Hu Shi's Autobiography

Author: Hu Shih
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This book is an English oral autobiography written by Hu Shih for the "Oral History Department of China" at Columbia University in the United States. It was recorded and compiled by Tang Degang, later translated and annotated by Tang Degang, and published by Biographical Literature Publishing House in Taiwan in 1986. In 1993, East China Normal University Press published the simplified Chinese version. During the compilation process, some of Hu Shih's works and research findings were incorporated. The translator and annotator, Tang Degang, is considered a high disciple of Hu Shih. Most people's understanding of oral history begins with Tang Degang's Oral Autobiography of Hu Shih. This is a comprehensive translation based on the English manuscript of sixteen official recordings of Hu Shih's oral recollections, as announced by the "Oral History Department of China" at Columbia University, and his own preserved, Hu Shih-edited incomplete drafts. It was completed during his personal interactions with Hu Shih at Columbia University, with a recording device in hand—a monumental "oral history project." The focus of Hu Shih's book is to summarize and evaluate his academic life, and this evaluation reflects his late-life thoughts, which are almost identical to his mid-adolescent thoughts. Therefore, as Tang Degang said, readers who have read Hu Shih's Forty Years of My Life will find little new in this oral account. However, the annotations and comments by Tang Degang after translating the English oral account into Chinese are excellent works that cannot be overlooked. The "account" and "annotations" of this book have become an inseparable whole. In terms of academic value and historical value, the weight of the annotations may far exceed that of the main text. In the 1970s, overseas historians often said, "First read Tang Degang, then read Hu Shih." The erudition and insights Tang Degang demonstrates in these annotations are rare and captivating, truly making readers feel as if they are meeting the person behind the words. In terms of writing style, this book is an original and self-contained "academic autobiography." It is also a straightforward and honest small book that covers all aspects of Hu Shih's knowledge, thoughts, life, and family background. It is a simple and accessible "Hu Shih introduction" written by Hu Shih himself, suitable for young readers. Experts in modern Chinese literature and history may find that browsing this small book can help them organize their concepts of "Hu Shih" more systematically. Because it is a concise and self-narrated "Hu Shih case study." For general readers who enjoy leisurely reading, flipping through it after work or meals can give them a rough understanding of the origins of Hu Shih's "reactionary statements" and "toxic thoughts." As for whether it is a "poisonous weed" or a "fragrant flower," Hu Shih himself did not "boast" about it; he simply "admitted the facts." Wise readers—whether they criticize Hu Shih, support him, or do both—will naturally make their own correct judgments.