Professor Xu Chao (also known by his courtesy name Xu Yuzi) holds the rank of Professor in the School of Literature of Shandong University, and is a Dissertation Advisor of Ph.D students. He was born in 1945 inYancheng, Jiangsu Province. From 1964 to 1972, he was a student in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Beijing Normal University, and also worked there. In 1978, he was admitted to the graduate program at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature ofShandong University, concentrating in the History of the Chinese Language. He received his MA degree, and thereafter stayed on at Shandong University as a member of the teaching staff. From 1984 to 1989, he also served as the Associate Chair of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature. From 1995 to 1999, Professor Xu served as the Special Associate Chief Editor of the Shandong periodical Calligraphic Art. In 1993, he began to recruit graduate students in Classical Etymology and Semantics, and beginning in 1996, this became the MA program in Linguistics and Calligraphic Studies. In 2001, Professor Xu began to recruit doctoral students in Linguistics and Calligraphic Studies(later becoming the Program in Classical Linguistics and Semantics and Calligraphic Culture.)   From 2001 to 2006, he added to his responsibilities serving as an assistant to the renowned calligrapher and engraver, Mr. Jiang Weisong, and they jointly, under both of their reputations, recruited, taught, and provided mentorship for students in the Ph.D degree program in Linguistics and Calligraphic Studies. In 2003, Professor Xu was appointed as a Member of the Academic Council of the Chinese Calligraphy Association, a consultant of the Shandong Provincial Calligraphy Association, and Director of the Center for Calligraphic Art Research of Shandong University.

Professor Xu’s calligraphy benefited greatly from learning from two masters, Mr. Qi Gong and Mr. Jiang Weisong. Similarly, his research orientation and curriculum development are also profoundly influenced by Mr. Qi and Mr. Jiang. This means, in general, firmly committing to and maintaining the principles of integrating academics and art and nurturing young people with versatile, multifaceted talents.Professor Xu was awarded, in Shandong Province, the title of “A Young or Middle-Aged Artist Who Has Gained Repute and Excelling Respect Both For Artistry and For High Ethical Standards.”  He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen volumes, including: Traditional Chinese Linguistics, Commentaries and Editorial Annotations of Jia Yi’s Collected Writings, A Curriculum For Examination and Evaluation of Levels of Achievement in Calligraphy and Painting For General Use Throughout the Nation: (Calligraphy Section), and A Standard Practical Textbook of Calligraphy For the General Upper Middle School Curriculum. For his academic writings, Professor Xu has received a Level-2 Prize for Outstanding Achievement from the Shandong Provincial Federation of the Social Sciences, a Level-1 Prize for Outstanding Academic Publication from the University Presses of East China, and the Shandong Provincial Book Award. In addition, he has also won several awards from the Shandong Provincial Associationfor Language Studies, the Shandong ProvincialEducational Commission, and Shandong University. For his accomplishments in teaching, he has won a Level-2 Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching in Shandong Province. For his work in calligraphy, he has won a Level-2 Prize in Education of the Lanting Prize, the nation’s highest award in the field of Calligraphy.

Over the years, Professor Xu has taught many courses at Shandong University, including:

For undergraduates:
The Chinese Language in Ancient Times

Classical Etymology and Semantics

Traditional Linguistics

The Study of the Culture of Calligraphy

Calligraphy

For MA students:
Methodology in theHumanities and Social Sciences

Chinese Language Studies

Topics in the History of the Chinese Language

Guided Reading of Texts and Documents in the History of the Chinese Language

Topics in Philology

Topics in Phonology

Topics in Classical Etymology and Semantics

A Study of the Qing-Dynasty Classic on Chinese Philology and SemanticsGuangyaShuzheng

Methods in Etymology and Semantics

The Study of the Culture of Calligraphy

Guided Reading in Theories and Critiques of Calligraphy Through the Centuries

A Study of Methods and Techniques in Calligraphy

For Ph.D students:
Theories and Methods of Language Research

Theory and Application inPhilology

Theory and Application inEtymology and Semantics

The Study of the Culture of Calligraphy

In addition, Professor Xu has also taught many classes and courses for the educational programs of the Chinese Calligraphy Association and the Shandong Provincial Calligraphy Association (unlisted here).