Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica

Research Group on the History of the IHP

史語所所史工作室

Founded in 1928, the Institute of History and Philology (IHP) is approaching its centennial—more than seventy years of it spent in Taiwan. Its history spans many disciplines and is beyond any single person to compile. Established in 2021, the Research Group on the History of the IHP collects, records, and compiles the Institute’s history while planning scholarly events and publications for the centennial.

“Search high heaven and the underworld below; use your hands and feet to find things.”

FU Ssû-nien, “The Guiding Principles of the Institute of History and Philology”, 1928

Fu Ssu-nien seated in the rare-book room of the Guanyin Hall on Baotai Mountain, Kunming, in 1939, collating the Ming Veritable Records, with a Guanyin statue and stacks of old books behind him
Fu Ssu-nien collating the Ming Veritable Records (Ming shilu) in the rare-book room of the Guanyin Hall on Baotai Mountain, Kunming, 1939. Collection of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica

Our Work

Research Agenda

Reading Group on the Institute’s History

Regular sessions reading archives and documents on the Institute’s history, bringing together colleagues from within and beyond the IHP.

Disciplinary Histories

Thematic volumes on the development of each of the Institute’s disciplines, prepared for the 95th anniversary and the centennial.

Digitizing Archives and Documents

Digitizing documents and records on the Institute’s history for preservation and research use.

Oral History and Archival Collection

Interviewing senior colleagues and collecting and organizing related archival materials.

A Century on the Move

The IHP, 1928–2028

Seven IHP members in long gowns and overcoats beside the Taihu rockery in front of the Jingxin Studio, Beihai, Beiping, January 28, 1936, including Fu Ssu-nien, Chen Yinke, Liang Siyong, and Xu Zhongshu
IHP members at the Jingxin Studio in Beihai, Beiping, January 28, 1936: Fu Ssu-nien (second from left), Chen Yinke (third from left), Liang Siyong (front center), and Xu Zhongshu (second from right). Collection of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica
  1. 1928

    Guangzhou

    In March, Academia Sinica began organizing the Institute at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, appointing Fu Ssu-nien, Gu Jiegang, and Yang Zhensheng as standing preparatory members; the Institute was formally established in July, with Fu Ssu-nien as acting director. On October 22 it moved into its own premises at Boyuan, a date later designated the Institute’s anniversary.

  2. 1929

    Beiping, Shanghai, Nanjing

    Moved to Beiping in 1929; after the Mukden Incident (1931), relocated from Beiping to Shanghai. In 1934, as Academia Sinica’s buildings in Nanjing were completed, the Institute moved from Shanghai to Nanjing.

  3. 1937

    Changsha, Kunming, Lizhuang (Nanxi, Sichuan)

    During the War of Resistance against Japan, moved westward in stages with its books, archives, and artifacts.

  4. 1946

    Nanjing

    Returned to Nanjing after the war.

  5. 1948

    Taiwan

    Moved to Taiwan that winter, setting up temporary premises in Yangmei Township, Taoyuan County.

  6. 1954

    Nangang, Taipei

    Settled in Nangang, where it remains today.

  7. 1997

    Four Divisions

    The Linguistics Division became the Preparatory Office of the Institute of Linguistics; the IHP kept its name and was organized into four divisions: History, Archaeology, Anthropology, and Philology.

  8. 2021

    Research Group Founded

    Began systematically collecting, recording, and compiling the Institute’s history in preparation for the centennial.

  9. 2023

    95th Anniversary

    The anniversary volume Challenges and Changes appeared the following year.

  10. 2028

    Centennial

    October 22

Events

Events

  • Workshop

    Workshop on the IHP and the Shaping of Modern Chinese Historiography

    Room 703, Research Building, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica | Organized by the Academia Sinica–NTU Innovative Joint Research Project “Knowledge of Time and Space in Imperial China”

    Chair: Ling-Wei Kung (Associate Research Fellow, IHP)
    Speakers: Miao Runbo (Tenured Associate Professor, Department of History, Peking University), Hsiao Tzu-chien (PhD student, Department of History, National Taiwan University), Ding Yihang (MA student, Department of History, Peking University)

  • Lecture

    “Connections Salon”: The IHP, Sun Yat-sen University, and the Formation of Modern Chinese Academic Institutions

    Guangzhou: Building 507, South Campus, Sun Yat-sen University, and the former IHP site at Boyuan, Dongshan | Organized by Sun Yat-sen University

    Speaker: Ling-Wei Kung (Associate Research Fellow, IHP)

  • Roundtable

    Roundtable on the Early History and Scholarly Pursuits of the IHP

    Room 702, Research Building, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica | IHP event announcement

    Chair: Jen-der Lee (Distinguished Research Fellow and Director, IHP)
    Han Xiao (Assistant Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Peking University): “The IHP’s Lizhuang Years”
    Ling-Wei Kung (Assistant Research Fellow, IHP): “Yu Daoquan and Early Tibetan Studies at the IHP”

Results and Publications

Publications

  • Annotated Studies of Archival Sources on Philology and Inner Asian History in the Early Years of the Institute of History and Philology: Yu Daoquan (1)–(3)

    Disquisitions on the Past & Present 43, 44 and 46, December 2024–June 2026. In Chinese.

    (1) Ling-Wei Kung and Yi-An Chiu, no. 43, pp. 167–211. Read the full text (PDF)
    (2) Ling-Wei Kung and Jui-Ying Chien, no. 44, pp. 145–196. Read the full text (PDF)
    (3) Ling-Wei Kung and Cheng-Xing Wu, no. 46, pp. 163–231. Read the full text (PDF)

  • “The Historical and Philological Thought of Chen Yinke”

    In NTHU General Education Lecture Series: Liang Qichao, Wang Guowei, Chen Yinke, Zhao Yuanren. Hsinchu: Center for General Education, National Tsing Hua University, September 2025. In Chinese.

    Ling-Wei Kung, pp. 138–159. Read the full text (PDF)

  • Challenges and Changes: Celebrating the Ninety-Fifth Anniversary of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica

    Edited by Jen-der Lee. Taipei: Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, June 2024.

    Includes Ling-Wei Kung, “The Succession and Development of Philology at the IHP,” pp. 313–336.Read the full text (PDF)

  • “Chen Yinke and Oriental Philology: A Reflection on the Future of Inner Asian History and Philology”

    New History 31.1, March 2020. In Chinese.

    Ling-Wei Kung, pp. 53–102. Read the full text (PDF)

  • Centennial Publication Series

    In preparation; volumes to appear from 2028.

Convener

Convener

Convener

Ling-Wei Kung

Associate Research Fellow, Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica
Research fields: early modern China and Eurasian exchange; history of science and technology; global history; historical philology of Manchu, Mongolian, and Tibetan

Resources

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