Professor Qian Chengdan is one of the most influential scholars in the field of World History in China. His research covers a wide range of areas, including British history, European history, modernization, civilizational exchange and mutual learning, and regional and country studies. His achievements are outstanding and widely recognized.

Deeply rooted in the excellent Chinese historiographical tradition of “using the past to illuminate the present,” Professor Qian’s research topics and content combine high academic quality with a strong sense of contemporary relevance. He served as the academic director of the influential documentary “The Rise of the Great Powers”, which had a broad impact. He has made significant contributions to discipline building: he played an important role in establishing World History as a first-level discipline in China, and in recent years he successfully promoted the creation of Regional and Country Studies as a new first-level discipline in response to national strategic needs. Professor Qian emphasizes the integration of teaching and research, frequently offering original insights. His various courses are highly popular among students. He also advocates for public history, having published several popular works that are widely loved by readers.

He has held numerous prestigious academic positions, including member and convener of the History Discipline Evaluation Group of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, member of the National Social Science Fund review expert group, member of the National Textbook Committee expert group, member of the Social Science Committee of the Ministry of Education, member of the Yangtze River Scholars Award Program review expert group, academic committee member of the Chinese Academy of History, and more. He enjoys considerable prestige in the international academic community, being a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (UK) and having been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Coventry University (UK). Since 2003, he has served long-term as a part-time professor at the Macau University of Science and Technology, making important contributions to its development.

Professor Qian Chengdan’s major authored works include:

“Between Tradition and Transformation”, “The Industrial Revolution and the English Working Class”, “The Lost Paths of Modernization”, “The First Industrialized Country”, “The Road to a Modern State”, “History in Thought”, “Seeking History from Elsewhere”, “Professor Qian’s Lectures on Western Civilizations”, “Professor Qian’s Lectures on the Rise and Fall of the World Powers”, and others.

He has also served as chief editor of major academic series such as:

“A History of England” (6 volumes), “A History of the British Empire” (8 volumes), “The Process of World Modernization” (10 volumes), among others.

From the Sixth Five-Year Plan period onward, he has led dozens of major national research projects and repeatedly received important national-level awards, including the first prize from the Ministry of Education, provincial and ministerial first prize, the China Publishing Award, the China Book Award, the Chinese Good Books Award, and more.