Obituary | Professor Jao Tsung I passed away aged 101

The UM confered the titles of ‘honorary doctor’ and ‘honorary professor’ on Prof Jao Tsung I in 2004

Professor Jao Tsung I, an expert of sinology and a former recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Macau (UM), passed away yesterday morning, at the age of 101.

An erudite scholar and a prolific writer, Jao was a renowned expert of sinology, a historian, archaeologist, writer, Confucian scholar, educator, and painter. He dedicated his whole life to promoting sinology, with remarkable accomplishments in both art and literature.

Jao served as a chair professor in the School of Arts at the University of East Asia (UEA), the predecessor of UM. He assisted with the establishment of the Department of Chinese Literary History and served as the department head and founding professor.

During the early days of UM, he worked tirelessly to develop programs in the field of humanities, which had a far-reaching impact in laying the groundwork for the development of teaching and research in the Chinese discipline, and in nurturing for Macau a group of experts well-versed in Chinese language and literature. He also pioneered research in the history of Macau at UM. Later, he actively supported the development of Macaology, making a groundbreaking contribution to UM in the establishment and development of this discipline.

In 2004, UM conferred the titles of ‘honorary doctor’ and ‘honorary professor’ upon Jao, in recognition of his original academic contributions.

According to statement from UM, “the outstanding achievements UM has attained in the field of humanities would not have been possible without the significant contributions of Prof Jao.”