(王宏纬, 1934–2025)  

   

Professor Wang Hongwei delivering his talk at a Seminar organized by China Study Center, Nepal

By Dr. Upendra Gautam, China Study Center, Nepal

With deep sorrow, we at the China Study Center Nepal mourn the passing of Professor Wang Hongwei (王宏纬) — a pioneering scholar of South Asian studies, the founding figure of Nepal studies in China, and a most understanding, insightful, and lifelong friend of Nepal and of our Center. For half a century, he kept on continuously contributing to the peace, security and development of the Trans-Himalayan Asia.

Professor Wang passed away in mid-October 2025 at the age of 91 after a distinguished career that bridged scholarship, friendship, and diplomacy between our two countries.

Born in 1934 in Wanrong County, Shanxi Province, he graduated from the Department of Oriental Languages and Literature of Peking University in 1955 and later pursued advanced studies at the China Foreign Affairs University. In 1978, he joined the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), where he dedicated his life to the study of South Asia — especially Nepal — mastering both English and Nepali, and spending long periods conducting fieldwork across Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal. He was widely regarded as the foremost Chinese authority on Nepal.

His academic contributions are monumental. His representative works — High Mountain Kingdom: Nepal (高山王国尼泊尔), Ethnography of Nepal (尼泊尔民族志), The Himalayan Complex: A Study of China–India Relations (喜马拉雅山情结：中印关系研究), and Countries of the World: Nepal (列国志·尼泊尔) — not only filled a long-standing gap in China’s South Asia scholarship but also provided valuable reference for China’s policy toward Nepal. His Himalayan Complex received the 1999 National Social Science Foundation Excellent Achievement Award, and Countries of the World: Nepal won the 2008 CASS Senior Scholars’ Research Excellence Award.

Article by Professor Wang Hongwei on King Birendra

From his first visit to Nepal in 1963, Professor Wang became a devoted advocate of China–Nepal friendship. Over the decades, he interacted with Nepal’s monarchs and leaders — including King Mahendra, King Birendra, and political party leaderships — and was widely recognized in Nepal as “a sincere friend of the Chinese people.” In 2006, even in retirement, he met Prachanda in his capacity as a scholar to exchange views on the evolving relations between the two countries, demonstrating his lifelong commitment to mutual understanding.

To us at the China Study Center Nepal, Professor Wang was more than a distinguished scholar. He was a dear and humble friend who spent months working in our modest rented office in Dilli Bazaar, Kathmandu — an unassuming space that became, during his stay, a small yet vibrant hub of China–Nepal academic exchange. We, Prof. Wang, CSC Nepal Chairman Mr. Madan Regmi

Professor Wang with Upendra Gautam, July 2002, Beijing. Photo Courtesy: Professor Wang, Kiran Gautam  

Professor Wang in the Scholarly Interaction Program, Beijing

and me enjoyed long hours of sustained conversation on Nepal and South Asian development and security issues. There, over endless cups of tea and handwritten notes, he shared his deep knowledge of Nepal and his human warmth with all who came to meet him. In the stagnation of CSC Nepal in the last fifteen years or so, historic photos documents of 1999-2014 period are lost in the transition of CSC Nepal from one rented office space to another. 

Even at 84, he continued to teach, lecture, and encourage young scholars, exemplifying the spirit of lifelong learning. His memoir, Do Not Let the Years Be Wasted (莫让年华虚度), reflects both his scholarly devotion and his belief in passing the torch of South Asia studies to new generations.

Professor Wang Hongwei’s life was a noble example of dedication — to truth in scholarship and to friendship between nations. His intellect, humility, and generosity have left an indelible mark on those who had the honor to know him, and his works will remain a cornerstone of Nepal–China studies for generations to come. I have been humbly privileged to several intimate and candid meetings with him in Beijing and in Kathmandu. The last meeting, I had with him, was during a China Association for International Friendship (CAIFC) organized visit to China in 2016. He was as friendly and sincere as ever.

Rest in peace, dear Professor Wang Hongwei.

Your insight, warmth, and spirit of friendship will always remain with us — in the memories of your colleagues, in the hearts of your Nepali friends, and in the ongoing dialogue between our two peoples.