Mr. Zhao Weibang (1908-1986), a well-known contemporary historian in contemporary China. Born in Shenxian County, Hebei, he styled himself Zi Fan, and was also known as Zi Fang. In his early years, he traveled around Baoding, Taiyuan, Beijing and some other places for study, and then was admitted to the Department of Foreign Languages, Peking University. After graduation in 1933, he taught foreign languages and Chinese at several middle schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Shanxi. In 1936, he was admitted to the History Department of Graduate School, Peking University (former Peiping Fu Jen Catholic University), to learn systematically cultural anthropology and ethnology from Chen Yuan, Hu Shi and other scholars well-known both at home and abroad. He received a master's degree four years later, and stayed, after graduation, at the university as teaching assistant, and then lecturer. In 1949, dispatched by Fu Jen Catholic University’s Institute of Ethnology, he entered inland Liangshan Prefecture of the former Xikang Province (now belonged to Sichuan) as a researcher, for research work on social and cultural evolution of southwestern ethnic minorities. In 1950, Mr. Zhao was appointed as professor and acting Dean of the Department of Chinese Language at the former West China University, Chengdu, and researcher of the Chinese Culture Institute of the university. In October 1952, he was transferred to the History Department of Sichuan University as a professor, and held the position of Curator of SCU Library concurrently in 1953; and also served as researcher of SCU’s newly established Institute of Indian Studies (later renamed as Institute South Asian Studies). In addition, he also held academic positions such as Executive Director of Sichuan Historical Society, advisor of the Southwest China Ethnic Research Society, Vice Director General of Sichuan Ethnic Research Society, and Director of the Society of “A Dream of Red Mansions”. With profound academic attainments, he had a thorough understanding of both Chinese and western knowledge covering ancient Asian history, social history of India and comparative study of ethnology. His research results on social and cultural changes of the ethnic minorities in Southwest China and of the South Asian nations, in particular, are unique and profound, always with novel insights, having thus won high praise from both domestic and foreign academic circles. A lot of his research findings published in his later years about A Dream of Red Mansions also aroused widespread concern among the academic circle involved in studies of this great classics. His major academic works has been incorporated in A Collection of Zhao Weibang’s Works (two volumes).