Institute of Ethnology

An Overview of the Life of Academician Li Yih-yuan (1931-2017) 

Dr. Li Yih-yuan was the most influential anthropologist in post-World War II Taiwan, playing crucial roles in creating and laying a foundation for its academic system and in advancing academic issues. Dr. Li’s leadership and support helped the development of three important anthropological institutions and cultivating two generations of anthropologists in Taiwan—Academia Sinica’s Institute of Ethnology, National Taiwan University’s Department of Anthropology, and National Tsing Hua University’s Institute of Anthropology. 

Dr. Li had a tremendous impact on the development of the humanities and social sciences in Taiwan as he spearheaded the promotion of interdisciplinary integration, bringing anthropology and such branches of learning as sociology, psychology, political science, and agricultural economics together under the framework of behavioral sciences. His concern for academics spanned the Taiwan Strait. He was a key figure in connecting academics in the areas of Chinese ethnology and archeology who received training prior to 1949 with anthropologists influenced by schools of social sciences developed in the UK and US after the war. While serving as president and chairman of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, he focused on bringing more Taiwan academics into the international spotlight. 

Born in Quanzhou in Fujian Province in 1931, Dr. Li Yih-yuan came to Taiwan in 1948 to pursue studies at National Taiwan University, graduating in 1953 with the first class to graduate from National Taiwan University’s Department of Archeology and Anthropology. During his time in university, he studied under such renowned instructors of archeology and ethnology as Lee Chi, Dong Zuobin, Kao Ch'u-hsun, Ling Chun-Sheng, Ruey Yih-Fu, Wei Hwei-Lin, and Chen Shao-hsing, not only carrying on their emphasis on obtaining empirical evidence through fieldwork, he would also be influenced for the rest of his life by the way in which his teachers taught through example. 

In 1955, Dr. Li, along with his teacher Dr. Ling Chun-Sheng, accepted a position with the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica (Preparatory Office), retiring in 1998. With the exception of the time he spent at Harvard University to pursue a master’s degree in anthropology (1958-1960), he continued to work at the Institute of Ethnology, working his way up from assistant, research assistant, associate research fellow, to research fellow. He also served in the capacities of deputy director and director of the Institute of Ethnology as well as of director general, member of Council of Academia Sinica, and as a standing member of the Academia Sinica’s Central Academic Advisory Committee. In 1984, Dr. Li was elected as an Academician, the highest honorary position in recognition of his distinguished contributions to academic research. 

Dr. Li’s research covered such topics as material culture, family organization, cultural theory, comparative religion, ritual and symbols, as well as myths and legends. He studied Taiwan’s Austronesian cultures, as well as the societies and cultures of overseas Chinese and Taiwan Han Chinese. His writings include 18 books, such as Wenhua de Tuxiang (文化的圖像, Cultural Images), Renlei de Shiye (人類的視野, The Human Perspective), and Tianye Tuxiang (田野圖像, Images from the Field) , as well as over 100 academic papers. 

In addition to his research and the services at Academia Sinica, Dr. Li was a jointly-appointed professor for several universities in Taiwan and has had countless students over the years. Between 1968 and 1983, he was with National Taiwan University’s Department of Anthropology, where he lectured on a wide variety of very popular courses, including primitive religions, Southeast Asian ethnography, and applied anthropology. Even today, many of his former students continue to speak very enthusiastically about his classes. Dr. Li took it upon himself to teach students as he strived to cultivate a new generation of anthropologists. A number of individuals currently active in the field of anthropology in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the US, including Chuang Ying-Chang, Hsu Cheng-Kuang, Huang Ying-Kuei, Huang Shu-Min, Chen Chung-Min, Wu David Yen-ho, Hsu Mu-tsu, Tsang Cheng-hwa, and Hu Tai-Li, all received instruction from Dr. Li Yih-yuan. 

In 1984, Dr. Li established the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at National Tsing Hua University, where he served as dean between 1984 and 1990. He endeavored to inject the spirit of the humanities and the perspectives of the social sciences into the University, a traditional bastion of science and engineering, thereby laying the foundation for the atmosphere of liberal arts education that distinguished National Tsing Hua University today. 

The Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange was founded in 1989. Dr. Li was the first president, serving until 2001, and he held the position of chairman for the next nine years (2001-2010). For more than two decades, Dr. Li ensured that the Foundation remained a “pure and autonomous academic institute” and provided funding and incentives to promote research in Sinology around the world. This long-term program enjoyed tremendous success. 

When he was not performing academic research, administrative work, or teaching, Dr. Li was a student of anthropology who emphasized “going out into the world”. Throughout the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, Dr. Li frequently penned articles for newspapers and magazines analyzing and commenting on social and cultural issues. Drawing contrasts with other cultures, his writings, marked by clear, solid, and logical thinking, illustrated the responsibility intellectuals have toward society. They served to increase the awareness of both anthropologists and anthropology in Taiwan. Dr. Li Yih-yuan was the face of anthropology in Taiwan and his legacy will be a challenge to carry on.

Education:

B.A., Department of Anthropology, National Taiwan University (1953)

M.A., Department of Anthropology, Harvard University (1960)

Academic Positions:

Assistant, Research Assistant, Associate Research Fellow, Research Fellow (1955-1998), Deputy Director, Director (1968-1977), Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica

Director General, Member of Council of Academia Sinica, and Standing Member of Central Academic Advisory Committee, Academia Sinica

Jointly-Appointed Associate Professor (1968-1977), Professor (1977-1983), University Chair Professor (1999), National Taiwan University

Professor (1984-99), Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences (1984-90), Emeritus Chair Professor (2001), National Tsing Hua University

Visiting Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh (September 1980-July 1981)

President, Chinese Ethnological Society (1981-85)

Founding President, Chinese Association for General Education

President, Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (1989-2001)

Chairman, Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (2001-2010)

Academic Honors:

National Science Council Outstanding Research Award (1985, 1986)

Presidential Recognition for Outstanding Service (1968)

Academia Sinica Academician (1984)

University Medal from University of Heidelberg in Germany (1994)

Outstanding Academic Achievement Award from Charles University in the Czech Republic (1995)

National Culture Award, Executive Yuan (1998)

Presidential Medal of Second Order of Brilliant Star (2000)

Honorary Doctorate from Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris IV) (2001)

Honorary Doctorate from Griffith University in Australia (2001)

Honorary Doctorate from National Tsing Hua University (2004)

Honorary Doctorate from Chinese University of Hong Kong (2005)

Honorary Doctorate from National Taiwan University (2008)