The Academic Discussion of the Historical Geography Research in 1978～2008

The research of historical geography in 30 years of reform and opening up has been prosperous since 1978.Historical physical geography was prosperous after being recognized as part of geography in the 1970s.And historical human geography also came into being in the 1990s.In the age of economic transformation and political regulation,due to the innate difference in the object of study,various factors limited the interdisciplinary studies of historical geography. Yet researchers devoted to the study are persistent,and they have accumulated experiences in the study of historical geography and made progress in their studies.The mutual penetration and promotion among archeology,anthropology,sociology,GIS technique,and history of environment has deepened and versified the study of historical geography.A review of the achievements,features and tendencies in the past 30 years of the historical geography helps us to grasp the general direction of development,to view it from the international perspective,and to push the research to a higher academic level.