Transnational Circulation of Knowledge: Zhu Kezhen's Inheritance and Development of the Academic Tradition of Geography at Harvard University

Zhu Kezhen (竺可桢, Coching Chu) studied meteorology in the Department of Geology and Geography at Harvard for five years. On the one hand, this studying experience brought him into the unique academic school of modern geography at Harvard University, and on the other hand, it also laid a solid foundation for him to be the founder of modern geography and meteorology in China. Zhu's advocacy of human geography, as well as his research on historical climatology and climate change, was deeply influenced by his supervisor Robert D. Ward. While importing new knowledge from the West, Zhu also excavated the rich meteorological knowledge of pre-modern China in his research. By doing this, he contributed to the world's academic knowledge and realized the transnational exchange of geographical knowledge. Based on the collection archives of Zhu's time spent studying in America, this article adopts the method of transnational history, presenting a comprehensive picture of the entanglement and interaction between modern Chinese science and world academia.