Hou Renzhi was born in Zaoqiang County, Hebei Province in December 1911, but is a native of Enxian, Shandong Province. Hou graduated from Yanjing University (in Beijing) in 1936, where he received both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree.
In December 1941, during the time of the Japanese invasion, Hou was arrested and released in June of 1942; however, he continued to be denied freedom of movement and travel. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, in the summer of 1946, Hou went to the Department of Geography at Liverpool University in England to pursue advanced studies.
In 1949, upon receiving his Doctor of Philosophy Degree, Hou returned as quickly as possible to China, his motherland. Exactly three days before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Hou arrived in Beijing. He was appointed Associate Professor, Professor of History at Yanjing University.
Hou participated in the work of the Beijing City Planning Committee. Then, he advanced research in Chengde, Handan, Zibo and other historically significant cities. He dedicated himself to the investigation of deserts in Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Gansu, and thereby provided valuable information for the planting of sheltering forests in the future.
Hou is an expert on geochronic geography and developed new approaches to historical geography, especially the origin and development of water resources and the municipal plan for Beijing. His main research achievements may be found in his book entitled "The Principles and Practice of Historical Geography." Another book, Four Treatises on Historical Geography, discusses major theoretical issues. Hou is also the author of many works on popular science for the general public and was elected honorary member of the Chinese Society for Popular Science.
In 1980, Hou was elected academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1999, he was awarded the distinguished George Davidson Medal by the American Geographical Society.
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