Chongtai Tan is a Professor in Department of Economic Management of Wuhan University. Although he is 95 years old, he is still devoted to scientific research and teaching. His lectures for doctoral graduate students are always carefully examined and constantly updated. “If I always follow old ideas and viewpoints, I will feel sorry for students, and feel ashamed of myself” Professor Chongtai Tan said.

Going aboard to study at young age

Professor Chongtai Tan has finished his enlightenment education in private school. He was very interested in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry in middle school and his grades were always on the top of list. In 1939, Professor Chongtai Tan was admitted by the Department of Economics in Wuhan University. Because of the Anti - Japanese War, Wuhan University has moved to Leshan, Sichuan, which is not far from his home town. So he finished his studies there.

Professor Chongtai Tan has realized that the world is big and had a strong desire to study aboard. Because of the uncertain times and dissatisfaction with the reality, Professor Chongtai Tan is full of confusion about the future. At the time of wandering, he was informed that he had the opportunity to study aboard. After a short preparation, he was admitted with excellent grades by the Department of Economics of Harvard University. By the end of 1944, Professor Chongtai Tan has flew from Chongqing to Kunming, arrived in India through the "Hump air path", then sailed through Australia, New Zealand, arrived in the west coast in U.S.A., which lasted 42 days to make the dream of studying aboard come true.

In 1946, Professor Chongtai Tan got his master degree in the United States. However, due to economic reasons, he gave up the plan of studying for a PhD, and worked as a special assistant in the Far Eastern Commission in Washington, and engaged in the study of Japanese economy and the post-war compensation issues. At the same time, he has written some papers such as "Compensation problem of Japan", "Contribution in the economic theory from Keynes". Despite of handy work and good payment, Professor Chongtai Tan often missed home. By the end of 1947, he declined to stay and went back home with full of patriotic sentiment. He was invited by the president of Wuhan University Gengsheng Zhou and taught in the Department of Economics in the College of Laws at the Wuhan University.

Promote the theory of Development Economics at the age of 60 years old

In 1958, Professor Chongtai Tan was transferred from the Department of Economics to the Department of Foreign Languages to teach English. During the 20 years in the Department of Foreign Languages, Professor Chongtai Tan was engaged in translation of document from the United Nations, and edition of English dictionary.

After the third plenary session of the eleventh central committee of the party, Professor Chongtai Tan returned to the Department of Economics, and started his new academic life again. He was 58 years old at that time, which is almost a retirement age for most people. He worked voraciously and tried to get back the lost time. In the reception economics expert delegation from USA, Professor Chongtai Tan keenly discovered a new branch from contemporary western economics, which is devoted to the study of development economics in developing countries for economic revitalization.

In 1980, Professor Chongtai Tan went to U.S. as a visiting scholar. He was drowned in a sea of books in libraries for data collection and study of development economics. “The issue of demonstration of development economics study is the overall issue to develop economy for all developing countries in the world, is also the problem that has not been solved, but long-term efforts have been made to, in economy development in China”. Professor Chongtai Tan was acutely aware that this knowledge has very important theory value on the practice of reforming and opening of our country

After being back, Professor Chongtai Tai edited the bookContemporary Western Economic Theory through organizing tens of thousands of studying notes and referring large amounts of data and literature. In the following years, he published many academic papers and reviewed the western development economics for domestic scholars. In 1985, he launched the course of development economics in Wuhan University and cultivated talents in this field for our country. In addition, his bookDevelopment Economics is a first domestic book introducing the theory of western economic development systematically. And he edited Development

Economics for “seven five” planning colleges and universities, which has been reprinted 7 times and awarded 1st prize of national excellent textbooks by State Education Commission.

Filling the Blank in the Area of Comparative Study of Development in the Eighth Decade

In the early 1980s, Professor Chongtai Tan started to seek for the intellectual origin of Development Economics from the history of economic theory, and considered writing the history of economic development theory. After ten years of painstaking research, the bookThe History of Western Economic Development Theoryeditedby Professor Chongtai Tan was published in 1993, which drew wide attention and aroused a buzz in the academic circle. This book was rewarded First Prize of Outstanding Scientific Research Achievements by the National Education Committee in 1995, and the third National Book Prize.

Entering the 21st century, Professor Chongtai Tan was in his eighth decade, and he still diligently cultivated in the field of Development Economics. During this period, he was focused on the comparative study between the development of the developing countries and developed countries, analyzing early stage development of developed countries and the current development of developing countries comparatively, in order to find the common patterns and different characteristics of economic development. With the endeavor of Professor Chongtai Tan and his students,The Comparative Study of the Early Stage Development in Developed Countries and the Current Economic Development in Developing Countries ofwas published in 2008. The book combined research of Development Economics, Economic Development History and the history of economic theory organically, realized his intention for writing, which is “combining history and theory, melting theory into history, and use history as the evidence of theory”. The book filled blank in the field of comparative research of development, and won First Prize of Outstanding Scientific Achievements in Higher Learning Institution rewarded by the Ministry of Education.

In Professor Chongtai Tan’s opinion, "Development Economics is a young discipline full of energy. Due to different historical, cultural and social conditions, the initial institutional basis on which developing countries develop economics are of great heterogeneity and particularity. The rich development experience from different developing countries will continuously provide resources to the research of Development Economics."