Li Yi-yuan: Renowned Anthropologist

In 1949, a student at National Taiwan University went to see the university president about transferring to the newly established anthropology department. The president cautioned him, 'You're aware, aren't you, that studying an unpopular field like anthropology can lead to nothing but teaching or research?" The student's response to that question not only decided his future career, it led him 35 years later to receiving the highest honor the Republic of China can bestow on a scholar--membership in the Academia Sinica.

While instantly recognizable in academic circles, the name "Li Yi-yuan" has not had a lot of exposure in the mass media. The reason is simple: just as his university president foresaw over 30 years ago, Prof. Li's career has consisted primarily of teaching and research, with some administrative work besides.

Be that as it may, Prof. Li's analyses of a number of current social phenomena are incisive and deserving of popular attention.

Currently the subject of considerable curiosity and skepticism among Chinese on Taiwan is the "chi--t'ung", a kind of Taoist exorcist or faith-healer. Prof. Li believes that although their methods include a large amount of irrational superstition the faith-healers are not without their positive side. He points out that a study of 19 patients treated by a Chinese faith-healer found that 17 were actually cured. The 17 were suffering mainly from psychological or psychosomatic disorders, while the other two had serious organic disfunctions. In other words, the faith-healer's treatment was similar to psychiatric care.

Prof. Li explains: Traditional Chinese medicine has a saying that "a good doctor treats the patient; a poor one, the disease." That is, besides treating the ailment, a good doctor also considers the patient's relation to his environment. Similarly, faith-healers often explain sickness as arising from an unfulfilled social obligation--a failure to worship ancestors properly or an ill-chosen burial site--and since this is just the factor that has been troubling the patient, when he follows the healer's instructions the resulting psychological release leads to gradual improvement in his physical condition. As a result, Chinese faith-healers are not just an object of study for anthropologists and sociologists but can also offer valuable lessons to the medical profession.

When asked about "feng-shui", or Chinese geomancy, Prof. Li points out its popularity not only among poorly educated country people but also among well-educated city people, to the extent that reports of a government official changing the direction of his desk to improve the "feng-shui" or even a principal relocating the entrance to a school are not uncommon. Prof. Li considers the phenomenon rather abnormal. "Traditional Chinese geomancy included not just the relation- ship between man and the environment but also that between man and man; while today's has neglected the latter and tends toward a kind of hocus-pocus." Actually, the basic philosophy of traditional geomancy shares with modern environmental science such concepts as man's harmony with nature, his relation to the rhythms of the seasons and his place in the universe. Joseph Needham has given traditional geomancy a positive appraisal in his series Science and Civilisation in China.

Regrettably, says Prof. Li, we have not developed the side of geomancy appropriate for modern society but have instead exaggerated its magical and mysterious aspects. We must carefully choose what is worth saving in traditional culture and have the courage to give up what is no longer useful, he says.

Indeed, many people believe that traditional culture must stand in the way of progress, that impunctuality, for instance, is a national characteristic of the Chinese. But Prof. Li points out, "Actually, traditional China was always very particular about timing; whether it was a wedding, a funeral or the beginning of a journey, each had its proper moment. Even the slightest discrepancy could entail grave consequences. Looked at in this way, the question becomes how we can extend this punctuality in ritual behavior to everyday life. If we can, it will be a fine example of adapting traditional culture to modern needs."

Prof. Li is a firm supporter of cultural and historical preservation yet also a strong advocate of educational reform, of stressing rational analysis in place of memorization.

While the issues are various, the insight and depth of observation are one. Warned years ago that his field of study was not of great interest to the general public, Prof. Li has continued to be concerned about issues that are.

Besides his publications for the general reader, Prof. Li has written 16 specialized works and some 97 theses, opening new ground in his field. His role in Chinese anthropology has been decisive. He directed the Institute of Ethnology at Academia Sinica for many years, establishing its present scope and direction, and concurrently taught anthropology at National Taiwan University, where many of his students have gone on to become renowned scholars themselves. His lectures attracted numerous students from other departments to audit a supposedly "unpopular" subject. He is now director of the College of Humanities and Sociology at National Ch'ing Hua University.

But when Li Yi-yuan came to Taiwan from Fukien in 1948, academic conditions were difficult. When he asked the president of that time, Dr. Fu Szu-nian, for permission to transfer to the new anthropology department, Dr. Fu broke precedent in allowing him to keep his scholarship despite changing departments, a deed which Prof. Li remembers with gratitude. He was one of only two students in the anthropology department's first graduating class. "How lucky we were," Prof. Li recalls. "We had six world-class professors. And when the mainland fell and I was left all alone in Taiwan, they treated us like their own family."

After two years of assistant teaching, Prof. Li entered the Ethnology Institute, where he studied both the Sinicized P'ingp'u ethnic group and various Taiwanese aboriginal peoples. "Many people think anthropology means living with primitive tribes and studying strange customs. While the view is somewhat prejudiced, it does contain an element of truth. The culture of primitive societies can be used as a model in understanding that of more complex ones, while studying a different culture can bring out the distinctiveness of one's own." Studying these tribes meant living in isolated mountain villages for many months at a time. Prof. Li recalls he seldom spent Chinese New Year at home since "that's the best time to observe rites and customs."

After promotion at the institute, Prof. Li won a scholarship to Harvard University where he studied for two years under the noted anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn and obtained his master's degree. Returning to Taiwan in 1960, Prof. Li headed the Ethnology Institute, where he encouraged interdisciplinary participation in research seminars and the application of quantitative techniques to anthropology. Besides achieving methodological breakthroughs, Prof. Li was a forerunner in researching the complex societies of the Han and overseas Chinese. He then turned his attention from regional studies, such as "Chinese Village Life in Malaysia," to topical studies of contemporary society. His study, "Religions and Ritual Behavior" not only analyzes traditional practices and beliefs but also examines a number of current religious movements that have caused considerable stir. "Most people start off making a value judgment. But from an anthropological viewpoint, the phenomenon should be studied objectively. To understand these religions' true content and background so as to solve related social problems is the practical purpose of religious anthropology."

Whether studying primitive tribes, popular religious sects or Chinese culture and society in general, Prof. Li is noted for the depth and breadth of his research as well as for his prolonged involvement with the object of his study. Just two years ago he advised the government on aborigine problems, a concern that stems from his early work.

In his present position at Ch'ing Hua, besides continuing his research, Prof. Li hopes to restore the prestige Ch'ing Hua enjoyed when it was in Peiping. Believing the highest goal of the humanities is the realization of the oneness of man, Prof. Li explains with a concept from the study of anthropology: "Western civilization is often considered the most advanced in the world, but not one of the original cradles of agriculture was in Europe. So we can see that culture is an accumulation of contributions from many peoples."

Man created culture to conquer nature. "But culture is a strange thing; mankind created it but is in turn restrained by it. Different cultures have different restraints with different effects on behavior. An example: dogs, cats and ants have different ways of greeting but they can all communicate with their own kind. Man is different; because of the restraints of culture, his ways of expressing greeting or friendliness are various. For instance, when an English anthropologist in South Africa in the 18th century wanted to express his affection for a native assistant with a kiss, the girl was terrified."

This should remind us, Prof. Li says, of the relativity of culture and lifestyles. "On this basis, we have no reason to use our own culture as a standard in judging the 'irrationality' of others. I think that the most important contribution of anthropology to mankind may well be this concept."

Prof. Li believes much of today's social unrest arises from racial and cultural prejudice. "The world will have a bright future only if people put themselves in the other's place and try to understand, tolerate and accept their fellow man." These are the concepts Prof. Li has culled from a lifetime of study of the science of mankind: understanding, toleration and acceptance.

(Peter Eberly)

[Picture Caption]

With many years of teaching, research and administrative work in his field, Prof. Li strives to propagate the essential concepts of understanding, tolerance and acceptance.

1. Noted for his research in religious anthropology, Prof. Li chats frequently with adherents of various faiths. 2. With a husband who may be away for months at a time, the wife of an anthropologist plays an important part in making a happy home. Prof. and Mrs. Li pose together.

Prof. Li often takes his students into the field for research. Here they visit an aborigine tribe in the mountains.

1. Noted for his research in religious anthropology, Prof. Li chats frequently with adherents of various faiths.

2. With a husband who may be away for months at a time, the wife of an anthropologist plays an important part in making a happy home. Prof. and Mrs. Li pose together.

Prof. Li often takes his students into the field for research. Here they visit an aborigine tribe in the mountains.