Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2005

po i n t of extinction, and published a series of reports on Thao, Paiwan, Pinpu, Yami, Atayal, and Am i . For each of these tribes, he provided a detailed examination of its clan structure, religious beliefs and economic life. In 1982, at t h e r e q u e st of th e g o v e r n m e n t , P r o f . L i launched an anthropological field s t udy and assessed th e Kaoshan tribal policie s then i n force. This study exerted a great influence on the subsequent direction in wh i ch the government t o o k to f o r m u l a t e its p o l i cy o n the aborigines. A t the same time, Prof. Li's w o r k induced an indigenous awareness among the t r i b al p o p u l a t i o n, w h o began to reckon the significance of their o wn identity and re-affirm their consciousness as an ethnic c ommu n i t y. Wh e n Prof. Li returned to Taiwan in 1960 after a d v a n c e d studies i n the U n i t ed States, his research interests g r a d u a l ly t u r n e d f r o m contemplation of other cultures to that of Han Chinese culture. He crossed the sea to Sarawak and Malaysia a number of times to investigate c u l t u r a l p h e n ome na i n the Chinese communities there. In addition, he conducted field w o r k i n r u r a l v i l l a g es i n Ta i wa n. He s a w overseas Chinese society in Southeast Asia and Ha n Chinese society in Taiwan as t wo models of transplanted t r a d i t i o n a l Chinese society. H e w r o t e m a n y papers on the s i m i l a r i t i e s a n d difference s he o b s e r v ed i n these t w o laboratories. For Prof. Li, b o t h s t u dy of the indigenous tribal people and investigation of overseas Chinese communities were all parts of a process of reflection on culture. Wh en h e f o u n d h i ms e l f am i d s t an u n f am i l i a r social group in an unfamiliar cultural environment, the interplay between the alien culture and his o w n culture w o u l d spark off a string of ideas that w o u l d come to bear significantly on his inquiries into the essence of culture. Prof. L i left the ma i n l a nd at the age of 17 to s t u dy i n Ta i wan, b ut decades of separatio n d i d not ease his longings for the ancestral home . In 1988 w h e n cross-straits f a m i l y v i s i ts we r e p e r m i t t e d , Prof. L i r e t u r n e d h ome , overwhelmed w i t h feelings of jo y and nostalgia. Subsequently he made dozens of trips to the mainland, travelling w i d e ly south and north. O n the one hand, he saw himself as a we a r y traveller coming home, seeking the land i n his memory, wh i le on the other hand he was also a professional anthropologist n ow on a data gathering field trip. Gazing on the homeland, its mo u n t a i n s a nd rivers , e v o k e d so ma n y emo t i o n s, a nd s o intense, t h a t he wa s no longer able to distinguish whether he was an observer or a participant. Introspection and emotion surged between lines of p r i nt i n the research wo r ks that Prof. L i published d u r i n g this period. Since then, Prof. L i de v o t ed his e f f o r t s to p r o m o t i ng s c h o l a r ly e x c hange between Taiwan and the mainland, b r i n g i ng Chinese anthropologica l research to a larger f i e l d w i t h greater o p p o r t u n i t i e s, l e a p i n g political divisions to achieve a higher level of accord and understanding. For more than half a century, Prof. L i has toiled i n the fields, amassing a phenomenal amount of valuable material, a rich source that f u t u r e scholars can r e a d i l y tap i n t o . Mo r e i mp o r t a n t l y, t h r o u gh his d i l i g e n t efforts i n research and analysis, Prof. L i has established a set of theories on t r a d i t i o n a l Chinese f o lk culture. Exploration of folk culture had always been separate, by a great margin, f r om studies of high culture classics, often referred to as the ‘Great Tradition'. Prof . L i has taken a different track, b e g i n n i ng w i t h the ‘Little Tradition', Prof. Li has established a set of theories on traditional Chinese folk culture. Exploration of folk culture had always been separate, by a great margin, from studies of high culture classics, often referred to as the ‘Great Tradition'. Prof. Li has taken a different track, beginning with the ‘Little Tradition', focusing on the life and culture of ordinary people. He believes that the actions and words, the thoughts and desires of a common person are illustrative of different aspects of the entire cultural gamut. Without understanding the life of the common folk, it would be difficult to gain a full view of the tapestry of Chinese culture, let alone its true spiritual essence. Prof. Li's teachings remain an inspiration for scholars to date. The 62nd Congregation 3 1