第55卷 第2期 古 脊 椎 动 物 学 报 pp. 89-91 2017年4月 VERTEBRATA PALASIATICA Prof. Dr. Yang Zhongjian (Chung-Chien Young) working in the Union Medical College in April 1937 Preface In memory of C. C. Young on the 120th anniversary of his birth 120 years ago, 1897, Prof. Dr. Yang Zhongjian (C. C. Young) was born in Huaxian, Shaanxi Province: the birth of a great scientist. 90 years ago, in 1927, Prof. Yang’s doctoral dissertation “Fossile Nagetiere aus Nord-China”, was published in Palaeontologia Sinica C, V(3); this marked the beginning of study of vertebrate paleontology (VP) by the Chinese people. Prof. Dr. Yang (1897–1979) was not only a vertebrate paleontologist, but also a brilliant geologist, educator, and poet. His VP career can be divided roughly into two periods: in the early years, 1927–1937, he studied mainly the Zhoukoudian and other Late Cenozoic mammalian faunas of northern China; after 1938, his main research interest shifted to the Mesozoic dinosaurs and synapsids. He published 21 monographs and 483 scientific papers, most of which related to VP. He created 83 new genera and 208 new species that embrace almost the entire field of VP from Paleozoic fish to the Anyang archaeological mammalian fauna. He co-worked with P. Teilhard de Chardin, studied on the stratum and fossils of North China “making it possible to 90 Vertebrata PalAsiatica, Vol. 55, No. 2 develop a basis for the establishment of the geochronology and the stratigraphic succession of the Tertiary and Quaternary period in China” (Zhou and Li, 1983). He was in charge of the Cenozoic Laboratory of the Geological Survey of China (the predecessor of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology ) from 1929 until 1953. As the founder and the first director of the Institute, he led and supervised IVPP for nearly thirty years. In 1955, he proposed a guideline for the research development of IVPP, in short “two deposits” and “four origins”. The former indicated roughly focus on the Mesozoic and Early Tertiary “Red Beds” in South China, and the “loess” and “Red Clay” of North China. The latter indicated concentration on 1) basal vertebrates, 2) tetrapods, 3) mammals and 4) human origins. This guideline, yet stands as a general direction of endeavor for the Institute up to the present. He created the journal Vertebrata PalAsiatica in 1956 and created with other colleagues, the Paleontological Society of China in 1929. As his stature increased with great scientific achievements, Prof. Yang was elected as an Academician of Academia Sinica in 1948 and re-elected as Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955. He took on the presidency of the Paleontological Society of China twice and the presidency of the Geological Society of China twice. He was also made Honorary Member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (since 1956) and Member of the Linnaean Society of London (since 1975). The life of Prof. Dr. Yang spanned a remarkable career, replete with outstanding achievements. He was an estimable professional father! “Fossile Nagetiere aus Nord-China” As Prof. Zhou M. Z. indicated, “The year 1927 was generally considered as the beginning of the science of vertebrate paleontology in China, when C. C. Young’s monograph “Fossile Nagetiere aus Nord-China” was published, denoting the first paper on fossil vertebrates by a Chinese scholar.” In other words, the research work of VP by Chinese scholars began from the “Nagetiere”, namely gnawing Glires or rodents and lagomorphs. On the 90th anniversary of the first paper published, and as a successor of the Glires researchers, I would like to make a short review to highlight the progress in this field up to now. To start with recorded, in 1927 Yang described 18 genera and 31 species. Until 1953, there had been reported about 70 genera and 170 species of Glires, collected from nine different horizons and ten provinces in China. Today, fossil Glires from China includes 300 genera and 740 species belonging to 36 families. The localities yielding the Glires fossils are spread all over the whole country and could be attributed to at least 20 main horizons (usefully seen as 31 sub-horizons). During the first half of last century, only a few foreign scholars, e.g. P. Teilhard de Chardin, M. Schlosser, S. Schaub and two Chinese vertebrate paleontologists, C. C. Young and W. C. Pei, studied the Chinese fossil Glires. Right now, more than ten IVPP Glires specialists co-working with colleagues from Carnegie Museum (USA), American Museum (USA), Harvard University Preface 91 (USA), Senckenberg Museum (Germany), Institut. für Paläontologie, Münich (Germany), University of Montpellier (France), University of Helsinki (Finland) and National Museum of Nature and Science (Japan) have published almost one thousand papers, and an additional 10 monographs by Chinese scholars. Among those achievements, some important or key topics, such as the origin of rodents and lagomorphs have been fruitfully explored by Chinese scholars, based on Chinese unique material. Their insights and proposed theses have been accepted universally. In short, the progress on Chinese Glires fossil research has won worldwide recognition and would be a comfort to the spirit of our predecessor, Prof. Yang. I entered IVPP in 1956 and learnt mainly from Prof. Zhou M. Z. (Minchen Chow), but also was instructed by Prof. Yang frequently. In reflecting on the past twenty years of personal contact with Yang, I share a story that took place in 1962, when I presented my talk at the defense meeting for my assistant professorship. The content of my presentation was on the Castoridae of China, in which a large beaver, Trogontherium sinensis Young, 1955 was reidentified as not a Trogontherium, but possibly a new genus (namely Youngofiber Chow & Li, 1978). Trogontherium sinensis was then used as an index fossil for the Huai River Province, a subdivision of Quaternary mammalian faunas in China proposed by Prof. Pei Wenzhong in 1957. The taxonomic revision certainly would conflict with the previous conclusions of both grandmasters. I was upset, and was really worried. However, after the defense, Yang asked me to take the specimen to his office to discuss it with me. Finally, he encouraged me to publish this research. I felt relieved, finally, and warm in my heart. How generous and supportive Yang was! Another story happened in1964, when Yang studied on a new Lagomeryx from Lantian. I prepared some specimens and literature for him. When his paper was published, my name appeared in the acknowledgement. I was surprised and flattered. Then, I understood that a great scientist would like to respect everybody’s labor, even if a very unimportant person. That was the excellent virtue of Yang’s generation and we should benefit, not only from their abundant knowledge, but their morality, which would be so important for our young generations. Whenever I think of those past events, fond memories flood my mind. Prof. Yang, we remember you! LI Chuan-Kui Research Professor (Emeritus) of IVPP 2017-03-08.