Discussing Academia and Poetry for Twenty Years

Author: Hu Shih Memorial Hall
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-08-01
Features: In the 1940s, after Hu Shih resigned from his post as Ambassador to the United States, he met a group of younger scholars at Harvard, including Zhou Yiliang and Yang Lesheng, whom Hu Shih highly valued and intended to invite back to Peking University to teach. Among them, Yang Lesheng was particularly close to Hu Shih and their friendship lasted a lifetime. When Hu Shih returned to the United States in 1949, Yang Lesheng had already risen like the morning sun in the Western sinological world. Hu Shih greatly admired Yang Lesheng's profound and extensive scholarship and often discussed his works with him, as clearly shown in their correspondence. Hu Shih designated Yang Lesheng as the editor of his English works in his "Last Will and Testament," demonstrating his trust in him. This book collects 205 letters exchanged between Hu and Yang, spanning from 1943 to the eve of Hu Shih's death in February 1962. Over two decades of discussions on scholarship and poetry, their correspondence, imbued with depth in simplicity, testifies to the profound bond between them, reaching the highest level of mutual admiration and unspoken understanding. These letters provide invaluable new materials for the history of modern Chinese scholarship.