Lü Simian

Who was Lü Simian?

Lü Simian was a prominent Chinese historian as well as a former professor and history department head at Guanghua University, a predecessor of the East China Normal University in Shanghai. He also worked as a professor at Fudan University. 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 Ch'ien Mu, his student, Chen Yuan, and Chen Yinke.

In 1926 Lü was invited to teach at Guanghua 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 in China's Jiangsu 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 home in Changzhou is a protected property open to the public, offering numerous artifacts from his life displayed in the restored building.