The historian and professor Tong, Te-Kong passed away on October 26th, 2009 around 11:20 pm at his home in California. He was 89.

Professor Tong was born in the year 1920, to a distinguished family in Hefei, Anhui Province. His solid grasp of Classical Chinese can be traced back to his early initiation through family education. After the fifth grade, he took up the modern system of education. In 1937, as the resistance against the Japanese invasion spread, he left home to pursue his education elsewhere. He followed the National Anhui High School as it moved westward, and finally majored in History at the National Central University in Chongqing. After graduation, he returned to Anhui as a high school teacher initially, but later taught Western History at the Provincial Anhui College. After the Sino-Japanese war, he applied for graduate study in America and was accepted by the History department at Columbia University. His mentor was professor David Donald. He received his PhD in the year 1959.

He taught at his alma mater after graduation, and subsequently became full professor at the City University of New York (CCNY). Until his retirement, he was also the Head of the Asian History Department at CCNY, where he dedicated his entire lifetime to writing.

Professor Tong made two important contributions to the study of History, namely:

1. As a pioneer in the new field of Oral History.
2. Introduced the notion of the “Historical Three Gorges” theory in the study of Modern Chinese History.

Professor Tong participated in the research of Oral History while at Columbia and he interviewed numerous, contemporary, important persons in several projects. His distinguished work, The Memoirs of Li Tsung-jen, is still ahead of the crowd in the field of Oral History. The Memoirs of V. K. Wellington Koo was written in English and translated into Chinese by a Chinese publisher. Because of his extensive interviews with Hu Shih over a long period of time, he developed an intimate relationship with him. Thus he was regarded as a disciple of Hu Shih and a promoter of his advocation of pragmatism. Among his well-known books on Hu Shih are Oral Biography of Hu Shih and Assorted Recollections of Hu Shih. Even Zhang, Xue-Liang had at one point commissioned Professor Tong to write his oral history, but was later interrupted, due to other factors. Nevertheless, he did publish an Unfinished Memoir of Zhang, Xue-Liang’s Oral history based on his compilations of interviews with him.

Towards the late eighties, Professor Tong invited a group of friends and students to form the Society of Oral History on Modern China. The Society has been conducting interviews of survivors during the Japanese occupation of China. No doubt this is one of the contributions Prof. Tong made to oral history.

Grown up in the midst of wartime China -- the most turbulent period of recent China’s history, Professor Tong experienced the sufferings war brought into human lives, which continuously prompted him to ponder about the subject of historical changes in China. After he came to America, he began to apply sociological theory to explain historical developments. Half a century of serious thinking finally led him to the conviction that “the history of modern China” is one big transformation. This transformation was comprised of cultural, social and political changes. Resistance against Japanese aggression provided the impetus for a weak China to struggle and later emerge as a modern country, the motivating force in historical transformations.

During the 1990s, he established the “Historical Three Gorges” theory, which states that the entire Chinese civilization could be divided into three stages, with two transformations in between. The first transformation spanned roughly three hundred years, from the Warring States Period to the Qin dynasty. The central theme of this transformation period can be summarized in three basic changes. First: politically, the dissolution of the feudal system and the establishment of the administrative system of commandery and prefecture. Second: economically, the abolition of the well-field system of land cultivation in favor of the open farmland. Third: ideologically, the hundred schools of contending thought are reduced to one only -- Confucianism. At the end of this transformation an agricultural empire emerged to take hold.

The great turmoil experienced during the modern times in China represents yet another transformation from a monarchy to a modern society. This second transformation to a new Chinese civilization will most likely culminate in changes to three different areas: cultural, social and political. First: politically, change from a monarchy to a democracy. Second: economically, change from an agrarian to an industrialized society. Third: ideologically, change from a controlled, closed society to an open society. From this, Professor Tong also deduced and postulated his synthetic cultural concept: the first transformation created a society defined by a unified moral code, whereas the second transformation no longer abides by it, i.e., it will create a diversified society, in modern jargon. Clearly, in a monarchy, the country is more important than the society, but in the future, the vice versa will be true. His “Historical Three Gorges” theory is highly regarded overseas.

Most of his historical works were initially published as single papers in different periodicals, and then combined later to form a substantial single entity. His most famous work is the five volume series entitled The Last Seventy Years of the Qing Dynasty, published in 1998. A publisher has selected various chapters from it and published them as a single volume in Mainland China. He utilizes his “Historical Three Gorges” theory as the principal axis linking Chinese historical transformations. Originally, this series was meant as a prelude to another book --The History of the Republic of China, which he had conceived for many years. Unfortunately, he has only written two chapters of his last work, namely, The Rein of Yuan Shi-Kai and The Dictatorship of Mao Zedong. They were later published as two separate books under those titles.

Professor Tong began writing short, creative essays while in college. His fluid style is humorous and breath taking, his remarks numerous and witty, no doubt betraying his unique mastery of literary and historical facility. His major works include Book and Human Destiny, The Study of History and The Study of Dream of The Red Chamber, Scatterings from The Fifties, Three Days and Two Nights (originally known as War and Love).

Professor Tong is by no means a scholar who lives in an ivory tower. His concerns are not solely with the history of power elites, but also in the sufferings of the common people. This is especially relevant in light of the massacres, persecutions, humiliations and insults inflicted by the Japanese imperialists on the Chinese people during wartime. He believed that the Japanese imperialists should be judged on the basis of morality and legality. For over twenty years, he actively participated in protests sponsored by humanitarian organizations, delivered speeches exhorting against the Japanese imperialists and exposing Japan’s past crimes and atrocities. He also called for their apologies and for paying compensation to the victims. As a righteous man and historian, he has undoubtedly exhibited his humanitarian side to the fullest extent.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon; his son Ray, an accomplished architect; his daughter June, an illustrious computer analyst and 2 grandchildren, all living in California. As there are large numbers of close associates, friends, students and relatives who have known Professor Tong over the years, Mrs. Tong wishes to express her sincerest thanks to all for their condolences and would kindly decline all forms of bereavements. However, contributions and donations are welcome for a scholarship fund set up to honor Professor Tong. Please write your check payable to “Society of Oral History on Modern China” and send to the following address:
     33-21 149 Place, Flushing, NY 11354, USA

For further information, please call: 718-353-6778 or contact by email: info@chineseoralhistory.org