HomeDate: 2026-08-28
Academician Hsiao-ti Li passed away in Taipei on August 25, 2026, at the age of 72.
Academician Li was a renowned historian specializing in the social, cultural, and intellectual history of Ming-Qing and modern China, as well as urban history. His extensive scholarship brought pioneering perspectives on the dissemination of ideas and popular enlightenment. Drawing on a wide range of historical sources, he also explored the elite culture of the literati and the history of Chinese cities, and took a long-term perspective on the evolution of Chinese opera over the past five centuries. His books and scholarly articles were distinguished by rigorous historical research and a deep humanistic concern, earning wide recognition from scholars in Taiwan and abroad.
Dr. Li joined the Institute of Modern History at Academia Sinica in 1982, serving as Assistant Research Fellow and later as Associate Research Fellow. He received his Ph.D. from the Committee on History and East Asian Languages at Harvard University in 1996 and joined the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica in 1997, serving at Academia Sinica for more than three decades. He also taught at National Taiwan University, National Chi Nan University, and Fu Jen Catholic University, and later served as Professor and Head of the Department of Chinese and History at City University of Hong Kong. Beginning in 2022, he served as Chair Professor at the Graduate Institute of History, National Central University. Dr. Li was also actively involved in academic administration at Academia Sinica, serving as Director of the Secretariat Division of Academia Sinica’s Central Office of Administration and as a member and Editor-in-Chief of the Publication Committee. His service contributed significantly to the development of the Academy.
Dr. Li received the Outstanding Research Award from the National Science and Technology Council, the Academic Award from the Ministry of Education, and the Scholarly Monograph Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences from Academia Sinica. He was elected an Academician of Academia Sinica in 2026.
