripts and edits of his following works: Local Administrative Systems of the Han and Tang Dynasties, List of Official Titles in the Tang Dynasty, “Investigation of Systems in Shangshu,” “Questions and Answers on Reading History,” and “Local Administrative Systems of the Qin and Han Dynasties.” On August 3, 2023, the Archives received authorization from his family to make one of his lectures available to the public, to which you are invited to have a listen: “My Process for and Outlook of Historical Studies” (1988, in Chinese).
Yen’s archival materials include the recordings of four of his lectures, reading and research notes, reference maps, reports on research tools, as well as the manuscripts and edits of his following works: Local Administrative Systems of the Han and Tang Dynasties, List of Official Titles in the Tang Dynasty, “Investigation of Systems in Shangshu,” “Questions and Answers on Reading History,” and “Local Administrative Systems of the Qin and Han Dynasties.” On August 3, 2023, the Archives received authorization from his family to make one of his lectures available to the public, to which you are invited to have a listen: “My Process for and Outlook of Historical Studies” (1988, in Chinese).