Chiao Chien

Chiao was born in 1935 to a prominent family originally from Shanxi province in mainland China. He spent his early years in China and Taiwan, attending high school in Taipei. In 1954, he enrolled at National Taiwan University (NTU) as a history major but switched to the new Department of Anthropology in his second year. At one point he was the only student in his anthropology cohort, studying under renowned scholars such as Li Ji and Ling Chun-sheng.^[4][5]

Chiao earned his B.A. in archaeology and anthropology from NTU in 1958 and an M.A. in anthropology in 1961. He then pursued doctoral studies in the United States, and in 1969 he obtained a Ph.D. in anthropology from Cornell University. His doctoral research included fieldwork among the Navajo people, reflecting his enduring interest in indigenous cultures.^[6]

After completing his doctorate, Chiao joined the anthropology faculty of Indiana University Bloomington in 1966. He taught at Indiana University for a decade, becoming an associate professor and focusing on sociocultural anthropology. In the early 1970s, Chiao moved to Hong Kong and in 1976 began teaching at Chinese University of Hong Kong’s sociology department. He was a key figure in establishing anthropology as a discipline in Hong Kong. In 1980, he founded the Department of Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and served as its first chair until 1991. He was appointed a chair professor of anthropology (the CUHK’s first chair professor in anthropology) and remained on the CUHK faculty until his retirement from that university in 1994.

In 1995, Chiao returned to Taiwan to establish the Graduate Institute of Ethnic Relations and Cultures (Chinese: 族群關係與文化研究所) at National Dong Hwa University College of Humanities and Social Sciences. He served as the institute’s founding director from 1995 to 2000 and was a full professor in the institute through 2004. Chiao played a pivotal role in building NDHU’s programs in indigenous and ethnic studies. He was instrumental in the planning of NDHU College of Indigenous Studies, which traces its roots to the institute he founded and served as Director of Preparatory Office. During his career at NDHU, he served as "National Chair Professorships [zh]" from 2003 to 2006, which is one of highest academic honor in Taiwan and served as Founding Chair of Advanced Forum of Anthropology (Chinese: 人類學高級論壇) that is China's highest academic organization for anthropology. Chiao retired from academic career in 2005 and was named Professor Emeritus of NDHU College of Indigenous Studies that year.^[7][8]

Throughout his career, Chiao also fostered anthropological research and collaboration beyond his home institutions. Notably, he founded the "Hong Kong Anthropological Society" (Chinese: 香港人類學會) in 1978 and served as its first president. In 1986, he co-founded the "International Yao Studies Association" (Chinese: 國際瑤族研究學會), reflecting his research interest in the Yao (Iu Mien) people, and served as its inaugural president. In 1994, Chiao helped establish a center for North China cultural studies at Shanxi University in his native Shanxi, serving as its honorary director. He was also a visiting or honorary professor at several institutions, including Minzu University of China and Shanxi University (both in 1990).

Chiao Chien's scholarly work spanned the cultural anthropology and ethnology of both East Asia and indigenous peoples elsewhere. He conducted extensive fieldwork over six decades, studying a wide range of ethnic groups and communities. These included indigenous Austronesian peoples in Taiwan, minority nationalities in China (such as the Yao people), rural “bottom society” communities in China, as well as Native American groups in the United States (notably the Navajo). His comparative perspective led him to explore links between Asian and American indigenous cultures.

Chiao was a prolific author and editor. He published over thirty books and monographs, and nearly one hundred academic papers in Chinese and English. Many of his works focused on ethnic relations, social organization, ritual and religion, and the continuity of traditional cultures. For example, his doctoral dissertation, The Continuity of Tradition: Navajo and Chinese Patterns, examined Navajo society in comparative perspective. He also co-edited influential volumes such as Ethnicity and Ethnic Groups in China (with Nicholas Tapp, Professor at Australia National University). Chiao's writings and mentorship helped shape the development of anthropology in the Chinese-speaking world, bridging academic communities in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and abroad.^[9]