Hu Huanyong

In thisChinese name,thefamily nameisHu.

Hu Huanyong(simplified Chinese:Hồ hoán dung;traditional Chinese:Hồ hoán dung,November 20, 1901 – April 30, 1998) was a Chinesedemographerand the founder of China'spopulation geography.He was born inYixing,JiangsuProvince. He studied literature, history, and geography atNanjing Higher Normal School.He continued his education at theUniversity of Parisfrom 1926 to 1928. He returned to China and began teaching atNational Central Universitywhere he was eventually appointed dean of the Department of Geography. He began teaching atEast China Normal University(ECNU) inShanghaiin 1953, and in 1957 he became director of the research office of population geography at ECNU (which he helped to establish), the first demographic research institution in China.

In a paper published in 1934 entitled, "Distribution of China's Population," he drew theHeihe-Tengchong Line,also called the Aihun (or Aigun, ancient name of Heihe)-Tengchong Line, which is known internationally as the "Hu Line." The line marks a striking difference in the distribution of China's population.