Hu Shi Collection (4)

Author: Ouyang Zhesheng (Editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-11-01
Features: Hu Shi (1891–1962), originally named Hu Hongqi, styled Shizhi, was from Jixi, Anhui. A scholar. He studied in the United States from 1910, entering Cornell University and later transferring to Columbia University, where he studied under John Dewey and was deeply influenced by his experimental philosophy. In early 1917, he published "On the Improvement of Literature" in New Youth. In 1917, he received a Ph.D. in philosophy and returned to China the same year, becoming a professor at Peking University. He participated in editing New Youth and published academic papers such as "On the Historical Concept of Literature" and "On the Construction of Literary Revolution," as well as the new poetry collection A Collection of Experimental Poems, becoming a highly influential figure in the New Culture Movement. In 1919, he published "Study Some Problems, Talk Less About Ideology," advocating forism ( c?i thi?n ch? ngh?a). In 1920, he left New Youth and later founded The Weekly Effort. In 1923, he organized the Crescent Society with Xu Zhimo and others. In 1924, he co-founded The Modern Review with Chen Xilin and Wang Shijie. In 1932, he co-founded The Independent Review with Jiang Ting and Ding Wenjiang. In 1938, he became the ambassador of the Nationalist Government to the United States. In 1946, he became the president of Peking University. In 1948, he left Beijing and later moved to the United States. In 1958, he became the president of the Academia Sinica in Taiwan. Throughout his life, Hu Shi achieved accomplishments in philosophy, literature, history, and classical literature studies, and held a representative status. His works include Fifty Years of Chinese Literature, Collected Writings of Hu Shi, A History of Vernacular Literature, and Studies on Chinese Chaptered Novels. Hu Shi's academic activities primarily focused on history, literature, and philosophy, with major works including Outlines of the History of Chinese Philosophy (Volume 1), A Collection of Experimental Poems, A History of Vernacular Literature (Volume 1), and Collected Writings of Hu Shi (Volume 4). His most significant academic influence was promoting the research method of "bold conjecture and careful verification." In his later years, he devoted himself to the textual criticism of The Waterways Classic, but did not complete a definitive draft. He passed away in Taipei in 1962. The Collected Works of Hu Shi published by Peking University Press consists of twelve volumes, and this book is the fourth volume. The text of this volume is divided into nine chapters.