Fei Xiaotong, 94; Noted Anthropologist and Sociologist in China
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Fei Xiaotong, 94, a leading sociologist and anthropologist whose books on peasant life in China were considered pioneering works, died Sunday in Beijing, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.
The cause of death was not announced.
A native of Jiangsu Province, Fei studied at Qinghua University in Beijing and received his doctorate from the University of London. His books “Peasant Life in China” and “From the Soil” helped lay the foundation for the study of sociology and anthropology in China.
But in the mid-1950s, Fei was declared a rightist and prevented from teaching after he complained about the neglect of rural industries. He suffered further humiliation during the Cultural Revolution, from 1966 to 1976.
In the early 1980s, the government “rehabilitated” both Fei and sociology. It also adopted a development program following Fei’s teaching of improving peasant income and decongesting large cities through small town-based industrialization.
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