Professor Zhou was born in Suzhou on August 29th, 1947. He received his Ph.D. in history from the Department of History at Peking University in 1986 after which he went on to a notable academic career at Zhejiang University. Teaching first in the Department of Philosophy, he went on to teach in several other departments, including the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences, the School of Economics as well as the School of Public Administration. He was the principal founder of the Center for Confucian Entrepreneurs and East Asian Civilizations as well as the Morningside Cultural China Scholars Program, both located in Zhejiang University.
Professor Zhou published extensively in a wide range of fields in Chinese history, especially in philology, economic history, and intellectual history. He was the editor or compiler of more than ten books, including the Compiled Textual Research on Wuyue Chunqiu, Notes and Comments on Laozi, Mencius: Classic Symposium, et al. He authored more than fifty academic papers, such as “Agricultural Landscape and Land Development in Song Jiangnan,” “Investigations on the Tao in the Silk Book Laozi,” “Synopsis and Corrections on Song Gazetteers in the Siku Collection,” and “On the Learning Path of Confucius and the Evolution of His Thought.”
Professor Zhou dedicated his life, visions and knowledge to pioneer a new model of education. He guided students to lay a critical foundation in understanding traditional Chinese thoughts, in this process expanding their horizons and raising their cultural awareness. With assistance and support from many friends and colleagues, he succeeded in nourishing numerous talented students, mentoring their high aspirations and capabilities while instilling in them a strong sense of responsibility, students who have gone on to make contributions to Zhejiang University and society at large. As a highly respected scholar and teacher, Professor Zhou devoted his entire life and energy to his career and the education of generations of students.
Professor Zhou passed away on July 20, 2022.
To respect his wishes and with the consent of his family members, Professor Zhou’s funeral was kept simple. No memorial ceremony was held. On behalf of Professor Zhou Shengchun, we would like to relay his final wishes of gratitude to all the people who cared about him.