Chen Yuan

Chen Yuan (November 12, 1880 - June 21, 1971), whose courtesy name was Yuan'an and whose name was Liyun, was a native of Xinhui, Guangdong. He was a historian of Chinese religions. He served successively as the president of Fu Jen Catholic University and Beijing Normal University, and the first director of the "Harvard-Yenching Society" Research Institute of Yenching University. Chen Yuan became famous for his article "Yuan Yeli Ke Wen Kao" and made considerable achievements in religious history, collation, and archaeology. He is a pioneer in the study of modern Chinese religious history and has conducted in-depth research in Yuan history, historical philology and other fields. Together with Chen Yinke, he is known as the "Two Chens in Historiography". Yan Gengwang called him the "four major modern historians" together with Qian Mu, Lu Simian and Chen Yinke.