The Chinese historian Ku Chieh-kang (1893-1980), by subjecting the Chinese classics to critical analysis, undermined the notion of a "Golden Age" that had given authority to the orthodox Confucian view of history. In addition to his studies of Chinese ancient history, Ku published works on folklore, historical geography, and the ethnography of China's frontiers. His name is also romanized as Gu Jiegang.

Ku Chieh-kang was born into Suzhou scholar-gentry on May 8,1893 in Soochow. He was steeped in the classical tradition from an early age. His grandfather conveyed to him the written tradition of Han learning, and his grandmother filled his ears with local folklore. Young Ku approached the classics with a critical frame of mind, even when his unorthodox ideas meant the loss of a high school scholarship.In 1913 Ku entered the preparatory school of National Beijing University (Peita) and subsequently became a student at this center of...