Hu Shi and China's Cultural Renaissance: Liberalism in the Chinese Revolution (1917-1937)

Author: (American) Gried
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: This book analyzes the theories and intellectual activities of Hu Shi, an outstanding representative of the Chinese intellectual class during the 20-year period from 1917 to 1937, revealing that if China's enlightenment thinkers and elite group fail to completely break away from feudal traditions in terms of personality and emotion, their modernization efforts and struggles will not achieve true success. It is a significant work by the renowned American sinologist Dr. Gried on Hu Shi and the mindset of modern Chinese intellectuals and revolutionaries. This book explores the thoughts of Hu Shi (1891-1962) and his contributions to China's intellectual response to the modern world, thus becoming a biographical work on thought. This book is a significant work by the renowned American sinologist Dr. J.B. Gried on Hu Shi and the mindset and fate of modern Chinese intellectuals. The author sets the backdrop of the collision between Eastern and Western cultures before and after the May Fourth Movement, overlooking the overall trend of the Renaissance movement from 1917 to 1937. Through the analysis of the theories and intellectual activities of Hu Shi, an outstanding representative of the Chinese intellectual class at the time, the book argues for the necessity and difficulty of modernization efforts on this ancient land. By revealing the tragedy of Hu Shi's personality, the book demonstrates a profound truth: if China's enlightenment thinkers and elite group fail to completely break away from feudal traditions in terms of personality and emotion, their modernization efforts and struggles will not achieve true success.