Lü Simian (; February 27, 1884 – October 9, 1957) was a Chinese historian. He was a former professor and history department head at
Kwang Hua University, a predecessor of the
East China Normal University in
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
. Lü took the courtesy name Chéngzhī () and wrote under the pseudonym Núniú (). His students included famous historians
Ch'ien Mu and
Yang Kuan. Historian Yan Gengwang () considered Lü one of the four greatest modern Chinese historians, along with his student Ch'ien Mu,
Chen Yuan, and
Chen Yinke.
In 1926 Lü was invited to teach at Kwang Hua University by his friend and the school's headmaster Qián Jībó (). Lü remained at the school, which later became part of
East China Normal University, until his death.
Lü was born in Wujin (now
Wujin district of
Changzhou
Changzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu, China. It was previously known as Yanling, Lanling, and Jinling. Located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, Changzhou borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Zhen ...
city) in China's
Jiangsu
Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...
province. At the age of 15 he entered the county school. In the second year he began teaching himself history. He later became a member of the
Doubting Antiquity School which was a group of scholars and writers who showed doubts regarding the authenticity of pre-
Qin texts.
His former residence in Changzhou is a protected property open to the public, offering numerous artifacts from his life displayed in the restored building.
Notable publications
* Song Dynasty Literature (1931)
* An Introduction to Early Qin Science (1933)
* A History of Chinese Ethnic Minorities (1934)
* A History of Pre-Qin Era (1941)
* A History of the Three Kingdoms (1943)
* A History of Qin and Han Dynasties (1947)
* A History of Jin, Northern and Southern dynasties (1948)
* A History of Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties (1959)
* A History of the Chinese Political System (1985)
References
* 常州年鉴200
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Simian
1884 births
1957 deaths
20th-century Chinese historians
Academic staff of the East China Normal University
Educators from Changzhou
Historians from Jiangsu
Writers from Changzhou
Academic staff of Kwang Hua University