A Brief Interpretation Of Arthur F. Wright’s China Study

Arthur Frederick Wright (1913-1976), American famous historian, scholar of Buddhism, Charles Seymor Professor of history at Yale University, one of the founders of American China study. He Served as president of the Association for Asian Studies’Committee on Chinese Thought. Arthur F. Wright was the authority on Chinese ancient civilization, he devoted all his life to the study of the history of the development of China Buddhism, after World War II heturned to study two new areas-the Chinese Confucianism and the history of the Sui and T’ang, he has achieved fruitful academic achievements. He spent a lot of time and effort on founded even developed America Chinese studies after World War II with John King Fairbank.This paper stresses the research method of academic history, and try to obtain a brief interpretation of professor Arthur F. Wright. Starting with the examining of the academic origin of professor Wright, then along with the extending of his research, his academic thoughts and value will be shown step by step.This essay is divided into four chapters:the first chapter for Arthur F. Wright’s experiences of life, in Europe and the United States, East Asia, as well as its main academic achievements. The second chapter is China Buddhism history content of Arthur F. Wright over its lifetime study, mainly on Arthur F. Wright has opened up new areas of research on the history of Buddhism, which have inherent influence on academic steering later. The third chapter explores Arthur F. Wright and other American Chinese experts treated Chinese Confucianism as the research object and held the five international academic conference, then published five academic papers after World War II. He made a great contribution to the foundaton of American China studies with John King Fairbank. The fourth chapter is about the Chinese History of Sui and T’ang Dynasty which Arthur F. Wright’s studied in his later life, he made a unique and novel insights in the history of Sui and T’ang Dynasty even the city area. This paper will to reveal and evaluate the Arthur F. Wright’s some learning methods and his position in the historyof American China Studies in the post World War II.