Hu Huanyong (simplified Chinese: 胡焕庸; traditional Chinese: 胡煥庸, November 20, 1901 – April 30, 1998) was a Chinese demographer and the founder of China's population geography. He was born in Yixing, Jiangsu Province. He studied literature, history, and geography at Nanjing Higher Normal School. He continued his education at the University of Paris from 1926 to 1928. He returned to China and began teaching at National Central University where he was eventually appointed dean of the Department of Geography. He began teaching at East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai in 1953, and in 1957 he became director of the research office of population geography at ECNU (which he helped to establish), the first demographic research institution in China.
In a paper published in 1934 entitled, "Distribution of China's Population," he drew the Heihe-Tengchong Line, also called the Aihun (or Aigun, ancient name of Heihe)-Tengchong Line, which is known internationally as the "Hu Line." The line marks a striking difference in the distribution of China's population.
References
- Jin, Zumeng (2006-12-06). 胡焕庸―中国人口地理学的创始人 (in Chinese). Guangming Daily. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- W, She (15 August 1998), "Hu Huanyong: father of China's population geography", China Population Today, 15 (20): 20, PMID 12294257
- 1901 births
- 1998 deaths
- Chinese demographers
- Educators from Wuxi
- People from Yixing
- Academic staff of the National Central University
- Academic staff of the East China Normal University
- Victims of the Cultural Revolution
- Mathematicians from Jiangsu
- Scientists from Wuxi
- 20th-century Chinese science writers
- Writers from Wuxi