Hou Renzhi, male, Han nationality, was born in Zaoqiang, Hebei Province but is a native of Enxian, Shandong Province. Hou graduated from Yanjing University in 1936 and received a Ph.D. from Liverpool University in 1949. He was elected academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1980.
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 major monographs include, "The Principles and Practice of Historical Geography."