Yu Shihou. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

Yu Shihou, a logician and retired professor at Zhejiang University, died of a heart attack on March 7 at the age of 85.

Yu had taught at Hangzhou University, which later merged with Zhejiang University, for 48 years. The logics course he taught had always been one of the university's most acclaimed electives.

Many university alumni have taken to social media platforms to mourn his passing.

"Mr Yu was one of my favorite teachers at the university. He was very kind to us students and often invited us to his home for dinners," read one comment.

Yu's family remembers him as a humorous, easygoing person who was always eager to try new things and meet young people.

"I was in the natural science program at Hangzhou University in 1978 and had benefitted a lot from attending the elective course taught by Yu. He spoke eloquently and had a strong Wenzhou accent," read another comment.

Following his retirement, Yu continued to give lectures at universities and be involved in activities, including the promotion of Liangzhu Culture, a Neolithic civilization discovered in the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in Hangzhou, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.

In 2012, Yu joined a team of Hangzhou scholars to lobby for the inclusion of Liangzhu Culture in the national secondary school textbook for Chinese history. The topic was eventually included in 2019.

Zhu Yi, a philosophy major from the 1978 class of Hangzhou University, wrote that Yu dedicated his life to two things: teaching and culture promotion. He added that the late educator will be remembered for having enriched minds through his lectures and books that encouraged critical thinking.

The national secondary-school textbook for Chinese history includes one page on the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in Hangzhou. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]