The Tang Prize Foundation announced the winner of the prestigious Tang Prize in Sinology on Friday.
The winner, 84 year-old scholar Yu Ying-shih, has spent a lifetime interpreting traditional Chinese thought through the lens of modern scholarly techniques. His scholarship has taken him to schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The Tang Prize Foundation noted Yu’s deep probing into Chinese history, thought, politics, and culture, as well as his interpretation of traditional Chinese thought from the perspective of a modern scholar.
Yu was modest when asked for comment on winning the award, saying that he felt surprised and unworthy.
The biennial Tang Prize was founded in 2012 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin to honor leaders in four fields: sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, sinology, and rule of law. The prize has been described as Asia’s answer to the Nobel Prize.